Hi all -

We had thanksgiving out of town, but I purchased a 4.5 lb. whole free range chicken that I am brining and plan to roast for dinner tonight.

My question is this ... I don't have a roasting pan for meat. Is it ok to cook a whole chicken in a 9 x 13 casserole pan? Or, I have a corning ware deep dish casserole (maybe 4 qt?) with a lid. The chicken would fit in either...

Suggestions?

Thanks so much, and I hope everyone has a great day!

I think either would work just fine. I'd put aluminum foil over it if using the pyrex pan, for the first half of the cooking time, and also add some liquid to the bottom of the pan to help keep it from drying out. The casserole dish with the lid would probably do a better job of keeping the moisture in.

Interesting question because I was just going through a Cook's magazine in which 13 X 9 inch baking pans were rated, and they rated the pyrex as no. 1; even ahead of a $95 Calphalon pan. I can't remember what they cooked in it though!

I only use pyrex...however if you want to roast it it is better to have a rack in the pan to roast it on so the bird doesnt stew in its own drippings. And for cleanup I always line with foil.

Thanks for the suggestions. Any thoughts on what I could use to elevate the chicken as a substitute for a rack?

You can make 4 balls of foil and use these to elevate the bird. I just read about roasting the turkey upside-down for moister breast meat. The drippings from the back (fattier) part drip over the breasts as it's cooking. I would think the same would be true of a chicken. Just to get the top browned, you might turn over for the last few minutes of roasting.

you could also use whole carrots and celery stalks to make a rack...i saw it on the food network lol

I know this sounds weird, but use a beer can! Put it where the head used to be, and stand the chicken up on the bear can, so technically, you're cooking it on its head. it helps keep the fat off of it, but allows some to be absorbed while it drips down during the cooking process.

Why haven't we been doing this all along?!? That seems so simple and obvious!

Mmmm...brining makes the tastiest moist birds ever! I always brine Turkey's when I roast them. I also like to start them out at really high heat to get them brown and then I turn down the heat and cover the breast with foil. It's the Alton Brown method of turkey roasting. Yum!

I think a pyrex dish will be fine for your chicken. I would line it with foil first and then use carrots or potatoes underneath the chicken as a rack.

I *always* brine poultry. Even if I'm just doign chicken breasts on the grill ... brining makes meat taste soooo much better.

A pyrex dish is perfect and I 2nd the idea of using rolled up foil balls to elevate the chicken a bit.

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