Any way to keep a chicken baked in the oven dry?
My SO has a big thing with the textures of what she eats. And a 'moist' chicken is definitely something that is not on her OK list.
So when baking a whole chicken in the oven, is there tips and tricks to have a chicken that is NOT moist?
Best Answer
Just follow any recipe for oven baked chicken and add roughly 15 to 30 min of extra cooking time. By then, the internal temperature of the meat will definitely have exceeded 66°C/150° F, after which the breast meat begins to dry out (see seriouseats link below).
Seriouseats guide to spatchcocking chicken could give you an idea on how to purpusefully overcook a chicken by not spatchcocking it. This way, the breast will likely be overcooked, and thus dry, while the drumsticks should be "perfect" (by the credo that dry chicken = not perfect).
This way, your SO could enjoy a dry breast, while you could eat juicy drumsticks and thighs.
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How do you keep baked chicken dry?
Shred it and warm with stock Chicken stock or broth is the best liquid to impart flavor and moisture back into dry chicken. Warm your broth over a medium heat until it is hot but not boiling. Place your shredded chicken in the pan until it is barely covered with enough broth to coat the chicken.How do you keep chicken from getting watery in the oven?
Do you cover a chicken when roasting? We generally like to roast our chicken uncovered so the skin crisps up and turns an appealing golden brown. If the chicken starts to get too dark before it reaches the proper internal temperature, you can tent a piece of foil over the top to protect the skin from burning.Kitchen hacks | How to reheat chicken or any meat without drying it out: Chef Rahul Akerkar explains
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Answer 2
There are many shades of doneness between "moist" and "dry". You can make chicken jerky, you can also cook it sous vide or even chicken sashimi. Try to pinpoint the problem.
If she wants chicken with a crispy, crusty skin as most of us do, you can do a reverse sear. Parbake it in the oven, remove to a wire rack when internal temperatures are about 150F, and blast under the grill/broiler to crisp the skin immensely. This solves two issues: a slimey skin, since it is full of collagen and can taste like a layer of petroleum jelly, also when chicken cooks it renders stock. A lot of people serve roasted chicken with gobs of rendered stock stuck to it, which can be unappetizing.
If she wants a "springier" mouth feel to the chicken pieces, you need to take it to more doneness. Cook to 185F internal temperature in the oven. For an 8lb bird, this is approximately 90 minutes at about 450F, covered in the oven. Still allow it to rest before carving.
That's the last point. Most people carve their chicken straight out of the oven. When you do, juices can run out, and it can create a texture difference that's not pleasant, it's like chicken jus with cardboard. Let it have like 15 minutes before putting the knife to it so that the juices stay enmeshed with the muscle fibers, and the consistency is more like a cheese, soft to eat and not bathed in moisture.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Tim Douglas, Tim Douglas, Tim Douglas, Jonathan Borba