The Clever Tip That Guarantees A Tender And Juicy Roasted Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken is a fantastic way to get a lot of bang for your buck. Not only is it cheaper per pound than buying just the breasts, but it can easily make more than one meal. And, when all the meat has been picked off the bone, it's perfect for making broth or stock too. That's not to mention the delicious aroma that fills your kitchen long before it's done cooking. But if you've ever had the misfortune of pulling a whole fryer from the oven only to cut into dry breasts, you might be wondering what you did wrong. Luckily, there is an easy fix for next time. You've just got to flip that bird upside down. This way, its fluids will drip into the bottom of the roasting pan as it cooks.

Unfortunately, if the breasts are on top, the liquids are draining away from them and they're apt to dry out. This clever tip will allow the white meat — which is notorious for drying out the fastest — to cook in its own juices. By doing so, the most sought-after part of the chicken will remain plenty moist. And the meat will also stay nice and tender as it cooks, which is all thanks to those same juices.

There are two options when cooking a whole chicken breast side down: Either leave it like that during the entire roasting process or flip it over after roughly thirty minutes to allow the breasts to brown. Both methods work but you will have to remove the chicken from the oven in order to flip it, which will cause your oven to cool down a bit in the process. The benefit of taking it out and turning it over is that the skin on top will still have the opportunity to get nice and crispy.

If you choose to leave it as is, not only will the oven stay at a consistent temperature, but the white meat will be a little juicer than if you turn it over partway through. And while the breast skin won't come out crispy, the skin on the other side of the chicken will crisp up instead. It can also be a bit messy to flip. Ultimately a matter of preference and totally up to you which way you do it.

In addition to roasting the chicken upside down, brining the bird ahead of time is another way to achieve moist, tender meat. This does require some forethought, however, so if you're cooking it the same day that you buy it, that won't be possible. In that case — or if you just don't want to leave it to brine in your refrigerator overnight — you can add a generous amount of salt directly to the meat immediately before roasting.

Additionally, rubbing the whole thing down with olive oil or butter will not only lock in the moisture, but it will also help achieve that perfectly crisp roast chicken skin that you're no doubt craving. The key is to gently peel the skin up so that you can slide your hand between it and the meat in order to rub the salt and fat directly into the flesh. By combining this technique with the upside-down roasting tip you're pretty much guaranteed the juiciest chicken ever.