Best Roast Chicken?

drgordon · August 2016

Hey Eggers,

I need some suggestions for the best way to roast a chicken. Looking for moistness and nice crispy skin. I'm also going to put a pan of potatoes and onions on the plate setter to catch the drippings. Man I'm getting hungry!

Looking for suggestions on:

- Dome temp:
- IT:
- Wood or just lump:
- Baste or no baste:
- Butterfly or no:

buzd504 · August 2016

400 raised direct
155 breast, 170ish thigh
Some light wood - careful!
No
Yes

Mattman3969 · August 2016

I'm a big fan of splayed chicken in CI skillet

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196535/ci-splayed-chicken#latest

Theophan · August 2016

What's confusing about chicken on the Egg is that practically everybody loves chicken cooked on the Egg, and it often seems like everybody does it differently, and no matter what, it's always good! So it's hard to recommend a one best way.

You got a "no" on butterflying it, above, and my own sense of it is that most people here seem to think spatchcocking it works out the best, which I think is the same as butterflying it. I've roasted them whole, tried a vertical roaster, cooked separate pieces, and spatchcocked them, liked them all, but for myself I do think I like spatchcocking them the best. I think the vertical roaster (beer can style) is my least favorite -- it puts the breasts in the hotter part of the Egg, which is backward, and on my vertical roaster thing, anyway, trying to put the bird on it upside down with the legs up just was too clumsy.

I've usually done them hot but indirect and have been very happy, but I do think most people do them raised direct.

I have never added any wood to a "plain" bird, but often have added wood if I was doing a jerk chicken recipe.

Internal temps are tricky. I agree with @buzd504 above on the breasts, but 170 is a minimum temp for me on the thighs and drumsticks, and it's hard to go higher than that and still get the breasts as low as 155 or even 160. I don't think I've ever had chicken from my Eggs that I thought was dry, though, even if, according to temp, they were a little overcooked. My wife prefers her chicken WAY cooked, I like my white meat more like 155 or so, but again, for me, 170 is probably the minimum I shoot for on dark meat. We're all different -- pick something for this first time, and then decide how YOU like it.

cheeaa · August 2016

Buz has the right answer

Stormbringer · August 2016

I go 165F internal on the breast and 375 direct at the felt-line on a MM (pictured below with a Jamaican jerk marinade), otherwise same as @buzd504 does.