"Ray" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> ......
> I cooked the chicken at the initial temp of 425 for 20 mins instead of 15
> but I still had no drippings in the pan, so I couldn't baste. In fact, by
> the end of the cooking time (90 minutes) there were virtually no drippings
> at all.
> ......

It sounds to me as if your thermostat in the oven is reading quite
high. Other problem could be that the legs were tied too tightly
together. Buy a good Taylor to check the oven temp; tie the legs
only enough that they stay in place; try again at a constant 425
degrees for about 2 hours with correct tying and temperature (in
other words, Sheldon is correct.) I cook a cornish game hen for
an hour at 425, it weighs 1.75 lbs on average. Start the bird on
one side, turn to the other side after 1/3 of the cooking time, then
turn breast up for the last 1/3. Do not baste unless you want soggy
skin. Massage the skin with butter or seasoned butter.

The problem is that Julia based her early recipes on very fine quality
free range birds from the best Boston markets. They are not the
steroid-pumped chemically dense crap on the normal shelves today
and they react and cook differently. Just keep trying different ways
until you hit one you are comfortable with.

pavane