YOUR RECIPE FOR CONVECTION COOKING!
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How to Roast a Chicken In Convection
A chicken roasted in Convection will be incredibly flavorful and juicy, very easy to cook and best of all you can cook several oven side dishes at the same time for an easy delicious meal. The important things to consider are which oven mode to use, what type of pan to use, timing including resting and the ideal temperature.
There are some important tips to ensure success that generally won’t be included in the recipe because recipes don’t reference the tools we are cooking with.
Larissa Taboryski
Ingredients
1 4-5lb fresh chicken
4 tbsp softened unsalted butter mixed with
1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (the paprika in this seasoning gives the chicken a nice color)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Optional
1 small peeled yellow onion to stuff into the cavity
2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
Preparation
Begin by seasoning the chicken and let it sit out of the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking. Spreading some softened butter mixed with your preferred seasoning, under the skin and on the skin will yield a flavorful bird with crisper skin.
Be sure to roast the chicken on a rack in a shallow pan, this ensures the juices stay in the bird and allows the heated air to circulate around the chicken, cooking it evenly.
No need to tie the legs up tight, just poke a skewer through the legs to balance the chicken. If the legs are tied too close to the body the cooking time will need to be increased for the heat to penetrate into that area, resulting in a drier bird.
Always begin by arranging the oven racks to accommodate all the dishes you plan to cook in the oven.
Heat the oven in the Convection Roast or Convection Bake mode 400 degrees and roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of the cooking time, approximately 45 minutes. Baste the chicken halfway through to help crisp the skin.
Because Convection cooks from the edge to the center, if the temperature is too high you risk overcooking the edges while the center may not be cooked through.
Plan approximately 1 hour for roasting a 4 - 5lb chicken and add 10 minutes resting time and 5 - 8 minutes carving time. Plan approximately 45 minutes for smaller chickens. Remember the internal temperature will rise by about 10 degrees while the chicken is resting so it’s safe to take it out of the oven once the internal temperature registers 165 degrees.
When carving the chicken if you notice a little redness in and around the bone don’t be alarmed, this is a characteristic of Convection cooking. As long as the meat is cooked this is perfectly safe.
Plan the cooking time for the oven side dishes so they will be ready to serve when the chicken has rested, been carved and is ready to serve.
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Baked Ham with Tangerine Glaze and Roasted Carrots
Since ham is already cooked by smoking it is most often eaten cold, however heated through and brushed with a fruity glaze it makes a great centerpiece for celebration meals.
In order to heat the ham through it usually needs a fair bit of time in a slow oven and to avoid drying out the meat it is covered until the final stage when the glaze is added. However, if you bake your unsliced ham in Convection you will not need to cover the ham and the heating through time will take approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours, depending on the weight of the ham. If you are heating a sliced ham then it must remain covered in foil to avoid drying out.
Ingredients
Preparation
1 - smoked ham, bone-in, skin on 7 - 9 lbs
1 - bunch fresh sage leaves
¾ - cup olive oil
1 - cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 - cups tangerine juice
2 - tangerines, sliced thin, seeds removed
2 - cups, packed light brown sugar
1 - cup water
½ - teaspoon whole cloves
2 - cinnamon sticks
1 ½ - lbs baby carrots
Preheat the oven in the Convection Mode 300 degrees.
Place the ham on a rack in a large roasting pan.
Score the ham with cuts in a diamond pattern about 2 inches apart and ½ deep.
Season generously with salt and pepper. Chop 8 of the sage leaves and mix with the olive oil to make a paste, rub all of the ham getting into the slits.
Bake for 2 hours.
Glaze:
Combine the butter, tangerine juice, tangerines, brown sugar, water and spices in a heavy medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze, 30 - 40 minutes.
Brush the glaze over the ham when it has completed its initial heating phase. Add the baby carrots and another 8 chopped sage leaves and continue baking for another 40 - 50 minutes until the carrots are tender and the internal temperature of the ham is 150 degrees.
Serves 12
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