Roast chicken in a commercial kitchen

[jvalentino]

I've been curious about this for a while now and am asking about whole and half birds. Is it fully cooked then held, and if so how? How are they re-heated? Are they partially cooked and finished?

Thanks!

Jeff

[BigJoe]

I have seen it done a few different ways, the microwave unfortunately and in the oven with some stock underneath to reheat it. but the best method i have found is to roast the birds and then half them and store them in a cryovac. then you just put them in a Sous Vide bath or hot pot of water. if you use this method you then ususally have to put the bird in the salamander to crisp the skin.

[AAQuesada]

Keep in mind Restaurants are usually getting 2.5 lb wogs, so they are smaller in size. Halves I've seen done seared in a black french pan and into a 450 degree oven to finish. Also sous vide, poach to 130 and finish in a hot pan basting with oil and butter

[minas6907]

I remember for the grilled chicken breasts, before lunch and dinner service, they would get marked on the grill, into the oven into 75% done, and then put into the holding cabinet. Rotisserie chicken was done the same way. When we got an order, it got pulled from the cabinet and finished cooking fully in the oven.

Also, at a French place I worked at, the wogs we got were quite huge. So those were seared in the black pan, cooked half way in the oven, divided up into appropriate portions, and then refrigerated. They got reheated and finished cooking in the oven in a pool of sauce we made for the chicken.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Roast chicken, yes?

Here, regardless of the size of the restaurant, they're made in a commercial rotisserie chamber and cooked until they're truly done. The turnover at roast chicken places is so high that there's never the question of how to hold the birds - they sell out almost the moment they're fully cooked, both as whole chickens and cut in half.

I'll try to get a picture of the process later - there's a roaster on the corner of the main square in most towns.

[jvalentino]

Thanks for the replies so far. The ability for good restaurants to either cook and hold or cook and reheat food is impressive.

Jeff

[TimPeak]

Brine in Lexan with 5% solution. Season inside and out. Truss. Roast in combi (Rational with rottisserie rack). Take out put on speed racks. Cool. Cut birds in half. Debone all breast bones. Reserve for stock (still some gelatin and flavor left so nothing goes in the trash). Place on sheet pans and put in walk-in. For service: Estimate number of orders, place in CVap oven at 160F. At pickup: Take bird out of oven, place on sizzle plate, place under cheesemelter/sally and sell it.

[piracer]

In the bistro i used to work in, they would roast the chix until about 70% done - the skin was only slightly brown. They would then debone, portion and then reheat by essentially pan frying, with butter and all that good stuff.