by waaytoomuchintothis » Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:59 am
Rob's Deeply Twisted Bagged Chicken
Okay, I admit it. I love roast chicken from the supermarket. But I don't think a lot of the quality of their birds. I also don't have almost two hours to wait for a chicken, even with vegetables, when I cook it at home. So, when Barbara said her friend in Scotland had cooked a chicken in a roasting bag in her microwave, I started experimenting. The first try was gratifying, using a small bird (5.3 pounds), and a bit of salt and pepper with an envelope of onion soup mix, and it was good, but it could be a lot better. The second was perfection. Here it is. And its fast.
6 pound (plus or minus) bird
I large roasting bag with tie
1 tblspn flour for the bag (physics-- trust me and don't worry about how weird that is)
2 tblspns Paul Prudhome Poultry Seasoning Magic (my favorite), plus anything else you want, like lemon pepper, BBQ, savory, rosemary, onion soup, herbs de provence, Tuscan, Mexican Mole, etc. Any style you want, just throw it in the bag with onions, carrots, small potatoes, celery, enough to feed how ever many folks you're feeding. It doesn't really matter to the cooking time at all. You can cook the bird just as well with no vegetables at all. I made the Mexican Mole with poblano, jalapeno, and chili peppers with onions, but the peppers had to be roasted in the oven first, and skinned.
Put the flour and seasonings in the bag, shake it around, put the washed and patted dry bird in (I trust you have removed the crap they include; guts, liver, gizzard, lizard, heart, lungs, etc), followed by the veggies. Shake it around again. Twist the open end of the bag and fold it over, then tie it tight. Leave a lot of air in, its doesn't matter. Place the whole business in a microwave dish that will hold the chicken, legs and breasts up, with veggies all around. Make certain to tuck the corners of the bag under the bird so they don't flop out and drain the juices away from the bird. Cut small slits in the top of the bag. This will keep the corners from flopping out better than anything.
Check the sticker on your microwave door opening. For 1000 watts, cook a 6 pound bird for 45-50 minutes. For 1200 watts, cook a 6 pound bird a bit less. The skin with brown nicely all by itself. Even if the skin isn't brown as much as you would like on a large bird, the inner thigh will still exceed 165 degrees, which is minimal for chicken. You won't believe the taste. One caution- if you let the temperature deep in the breast exceed 190, the breasts will dry fast on the plate.
You can adjust the timing for smaller birds, etc. Trust the thermometer and enjoy.