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Recipe Card or About This Roast Half Chicken RecipeHalf roasted chicken is easily one of our favorite dinners. It is such a beer friendly dish too, so tasty, so filling, yet doesn’t leave one feeling stuffed. We often enjoy it at home and love to order it when out and about craft beering, especially if visiting in Germany or Austria and especially when it is spit-roasted. Yum! But at home we usually prepare it in the oven (no rotisserie oven/attachment in the Perrine household as of yet and not really missing one). How to Roast a Half ChickenThe easiest way to roast a half chicken at home is to roast a whole chicken first and halve it once it is done. We are really speaking of baking here as by definition roasting implies temperatures higher than 400°F and the ideal temperature for chicken is just underneath, between 375°F and 400°F. (Unless your oven is super reliable and you are 100% confident that if you roast a chicken at 425°F it will not burn). I will stick to the generally accepted word usage of half roast chicken because like everyone else I am accustomed to it. Besides, saying ‘half baked chicken’ sort of has the negative ‘half-baked’ connotation. We don’t want to be showing anyone how to half bake a chicken… Step-by-Step Workflow
TIP: be sure to place the cooked bird on a cutting board with a lip or a cutting board placed inside a baking sheet to contain the juices. How Long to Roast a Chicken?I used to often ask Chris about how long to cook something and he would always reply the exact same thing – “until it is done”. So in keeping with his friendly chef manner of answering me I’d say that The time you need to roast a whole chicken depends on the bird’s size. At 400 F degrees this can take from 40 minutes to over an hour if the chicken is really large. The one Chris made for this post was nearly a 6 pounder so required a bit longer and about 4 minutes of broiling to get the skin crispy as I like it. A few extra minutes in consideration that this is a half baked chicken bone in are to be expected. So be prepared to have a bit of patience, use your meat thermometer and broiler. Why not enjoy a beer while the chicken is sizzling in the oven and those divine aromas waft out every time you take a look at how it is doing or brush it with butter/oil/spices. Roasted Half Chicken & the Beer Garden ConnectionHalf roast chicken is a classic beer garden menu item across Biergärten in Germany (especially in Bavaria) and Austria and it is one of the most recognizable specialties during Oktoberfest. In Munich chickens are spit-roasted until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Thousands of Oktoberfest Brathendl (Brathendl means roast chicken in Bavarian dialect; it is also called Wiesnhendl). When you order a half chicken in the big beer tents on the Wiesn they split a chicken and that is all you get on a plate. Typically people will buy a soft Bavarian pretzel to go with. What to serve with Roasted Half ChickenThe short answer is obvious – whatever you are in the mood for. Roasted potatoes, roasted or grilled vegetables, German fries, salad etc, are all good options. In true beer garden fashion we chose fries garnished with parsley and simple German cucumber salad – Gurkensalat, to go with our festive roasted half chickens. Absolutely delightful combo. And the cucumber salad is soo simple to make. QUICK Gurkensalat: Thinly slice cucumbers, make a quick dressing of vinegar, sugar, salt and oil. Sunflower oil is traditional and I advise mixing the ingredients per your individual taste. Very finely chop dill, chives, green onions. Mix all in a bowl, let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes and serve. I am all for presenting the half chickens in a casual style individual platters. A simple sheet pan will do – it will contain the juices and has has ample room for sides. You Might LikeTraditional Oktoberfest Food Recipes Ingredients
Instructions
NotesCooking time depends on the size of the chicken and the calibration of your oven. Bigger birds will take longer to cook. Your best guide to a fully cooked chicken is internal temperature of 165 F and crispy, golden brown skin. Nutrition Information: Yield: 2 Serving Size: 2 Servings How long does half roast chicken take to cook?Preheat your oven to 210°C for fan assisted or 230°C for ovens without a fan (gas 8). Season the chicken with a little sea salt and brush all over with Schmaltz or butter. Place in the centre of the oven skin side up and roast for approximately 45 minutes, reaching a core temperature of 65°C before resting.
Is it better to Bake chicken at 350 or 400?Baking chicken breasts at 350 degrees results in more tender and juicy meat while baking them at 400 degrees produces crispy skin.
Can you half roast a chicken?No, never brown or partially cook chicken to refrigerate and finish cooking later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially pre-cook or microwave chicken immediately before transferring it to the hot grill to finish cooking.
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