CHICKEN: Roasted Whole Chicken Upright

Why upright? First, it's funny. I'm amused and any kid will love it.

Second, nevermind let's get straight to it.

What You Need

• A chicken

• A can half filled with liquid (beer is popular, maybe not soda)

• A metal or oven safe glass pan that'll fit your bird

• Garlic and lemon (and whatever herb combination goes with your flavor profile - more on that later. If you're not sure, go with rosemary)

• Oil (and butter optional)

• Salt and pepper

• Garlic powder (optional)

Things to Know

• Bring meat (and veggies for that matter) to room temperature before cooking, and save yourself a lot of grief

• Most meat takes about 15 minutes per pound in an 350 degree oven, but every oven is different so get familiar, fast

• Don't open the oven door unless absolutely necessary. You'll lose heat fast and it makes a difference

If You're Daring (TLDR)

• Preheat oven to 350F

• Put flavorings into the half filled can

• Oil and season the chicken, and salt inside

• Insert can into chicken

• Stand chicken up in pan

• 15 minutes per pound

• Remove from oven and rest covered loosely with foil for 10-15 minutes

More Detailed Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Put garlic, lemon, and whatever else you want the chicken to take on the flavors of in your can half full of liquid. The liquid will boil and cook whatever you put into it and the steam will penetrate the chicken from the inside. So if you're good at pairing flavors, have fun and try different things. Otherwise rosemary it's a failsafe with chicken. Garlic and lemon? Cuts the gaminess and meat "stench". More on that in a more general post about handling meat.
   

3. Oil or butter the skin and rub with salt and pepper both inside and out. If you want to use butter, do half oil and half butter. Butter will burn by itself. Optionally rub garlic powder and crushed rosemary on the skin as well. Again, if you have herbs or spices you like, go ahead and use whatever you want. Just use dry and not fresh or it'd burn.
   

4. Stand the chicken up and put the can into the bottom opening. You don't have to but I like to try to make sure the neck opening is as closed as possible to trap the flavor steam. Usually you can fold the neck skin over the opening and stick it with a tooth pick (a could sticking into the breast), but if there isn't enough, stick a lemon wedge in and plug it instead.
   

5. Set the chicken in the pan upright using the can and it's legs. Cook for 15 minutes per pound. Do not open the oven door to check on it. And please, don't stab a thermometer into it. If you brought it to room temperature and your oven is normal, it'll be perfectly cooked. If you know your oven is a bit lackluster, maybe add a minute per pound.
   

6. Remove from the oven and rest loosely covered with foil for 10-15 minutes. If you try to eat it right away, all of the juices will flow out and your chicken will die. So just go fumble around on the internet and wait.

Enjoy your terrible juicy chicken.

-TC