Peter Aitken wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>> I roast a chicken that size in a roasting pan at 375F for about
>>>> 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Brush the skin with melted butter and sprinkle
>>>> all over with salt & pepper. You might want to put a cut up lemon
>>>> into the chicken cavity.
>>>
>>> I usually put an inordinate number of peeled garlic cloves in there,
>>> too. The meat turns out nicely flavored, but then, I'm a garlic
>>> fiend.
>>
>> When I do a small chicken I cook it hot. 425 for 1 1/2 hours. I
>> stick one garlic clove and a quarter of a lemon inside the cavity
>> after seasoning with salt and pepper. I rub the outside with olive
>> oil and season with more salt and pepper. Then I stick it on a rack
>> in a pan with about a cup of water in the bottom. When the bird is
>> done I take it out and tent it after removing the garlic and lemon.
>> Squeeze the remnants of the lemon and crush the roasted garlic into
>> the drippings along with a little flour to make gravy.
>>
>
> I suspect that you both are seriously overcooking the chicken. Are
> you using a thermometer? Julia sugests 1-1/2 hours at 350f for a 4.5
> lb chicken. If you do the same bird for the same time at 425 - well,
> you get the picture! Overcooking is the worst enemy of chicken. A
> perfectly roasted chicken will have a slight hint of pink at the
> thigh bone - perfectly safe.

Not overcooking and not leaving it pink, either. I think after all these
years I know how to roast a chicken. YMMV. And yes, garlic in the cavity
is good

Jill