Cooking a Quartered Chicken

[pansophia]

This is probably a dumb question but I admit, I hate the feeling of raw chicken and so have avoided cooking it.

We have a lovely chicken thawing in the fridge that was given to us by a local organic farmer. If I recall, it's a smaller bantam bird and most definitely free range (we were chased by a herd of them at feeding time!)

Here's the stupid question. If I want to roast it (in the beautiful Le Creuset oval dish I just got for my birthday, yay!) most of the recipes I'm finding are for whole birds. Can I use the same thing for a quartered bird and just assume it will take less time?

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An aside, it feels ridiculous that I am more comfortable following a fancy recipe to the letter to put out a gourmet meal than I am just figuring out the basics like "how to cook a chicken." Surely at nearly 28 I should know how to throw some seasoning on some chicken bits and cook them!

[david coonce]

This is probably a dumb question but I admit, I hate the feeling of raw chicken and so have avoided cooking it.

We have a lovely chicken thawing in the fridge that was given to us by a local organic farmer.  If I recall, it's a smaller bantam bird and most definitely free range (we were chased by a herd of them at feeding time!)

Here's the stupid question.  If I want to roast it (in the beautiful Le Creuset oval dish I just got for my birthday, yay!) most of the recipes I'm finding are for whole birds.  Can I use the same thing for a quartered bird and just assume it will take less time?

---

An aside, it feels ridiculous that I am more comfortable following a fancy recipe to the letter to put out a gourmet meal than I am just figuring out the basics like "how to cook a chicken."  Surely at nearly 28 I should know how to throw some seasoning on some chicken bits and cook them!

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I'm assuming by "quartered" you mean it's a whole chicken, "dissembled" as it were i.e., 2 breasts, 2 thighs, no backbone/ribs) If so then you're in luck, because not only can you basically roast it as you would a whole chicken, but you can do even better than that - here's how:

Rub the chicken under the skin with a mix of softened butter or olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. Season. (To loosen the skin just shove your fingers gently under it and loosen from the meat - it's easy, and if you're squeamish about the feel of raw chicken use gloves. Or remove the skin entirely and go skinless.)

Heat the oven to 375.

When it's hot, put the legs/thighs in the oven in that beautiful Le Crueset pan. Let them cook for about 7-8 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 325, remove the pan and put the breasts in, along with about 1/3 cup of white wine. Put the pan back in the oven and cook until the breasts and thighs are done, probably another 12-17 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Using a thermometer is the best way to check - 160 is ideal.

This way the thighs get cooked without the breasts getting overdone.

And way to go for buying free-range and local. It's the best!

And also, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

[SundaySous]

Make who ever the other 1/2 "We" is cook it.

[pansophia]

Make who ever the other 1/2 "We" is cook it.

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This is my usual operating procedure but I get home first tonight, and I have to learn somehow!

And yes, I mean disassembled - I thought my hubby called it quartered but he's British so it's not his fault he doesn't speak English.

This sounds great, and much faster than the methods I was looking at. I'll report back later tonight!

[Hahabogus]

This is probably a dumb question but I admit, I hate the feeling of raw chicken and so have avoided cooking it.

We have a lovely chicken thawing in the fridge that was given to us by a local organic farmer.  If I recall, it's a smaller bantam bird and most definitely free range (we were chased by a herd of them at feeding time!)

Here's the stupid question.  If I want to roast it (in the beautiful Le Creuset oval dish I just got for my birthday, yay!) most of the recipes I'm finding are for whole birds.  Can I use the same thing for a quartered bird and just assume it will take less time?

---

An aside, it feels ridiculous that I am more comfortable following a fancy recipe to the letter to put out a gourmet meal than I am just figuring out the basics like "how to cook a chicken."  Surely at nearly 28 I should know how to throw some seasoning on some chicken bits and cook them!

←

I'm assuming by "quartered" you mean it's a whole chicken, "dissembled" as it were i.e., 2 breasts, 2 thighs, no backbone/ribs) If so then you're in luck, because not only can you basically roast it as you would a whole chicken, but you can do even better than that - here's how:

Rub the chicken under the skin with a mix of softened butter or olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. Season. (To loosen the skin just shove your fingers gently under it and loosen from the meat - it's easy, and if you're squeamish about the feel of raw chicken use gloves. Or remove the skin entirely and go skinless.)

Heat the oven to 375.

When it's hot, put the legs/thighs in the oven in that beautiful Le Crueset pan. Let them cook for about 7-8 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 325, remove the pan and put the breasts in, along with about 1/3 cup of white wine. Put the pan back in the oven and cook until the breasts and thighs are done, probably another 12-17 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Using a thermometer is the best way to check - 160 is ideal.

This way the thighs get cooked without the breasts getting overdone.

And way to go for buying free-range and local. It's the best!

And also, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

←

I prefer several lime slices under the skin to butter and herbs. Are you wanting a crisp skin or no skin? This is an important question which will affect cooking temp and if to use a lid or not. Also what type of oven if conventional or if convection. As convection ovens cook faster and make for a nice crisp skin on the bird or bird parts.

[Sam Iam]

Inquiring minds want to know ... How was it??

BTW, enjoyed your blog and your coffee corner picture!

[pansophia]

Alas, the chicken was a complete disaster.

Firstly, it was not nearly as disassembled as I thought. The legs and thighs were off, as were the wings. Most everything else was intact (though most of the gizzard bits were removed). This also meant that when my husband assured me it was thawed, he was wrong. There were massively frozen bits.

Secondly, it was not the chicken hubby thought it was. This was an older bird that the farmer had recommended steaming and then using the meat in salads, pot pies, etc. The bits that got done were overdone and leathery.

But I am proud of myself for getting in there, digging under the skin, and getting over at least some of my ick factor. (Perhaps cleaning up after the two laying hens in the backyard has given me more of a livestock view.)

I will say, it smelled great! We can't wait to try the method suggested by David again...but on a younger and less frozen bird.

Apparently I looked so devastated that my hubby went out and bought me pie, so the evening wasn't a total loss.

[pansophia]

BTW, enjoyed your blog and your coffee corner picture!

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Thanks Sam! The coffee corner has been pared back a bit since that photo but we still have more than any human should!

[Khadija]

I am 28, and I am one of the few people my age I know who has much experience cooking any form of chicken other than boneless, skinless breasts.

I think that about half of my cooking knowledge has been gleaned from mistakes (or disasters). I encourage you to keep trying to learn to just throw together a chicken dish. You might try messing around with a factory bird, either whole or parts.

I recently made up a chicken dinner for my housemates and their houseguests, who stayed a day longer than expected. I used only ingredients lying around the house. Since then, the dish has become a house favourite, and named "Khadija Chicken":

1. Salt some chicken pieces (dark meat is preferable). Brown skin until crisp. Drain off excess fat. Place flat, skin-side up in baking dish.

2. Sautee a diced onion with some diced bacon. Drain off fat. Spoon mixture over chicken pieces.

3. Blend large quantity of buttermilk (approx enough to cover chicken in baking dish) with a bit of dijon, maple syrup (honey would also work), crushed garlic, and a bit of salt. Pour buttermilk mixture over chicken (IMPORTANT: leave skin exposed). Throw in a few sprigs of fresh thyme, if you like.

4. Bake in medium oven, uncovered, for an hour, or medium-low oven for 1 1/2 hours.

5. If you use breast meat, add the browned pieces to the baking dish half-way through the cooking process.

5. Separate chicken pieces from sauce.

6. Remove excess fat from sauce.

7. Serve with good bread (to mop up sauce) and salad.

You will not regret making this.

Edited August 11, 2007 by Khadija (log)

[Sam Iam]

If you haven't thrown the chicken away, try simmering it in a stockpot for a few hours. The meat will probably become tender enough to eat, and the broth should be perfect for soup.

[KarenDW]

This also meant that when my husband assured me it was thawed, he was wrong.  There were massively frozen bits.

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Which brings to mind the chicken dinner I served (at age 24, so, don't worry, it's just a number) at 10 PM (!) because the darn thing just wouldn't cook... apparently was still frozen before I tried to roast.

Keep on keepin' on, as we used to say "in the old days".

An important note about simmering... this is much lower temp than boiling. Boiling will only serve to strengthen those protein fibers, and make that chickie even tougher! Definitely simmer.

btw, I'm posting my own, "how do I do this" thread in a minute... and I'm, well, nearly "old".