Fast Roast Chicken

Asked on 24 Feb 2017 by Michelle Collis

Re: Fast Roasted Chicken.

Last weekend I roasted a chicken. I followed the recipe provided in recent Delia Smith roasted chicken video. It tasted great but while it was cooking the chicken splattered significant amounts of grease inside the oven and there was smoke. Now my oven needs to be cleaned. What caused the chicken to do this? I thought that the chicken was pretty dry before roasting. It was left on the counter for 40 minutes before roasting. What can I do next time to prevent this mess. Thank you

Lindsey, Food Editor replied

Hello,

As the oven temperature is very high for this recipe the fat in the skin (which makes it nice and crisp) will splatter as it heats up.

If you are using a fan oven it will splatter even more. (If it is a fan oven you should reduce the temperature by 20 degrees)

If you have the option of convectional top and bottom heat the splattering will be reduced but it is not possible to prevent it unless you roast your chicken at a lower temperature for a longer time. But unfortunately this generally means the flesh will be dryer.

Kind regards

Lindsey