Roast chicken and stuffing help

[Turando]

Hiya

Well today I want to make my first proper roast chicken with stuffing and gravy and vegies! I think it's a pregnancy craving!

From previous threads I've figured out what to do with the actual chicken - the only thing is most people had larger chickens than mine. The one I have is about 2-2.5 pounds. How long would I cook it and what temperature is good? I have a probe thermometer and an instant thermometer to check temperatures too.

Last time I tried to do a whole chicken the bottom bit on the pan came out soggy (I don't have one of those racks to elevate the chicken). Is there anything I can do to counteract that?

My other dilemma is that I don't know how to make stuffing. I want to make a normal bread type stuffing but want to cook it seperate to the chicken. My oven is small so I can't do it at the same time - can I cook the stuffing ahead of time and just reheat it later on?

Also I'm not sure what kind of bread to use for the stuffing. I only have white bread (normal sliced bread) and breadcrumbs at home. I think I need to dry out the white bread before using it but I don't have that much time to just let it sit outside and dry - is there a quicker method to drying out the bread?

How big should I cut up the bread pieces for stuffing?

And that's my million and one questions!

Thankyou for your help!

 

[justplainbill]

You really should use a rack. Otherwise you might try using a skewer and a deep roasting pan to keep the chicken from sitting on the bottom of the pan.

You can always dry the bread in your oven. If your stuffing mix is wet enough the pieces of dried bread do not have to be very small; 3/4" squares should be ok. Some day you might try adding some chopped chestnuts to your stuffing. The bread should make the stuffing lighter and the chestnuts will make it heavier. You can cook stuffing in a covered frying pan with some schmaltz (chicken fat), uncovering the pan towards the end to crisp the outer surfaces of the stuffing. Stuffing made that way and served under some gravy can be yummy.

 

[GotGarlic]

I would bake it at 350 degrees for an hour, then check the temperature to see if it's done. For turkey stuffing at Thanksgiving, I cook chopped onions and celery in butter, then add sage, salt, pepper and parsley, then add cubed white bread. (There's probably more, but that's all I remember off the top of my head.)

You will need to let the chicken rest a while before cutting it, so you can cook the stuffing during that time (a half-hour or so). If you cover it with foil, it should stay hot long enough.

If you're going to make roasts (not just chicken) more often, it would be a good idea to get a roasting rack - they're not expensive. Another option is to make a "rack" out of several stalks of celery and let the chicken rest on that.

 

[Caine]

Last time I tried to do a whole chicken the bottom bit on the pan came out soggy (I don't have one of those racks to elevate the chicken). Is there anything I can do to counteract that?

Place an oven proof saucer, stoneware will do, in the bottom of the pan, upside down of course. You could also use whole vegetables such as carrots and/or celery stalks on the bottom of the roasting pan.

As far as dried bread for the stuffing goes, you could always buy a box of Mrs. Cubbison's. Then you'd have your choice of breads too.

 

[Jeekinz]

I would give the roasted veggies a 15 minute head start. Espescially if your including potatoes or other root vegetables. If you don't have a rack for the chicken, use a rack from a toaster or prop it up with some all metal utensils. That chicken should be done in 45-50 minutes at 350.