A Tale of Four Roast Chickens

So I've been playing with roast chicken recipes over the past three years or so looking for that elusive combination of speed, convenience and flavor. I have four winners that hit on at least one of these aspects and of those four one truly clear winner.

I'm assuming folks know that all these can be adjusted and seasoned to your own and your family's tastes..

This ain't cooking for rookies...
Deconstructed Roast Chicken

This is a strange one, great flavor and skin but a pain in the ass.

1) Preheat the oven to 425
2) Place Chicken Directly on the rack, trussed if you know how.
3) Place a roasting pan on the rack beneath the chicken
4) in the roasting pan place a cup of chicken broth and thickly sliced french bread
5) turn the chicken every 20 minutes till done, replentish the broth as necessary to keep the bread from burning.
6) rest the bird and carve, serve each portion on a bit of the bread.

Standard Roast Chicken

From Good housekeeping or whatever. Good recipe, tastes like childhood, lots of work long cooking time.
Good gravy and skin

1) Preheat oven to 500
2) Add chicken in a roasting pan on a rack and reduce heat to 425.
3) cook til done

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken

Fun and quick without much hassle, not great skin but great flavor, the fastest chicken that you will ever cook.

1) Preheat oven to 425
2) Heat your cast iron skillet over medium until water sizzles
3) put the chicken breast side up into the skillet and then the whole thing into the oven, it will be done in 30 minutes.

Do someting with the pan drippings, yummy

Blasted Chicken

My favorite, intense flavor, good drippings, high heat, good skin.

1) Preheat oven to 500.
2) Stuff the bird with your favorite herbs
3) Put into a roasting pan and roast for fifty minutes.

I started breast down and turned halfway through, seemed to work great.

Hope ya'll have fun trying some of these out..