A whole roast chicken yields roughly 54% edible meat after bones and skin, so a 4 lb bird gives about 2.2 lb cooked. I found the usual serving is around 5 ounces cooked per plate, somewhere around 142 grams. For 10 guests, thats about 10 pounds raw or 3 birds at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, running 20 minutes per pound unstuffed.

The information below does not come from a computer. It represents the real agreement; issued from actual home cooks, forum talks and what folks in cooking community counted by means of trying and mistakes.

How to Roast a Whole Chicken

Roasting chicken seems easy, until you notice that there are many modes to do it. Many folks imagine a five-pound bird when they hear about roasting, those are young chickens, usually no older than eight months, with good flavor and less risk to get dry and stringy results. One can choose smaller around four and half pounds, and truly reach better result, but only if you find them in your local supermarket.

Birds under two kilos roast more evenly through the whole body.

What is the best standard? Freely growing birds, that were not cage kept, freshly processed. The time between six and twenty-four hours after the killing is when they reach their best state.

Even so not always is it easy to time that at the food store.

Temperature management helps or hurts the whole thing. Some folks warm the oven until 425 degrees, later cool it to 375 for the end. Others stay at a steady 350 degrees, what results in almost one hour for a three-pound bird.

There is also the high warm method, ten minutes each pound, if teh chicken before cooked at room temperature. One rule counts for all modes: the oven must reach at least 325 degrees, otherwise the fat in the skin will not exit well.

Not all folks know this. The chest and thighs have different spots for doneness. The chest should reach 165 degrees inside, while the thighs require 180.

You will no, that it is fully cooked, when there is no pink at the bones and the juices flow clearly.

Salt early and often. Eight until forty-eight hours before the roasting, rub the bird in salt and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator. That pulls the moisture from the skin and allows it to dry, what a lot improves the crisp effect.

Lay also salt under the skin, not only on top, here happens the real magic. Thin layer of oil under the bird ensures that every part gets covered. More salt gives more crisp skin.

Here is how it works.

Whether to stuff cavities with lemon, garlic and fresh herbs? Definitely worth it. The cavities flavor the insides, giving taste to the meat.

If you use lemon, halve it or do holes in it, so that the smells truly enter. Roast on a bed of potatoes is a good idea, if you want everything to cook together.

For portions, plan three until four pieces each person… About the size of a card deck or computer mouse. A four-pound chicken will be enough for eight or ten folks, if you add roasted vegetables.

You have two wings, two thighs, two legs and six bits of chest to feed six folks with all sides.

Skipping the trussing step truly helps the process. Spatchcocking, butterflying the bird… Is truly the simplest and safest method.

Yesterday’s roasted chicken becomes tomorrow’s tasty leftovers. Mix it with vegetables and pasta products forsomething fully new. Always leave the bird to rest ten minutes before you cut it.