Peter Aitken wrote:

>
> > 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 overcooked at all. They come out nice and juicy and wonderful tasting. I
have used this method at least a dozen times over the last year and never had a
problem. But as I said, it is for small chickens. For a larger bird I would do
it at a lower temperature to allow the inner flesh to cook without overcooking
the outside.