Well, that was nasty.

I won't say I'm a great cook, but I am a pretty good one. I hate it when a plan falls apart, especially when it involves cooking.

This time it was a 7 lb roasting hen. Rinsed, dried, salt, pepper, garlic, stuffed with onions and celery. A few more onions and mushrooms. Should be tasty, right? We cook at least one of these a month, but this time I changed a few things. I cooked it uncovered, for a crisper skin. I used a Vidialia sweet onion, instead of a yellow onion. I added mushrooms and garlic, and I used a roasting hen rather than a couple of frying birds.

15 minutes at 450, and then 20 minutes a pound at 350. Should be perfect right? Sure looked good when it came out of the oven. Yes, the skin split, so maybe one breast is a little try.

This was the nastiest chicken I have ever cooked. It was like eating rubber. Tasteless, chewy, gross, rubber.

The worst part is, I don't know why. Nothing I changed should have had that dramatic of an effect. I figured worst case, it would be dry from being cooked uncovered, but it was actually pretty moist.

I'm starting to wonder if it was the bird.

Toyman01 wrote: I won't say I'm a great cook, but I am a pretty good one. I hate it when a plan falls apart, especially when it involves cooking. This time it was a 7 lb roasting hen. Rinsed, dried, salt, pepper, garlic, stuffed with onions and celery. A few more onions and mushrooms. Should be tasty, right? We cook at least one of these a month, but this time I changed a few things. I cooked it uncovered, for a crisper skin. I used a Vidialia sweet onion, instead of a yellow onion. I added mushrooms and garlic, and I used a roasting hen rather than a couple of frying birds. 15 minutes at 450, and then 20 minutes a pound at 350. Should be perfect right? Sure looked good when it came out of the oven. Yes, the skin split, so maybe one breast is a little try. This was the nastiest chicken I have ever cooked. It was like eating rubber. Tasteless, chewy, gross, rubber. The worst part is, I don't know why. Nothing I changed should have had that dramatic of an effect. I figured worst case, it would be dry from being cooked uncovered, but it was actually pretty moist. I'm starting to wonder if it was the bird.

Sure it was a roasting hen, not a rubber chicken?

In reply to petegossett:

I'm not convinced.

I hate the not knowing why.

It could have been in the store for awhile?....

Hmm - feeling adventurous with the small turkey I have brining... Gotta decide what I want to do with it....

In reply to wvumtnbkr:

I don't know. It came from the local butcher and he usually has really good stuff. Maybe it was just a tough old laying hen.

Fwiw, we've run into random nasty bird too.

In reply to Toyman01:

Butcher = usually great.

That is even worse for the not knowing.,.

Sorry bud!

How close do you live to Charleston or mb? I might wanna stop by this year. I'll bring the food... Ha!

Luckily for me, my wife is a chef. She has a Pampered Chef "clay pot" cooker that she uses to bake chickens (and other uses). The results are always amazing. I highly recommend this if you want delicious roasted chickens.

It's certainly possible that it was just a tough old bird, but since you have before and after pics I am going to say the heat may have been too high. Look at the leg at the top of each photo, see how much the meat shrank away from the end of the bone? I usually cook birds (chicken or turkey) at 350°-375° for 20 minutes per pound, pull when just barely done and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. My gut says that your first 15 minutes uncovered and at higher heat may have been the issue here.

Had to be a bad bird. Or the mushrooms, I hate mushrooms so I blame them.

In reply to wvumtnbkr:

I'm in Goose Creek, just west of Charleston. Stop on by, I'll be sure to let the wife cook.

A 7 pound chicken is old and huge. If you need more chicken, do two small ones.

EastCoastMojo wrote: It's certainly possible that it was just a tough old bird, but since you have before and after pics I am going to say the heat may have been too high. Look at the leg at the top of each photo, see how much the meat shrank away from the end of the bone? I usually cook birds (chicken or turkey) at 350°-375° for 20 minutes per pound, pull when just barely done and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. My gut says that your first 15 minutes uncovered and at higher heat may have been the issue here.

Could be. We usually do 350 for 20 minutes a pound as well. Allrecipes suggested 450 for the first 15 minutes to seal juices in. I figured worst case it wouldn't work and the bird might be a little dry. This one just ended up tough and chewy, almost like a tough roast.

Maybe it died of natural causes.

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

That's what I usually do. My daughter went to the butcher and brought back the big bird.

With poultry the best method I have found to seal in the juices is to brine the meat. This could be as simple as kosher salt and a little bit of sugar dissolved in cold water, or it can include spices and honey. The strength of the brine in terms of the salt amount is determined by the length of time you have to brine it, so overnight brine solution will be more dilute than a 2 hour brine.

Also, I tend to cook my birds covered until done (juices run clear) then uncover and roast the last few minutes at 375° to brown and crisp up the skin. Always let the meat rest to redistribute the juices inside. Never cover during the rest or that crispy skin will get all soggy.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Also, I tend to cook my birds covered until done (juices run clear) then uncover and roast the last few minutes at 375° to brown and crisp up the skin. Always let the meat rest to redistribute the juices inside. Never cover during the rest or that crispy skin will get all soggy.

Agree with this. Like ECM said, the way the meat has shrunk up on the leg says overcooked to me.

I'd say the heat (a la ECM) and add that the bird itself might (maybe even is) the problem ... smaller seems a better choice

disclaimer: I'm a TERRIBLE cook ... I can do ok with PB&J, but after that, you're on your own LOL

but my so called common sense says heat/bird

I don't see any water in the bottom of the finished pan, water tends to steam the meat making it juicy.

In reply to 914Driver:

There was some. The meat was plenty juicy, it was also tough and rubbery. I'm starting to think it was just a tough old bird.

I'm going to try it again with a couple of small fryers and see what happens.

I got curious, so I googled this up. You used the word "Hen", which made me think it might be a retired laying hen. They are sold as stewing hens around here, and yes, they are solid rubber.

Get to Know Your Chickens

•Broilers: Chickens 6 to 8 weeks old and weighing about 2 1/2 pounds

•Fryers: Chickens 6 to 8 weeks old and weighing 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds

•Roasters: Chickens less than 8 months old and weighing 3 1/2 to 5 pounds

•Stewing Chickens: Chickens (usually hens) over 10 months old and weighing 5 to 7 pounds

•Capons: Castrated males that weigh 6 to 8 pounds

•Cock/Rooster: Male chickens over 10 months old weighing 6 to 8 pounds

Came here to say what SWG said above. A 7 lb chicken is just about impossible to roast.

Try something smaller than 5 lbs. my personal favorite recipe (and the easiest) is Thomas Keller's. It's essentially just salt and pepper and high heat. Comes out great as long as you don't cook it too long.

so basiclly it came out better than anything from my kitchen. I could berkley up reservations...