Roasting two chickens instead of one

[NickV]

I'm pretty happy with the way my roast chicken has been coming out lately. I go with the method from The Best Recipe, which involves starting the chicken on its side at 375, rotating it a few times and then finishing it breast side up at 450. I'm having a few people over and I'd like to do two chickens with some root vegetables (cut fairly small so that they'll roast through in the hour-hour and a half it usually takes me to do a chicken). I'm wondering if anyone can advise regarding changing oven temperatures and times to accomodate two birds. Thanks.

[davecap]

my only suggestion, and I do not know the size of your oven, but if the two birds are too cramped in the pan, the side of the bird facing the other bird will not receive as much heat and will need to be rotated accordingly to make sure it gets cooked accordingly, as well as colored nicely. I love roast chicken.

[tino27]

I agree with davecap about the parts of the bird lying next to each other in the roasting pan won't get as brown, so rotation will definitely be necessary. As for amount of additional time ... even though you are doubling the mass, you won't necessarily double the time. I would think adding 50% to the original time might be a good place to start.

[HKDave]

If you've got convection (I do) the time and temp for 1 or 2 birds is pretty much the same. I doubt that it would make much of a difference even in a conventional oven.

The thermal mass of the birds is a factor, but it isn't a significant one. If it was, your oven would never cycle off and on during cooking, but you'll notice it always does; this indicates the oven isn't having a problem maintaining cooking temperature despite the cold mass.

Cooking time is more a matter of how long it takes for heat to penetrate a given thickness of product. By putting two birds in, you aren't affecting the thickness of the product; two birds still have the same thickness of flesh as one (assuming they're not touching and are not so close together that they prevent the hot air from circulating). There won't be a dramatic difference in cooking time.

[paulraphael]

I've found a siginificant time increase when doing two birds, but it may have to do with the pans I'm using as much as with the number of birds.

Doing one chicken I use a skillet, which is about perfect size, and has nice low sides that stay out of the way of air flow. I find it harder to manage two skillets and their long handles in the oven at once, so for two birds I've used a big clad metal roasting pan that has higher sides. I find time is close to 50% longer and browning is much less even.

I think the ideal way to do it would be with two small pans that you can get fairly close to the center of the oven, but still have some air flow between them. If you have the pans and they'll fit, this would probably cook two birds in close to the same time as one.

[mikec]

I've found  a siginificant time increase when doing two birds, but it may have to do with the pans I'm using as much as with the number of birds.

Doing one chicken I use a skillet, which is about perfect size, and has nice low sides that stay out of the way of air flow. I find it harder to manage two skillets and their long handles in the oven at once, so for two birds I've used a big clad metal roasting pan that has higher sides. I find time is close to 50% longer and browning is much less even.

I think the ideal way to do it would be with two small pans that you can get fairly close to the center of the oven, but still have some air flow between them. If you have the pans and they'll fit, this would probably cook two birds in close to the same time as one.

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I see a lot of recipes that call for roasting in a skillet. Personally I use a roasting pan a rack. Frankly, I'd prefer to use a skillet as it would make clean up much easier. Doesn't the splatter factor become an issue when using a low sided skillet?

[paulraphael]

I see a lot of recipes that call for roasting in a skillet.  Personally I use a roasting pan a rack.  Frankly, I'd prefer to use a skillet as it would make clean up much easier.  Doesn't the splatter factor become an issue when using a low sided skillet?

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I just think splattering is a part of roasting. I put the chickens on a bed of coarsely chopped onions (or anything else), and roast at 500 degrees. It splatters, sizzles, pops, and sometimes sets off smoke alarms. But the chicken is soooo good!

[NickV]

I find that some slices of potato below the chicken do a good job of keeping the smoke to a minimum.

[Ann_T]

I often roast two chickens at the same time and haven't had to make any adjustments to the cooking times. I roast chickens at 500°F. Just make sure you have a pan big enough so that there is some space between the two birds.

Ann

[Fat Guy]

There's no way to answer the question without knowledge of your specific oven and utensils. In my oven, if I roast something in one of my 10.5" cast-iron skillets, it takes exactly the same amount of time as if I roast two of that something in two of my 10.5" cast-iron skillets. Not one second different as far as I can tell. You have to pack my oven full of quite a lot of stuff before it has any noticeable impact on timing. Ditto for pretty much any restaurant oven -- one portion or four, they don't care. Another thing that makes a difference is pre-heating. If you get your oven walls good and full of energy by pre-heating for a solid half hour or more, it will perform more like a restaurant oven.

[NickV]

I have a GE electric oven, 2' wide x about 18" deep and 18" tall. Since I only have one skillet suitable for roasting and no really big roasting pan, I was going to use a disposable aluminum pan (lined with chopped root veg). I figure this should give me enough room to separate the birds pretty well.

[Fat Guy]

When you go from a heavy roasting vessel to an aluminum pan, that's also likely to affect your roasting performance a little. I might slightly raise the oven temperature in that situation, or allow a little more time.

Unfortunately, the first time you do pretty much anything in an oven you have too many variables to make a perfect prediction. If you're a real stickler, your best bet is to do a practice run; temperature probes are also helpful. If you have some flexibility on timing and you're not a total perfectionist, then just preheat the oven for a good long time and start the birds the same as with the old recipe; if you judge that they're coming along slowly then raise the temperature a 25-50 degrees F at the half-hour mark, and build in some flexibility in your dinner start time.

[Marlene]

I'd use a rack in the pan rather than lining it with veg. I'd be concerned that the fat from the chicken will drip into the veg, making them soggy, so the bottom of the chicken will be soggy.

[paulraphael]

I'd use a rack in the pan rather than lining it with veg.  I'd be concerned that the fat from the chicken will drip into the veg, making them soggy, so the bottom of the chicken will be soggy.

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I'm much less concerned with the texture of the bottome of the chicken (which I just use for stock making anyhow) than I am with keeping my pan drippings from burning. I always make some kind of pan sauce when I roast, because those drippings are so flavorful. Having the bottom of the pan covered with bird/veggies keeps it from getting too hot.

Traditional roasting (on a spit) allowed for free air around the meat because the pan for the drippings was down by the embers in a place much cooler than the spit itself. But an oven doesn't afford that luxury. I gladly sacrifice a crisp bottom in the name of my jus.

[paulraphael]

When you go from a heavy roasting vessel to an aluminum pan, that's also likely to affect your roasting performance a little. I might slightly raise the oven temperature in that situation, or allow a little more time.

I'd actually be concerned with things burning in the disposable pan. at the very least I'd set it on a baking sheet to provide a little more heat diffusion on the bottom.

But you might have something sittting around already that would work better than that anyhow. A pyrex baking dish? a metal or stoneware casserole? a jelly roll pan?

None of these can be deglazed, unfortunately. Even the cast iron skillet is sketchy for this (you might take the seasoning right off of it, which will annoy you, and make a sauce that tastes vaguely like a burnt fossil of everything you've ever cooked in there.

But most things are better than those disposable pans.

[NickV]

Hmm, I have a pyrex lasagna pan, but I think that might crowd the birds too much. I would use my two cast iron skillets, but I worry that they'll put the chickens too close to the outer edges of the oven. There are also two 9" square, 2" deep brownie pans that might work. I could put a good layer of veg in each one and then rest the chickens on top.

Actually, looking at the cast iron pans in the oven, each bird would sit pretty much directly below one of the heating coils, so that might actually work. Maybe the two cast iron skillets with root veg and one bird each are the way to go.

Edited December 7, 2006 by NickV (log)

[paulraphael]

Hmm, I have a pyrex lasagna pan, but I think that might crowd the birds too much. I would use my two cast iron skillets, but I worry that they'll put the chickens too close to the outer edges of the oven. There are also two 9" square, 2" deep brownie pans that might work. I could put a good layer of veg in each one and then rest the chickens on top.

if you're worried about uneven heating (from being close to the sides, etc.) you can always turn them and shuffle them around two or three times over the course of cooking. Kind of a nuissance, but it can solve the problems.

I also recommend putting a doubled layer of foil over the breasts for the first 10 or 15 minutes. This eliminates all worries of the breasts getting overdone while the dark meat cooks. Helps with nice even browning, too. I'm indebted to James Peterson for that technique.

[Fat Guy]

I'd actually be concerned with things burning in the disposable pan. at the very least I'd set it on a baking sheet to provide a little more heat diffusion on the bottom.

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I'm not a huge consumer of disposable foil pans, but my mother roasts poultry in them all the time and burning has never been a problem. Not that I really understand the theory behind it, but just based on observation it seems to me that things take a little longer in foil than in heavier roasting pans.

[Fat Guy]

Actually, looking at the cast iron pans in the oven, each bird would sit pretty much directly below one of the heating coils, so that might actually work. Maybe the two cast iron skillets with root veg and one bird each are the way to go.

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That's how I do it, and I've never experienced a problem with deglazing in cast iron.

I'm not all that familiar with electric ovens like yours, but I would think the heating coils for the bake settings would be below the cavity, and that the coils on top would be for broiling. Are you sure those top coils engage when you're not broiling?

[MelissaH]

I'm not all that familiar with electric ovens like yours, but I would think the heating coils for the bake settings would be below the cavity, and that the coils on top would be for broiling. Are you sure those top coils engage when you're not broiling?

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I've seen electric ovens that go both ways: some turn only the bottom element on when you're baking, and the top element alone on for broiling. Others turn both top and bottom on for baking, and top alone for broiling. There doesn't necessarily seem to be a standard.

MelissaH

[Marlene]

In the Miele wall oven I just took out, there is a setting to have both the top and bottom elements come on for baking.

[NickV]

The results...

So, I made my two chickens tonight. I wound up going with the disposable aluminum pan. It actually worked just fine. The roasting took about at least 50% longer than my recipe usually takes. That's just a guess on the time though, as toward the end I just kept checking the temps and giving it a few more minutes each time. I did have to tent the birds with foil for a little while. The veg did not burn at all. And, while the chickens were resting, I drained some of the fat from the veg and broiled them to make up for the browning they lost from not having a heavy roasting pan. Thanks for all the suggestions.