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Roast Chicken ; A Thread. I’ve been messing with chickens all week at home & in work (stop giggling down the back) to see what makes the best, in terms of Flavour, Texture, Crispy Skin, Juiciness (& the retention of it for sambos) and how origin, size & method change the outcome 
First up Size - tried a 1.4kg a 1.6kg and a 2.2kg. For me the 1.4 had the greatest flavour, which is surprising as I’d have thought an older (well reared) chook would be tastier. 2.2kg gave me the most juices for gravy & retained the juices better for Sangers. 1.6kg was mid road
I’d heard from various sources that roasting a chicken upside down is best, as the juices from the naturally fattier and muscular thigh will baste the leaner breasts keeping it juicy. So I tried 2 chickens - same origin, same size, and compared them
Mr right way up had a way better crisp on the skin and had that proper roast chicken look. After tasting hot and cold the next day, I found the juiciness level to be negligible- certainly not worth giving up the crispy breast skin that we all love. Myth busted. Upside down 👎
Next up was Organic vs Free Range. Both had way thicker skin that conventional or battery hens, a more developed flavour and both made excellent stocks. A 2.2kg of both fed 4 for dinner with lots of meat left for lunch / stew / soup the next day. Very little water loss and ..
Both represent the best value in terms of bang for your buck in all aspects. 8 people fed for a few more quid, no brainer. That said, I found little difference between Free Range and Organic.
So based on 7 birds roasted over ten days, the winner would be an Irish Free Range Bird. Smaller for a roast, bigger for Sangers. I cooked them all the same - oil, salt, no foil, 220 degrees, LOTS of basting then a 25 minute rest.
So no real huge surprises- Free Range and Organic reign supreme. So we’ve all wasted our time reading this and I don’t wanna see chicken for a week 😚😚😚 love you x
