Roast Chicken and Chicken Paella
A year or more ago, Merry's brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Helen Morgan, called to say how much they were enjoying their vertical roaster. Since we are "into" kitchen gadgets, it didn't take much to convince us that we also had to have one for roasting whole chickens. The roasters come in three sizes (game hens, chicken and duck), are available everywhere, and are relatively inexpensive. After a little trial and error (the error on our part was following the instructions that came with the roaster), we have not only used ours frequently, but have also talked other people into buying one as well. Chicken cooked using this method is consistently juicy and tender. Our roaster instructions said to preheat the oven to 450°, put chicken on the roaster and then bake at 400°. We tried it their way the first time, but, after smoking up the entire house and finding it necessary to open the windows (even though it was January), we've since learned to bake at a lower temperature. There is one more thing to note about this method of cooking; wait until you're ready to clean the oven before you try this. We've yet to make it without having to clean the oven immediately. The roaster can accommodate a chicken up to 8 lbs and we've found a great way to use the leftovers, even the carcass. Chicken prepared on the roaster is known at our house as:
