Just because it's called a "simple cooking method" doesn't mean you should assume it will be a bland, disappointing dish. Although today's chicken roasting methods are simple, you'll experience exceptional results such as a crispy exterior and juicy, mouthwatering flavor.
In real life, rather than mastering how to prepare one good dish, knowing a method that lets you prepare a delicious meal under any circumstance will help you in all sorts of situations. Once you master this method, you'll also be able to cook many different types of dishes using it.
Today, I want to share one of my favorite cooking methods — "how to roast using a covered oven." This method is completely simple and also helps create an exceptionally delicious flavor.
I'll explain the "covered oven roasting method" through an easy and simple way to make a whole roasted chicken platter. Although this method may not be very commonly heard of, it gives you a crispy outer skin with juicy, tender chicken inside, along with the flavor of roasted chicken combined with vegetable fat. In addition, you can also leave out the potatoes and vegetables and make a simple "whole roasted chicken" instead.
Ingredients
1. Chicken (about 5-6 lbs / about 60 kyat-tha in weight) 1 whole
2. Peeled carrots 4
3. Onion 1
4. Lemon 1
5. Baby red potatoes 10-15
6. Sprigs of thyme 4
7. Garlic cloves 2
8. Olive oil 2 tablespoons
9. Salt and black pepper, to taste, as desired
Step (1) – Preparation
Remove all the giblets from inside the whole chicken. Then sprinkle salt and black pepper inside the cavity. Then set it aside from the preparation area for now. Using a sharp knife, cut the carrots and onion into large chunks. Cut the lemon into quarters.
Step (2) – Placing into the roasting pan
Place the carrots, onion, quartered lemon, baby potatoes, thyme, garlic, etc. into a pan with a round opening. Then sprinkle black pepper, olive oil, and salt evenly over them.
Then cover the round opening in the middle of the pan with a sheet of tin/metal. Next, fit the opening of the chicken cavity onto the round opening of the pan, making sure the chicken stands upright and does not tip over. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil, and sprinkle salt and black pepper over the outer surface.
Step (3) – Cooking
Place the pan with the round opening into a covered oven and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing 15 minutes per pound of meat. (Since the writer's chicken weighed 6 lbs, it was left in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes.)
While cooking, be careful not to let the chicken skin dry out. If you notice some parts of the meat are starting to become too dry, cover the crispy, browned sections with a sheet of tin/metal to prevent them from drying out further.
Once the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160°F, the dish is cooked. Let it rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes before carving it into slices. Then you'll have the roasted chicken platter you wanted.
Additional tip
Mix butter with wheat flour (or cornstarch, to keep it fat-free) to make a "roux sauce." Then pour it into the bottom of the pan and stir until thickened.
Squeeze lemon juice over the pan drippings, roasted chicken, and vegetables until moistened, and then it's ready to enjoy.
