How to Roast a Chicken In Convection

A chicken roasted in Convection will be incredibly flavorful and juicy, very easy to cook and best of all you can cook several oven side dishes at the same time for an easy delicious meal. The important things to consider are which oven mode to use, what type of pan to use, timing including resting and the ideal temperature.

There are some important tips to ensure success that generally won’t be included in the recipe because recipes don’t reference the tools we are cooking with.

Ingredients

1 4-5lb fresh chicken

4 tbsp softened unsalted butter mixed with

1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (the paprika in this seasoning gives the chicken a nice color)

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Optional

1 small peeled yellow onion to stuff into the cavity

2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary

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Preparation

• Begin by seasoning the chicken and let it sit out of the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking. Spreading some softened butter mixed with your preferred seasoning, under the skin and on the skin will yield a flavorful bird with crisper skin.

• Be sure to roast the chicken on a rack in a shallow pan, this ensures the juices stay in the bird and allows the heated air to circulate around the chicken, cooking it evenly.

• No  need to tie the legs up tight, just poke a skewer through the legs to balance the chicken. If the legs are tied too close to the body the cooking time will need to be increased for the heat to penetrate into that area, resulting in a drier bird.

• Always begin by arranging the oven racks to accommodate all the dishes you plan to cook in the oven.

• Heat the oven in the Convection Roast or Convection Bake mode 400 degrees and roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of the cooking time, approximately 45 minutes. Baste the chicken halfway through to help crisp the skin.

• Because Convection cooks from the edge to the center, if the temperature is too high you risk overcooking the edges while the center may not be cooked through.

• Plan approximately 1 hour for roasting a 4 - 5lb chicken and add 10 minutes resting time and 5 - 8 minutes carving time. Plan approximately 45 minutes for smaller chickens. Remember the internal temperature will rise by about 10 degrees while the chicken is resting so it’s safe to take it out of the oven once the internal temperature registers 165 degrees.

• When carving the chicken if you notice a little redness in and around the bone don’t be alarmed, this is a characteristic of Convection cooking. As long as the meat is cooked this is perfectly safe.

• Plan the cooking time for the oven side dishes so they will be ready to serve when the chicken has rested, been carved and is ready to serve.