chicken in the Thermo'.

[spanner]

I have heard that it is possible to cook a whole chicken in the TM....as in roasting it .... sort of.

Is this true and has anyone done it?

[Thermomixer]

Not sure about "roasting" - but cooking a size 13 (1.3kg) is possible in the TMX - as in white cooked chicken http://thermomix-er.blogspot.com/2009/04/white-cooked-chinese-chicken.html or steaming in the Varoma http://thermomix-er.blogspot.com/2009/04/soy-chicken-in-varoma.html - you can squash the breast bone down towards the back to crack the ribs and make it fit in more easily.
 
Obviously, you can get it in from the pictures, and then it's up to your imagination.

For a roast taste it is possible to steam as in the soy-cooked and then cover skin with oil or butter and place under grill.

Hope that helps.

[faffa_70]

Spanner it is true, I haven't seen it done, heard about it and have seen pictures of it. I would imagine it would only be a smallish (well for my family it would be small!! maybe not what others would call small  ) chicken as the bottom is pushed down over the blades so the spindle is in the cavity of the chicken and cooked that way - probably I would think on reverse soft speed. Others are far better chef's than I and maybe able to help with this...but yes it can be done 

[I Love Bimby!]

You can also have the chicken butterflied to make it easier to grill the entire bird at the same time.  Although I haven't tried it yet, the average chicken takes about 45 minutes in the varoma.  Also a rolled leg of lamb should also take about 45 minutes.  You may need to check the water level part of the way through.

[spanner]

I love the term Butterflying for poultry .... makes you think that they are going to fly off from the choping board once they have been butterflied.


flutter flutter flutter

[scatman]

I cooked a size 14 chook in the varoma following ILB's advice of 45mins at varoma temp, Speed 1.  I stuffed it with a cut up lemon and cut a lemon and put it in the jug as well as 1 litre water to steam.   We all picked the bones clean it tasted so good. 
Can't see the point of "roasting" with a steamer.  Forget the oil or browning it and try it just steamed with some lemon or fresh herbs in the water.   I haven't tried cooking it in the bowl yet - but hey it works so well in the Varoma.
 Fish and meatloaf steamed in the varoma taste fantastic as well.

Cheers 

[Thermomixer]

Necessity is the mother of invention so to speak scatman.  No oven - what's a man to do.

I made a mistake - the 1.3 kg chicken is what fits into the TM bowl for white cooked or tea-scented chicken, but I easily got a 1.8kg chicken into the Varoma, (with back pushed down before placing in Varoma).

[scatman]

I suppose "a man" has got to FIX the oven before DW throws the broken element and door latch at me. Ha Ha

[Thermomixer]

Just to prove that a bigger chook fits -- pics of a 1.88 kg bird in the Varoma and after griling

[brazen20au]

i doubt it would fit in my old varoma!

[Thermomixer]

i doubt it would fit in my old varoma!

Just squash it down to break the ribs - comes out looking a bit flat, but once it's carved nobody knows.  Sure I did them in the old varoma ?

BTW - take the plastic off before cooking    It was just to show that it was 1.88 kg and I wasn't using magic.

[faffa_70]

BTW - take the plastic off before cooking    It was just to show that it was 1.88 kg and I wasn't using magic.

LOL 

[judydawn]

I have bought my free range chicken and am ready to go in the next couple of days - just talking about it makes me want to do it. Going to do the lemon version above.

[Thermomixer]

I'll let you into a secret JD (nobody else is listening) I took the zest off a lemon and blitzed it in the TMX on speed 9 with about half a teaspoon of salt to help it grind up more easily.  Added 1 tablespoon of cold butter in chunks and mixed it to form a lemon butter, then took that and stuffed it between the skin and flesh of the breast before steaming.  Put the rest of the lemon, cut into slices in the cavity, with some rosemary, thyme and sage sprigs from the garden.

Was going to write it up -and probably will do that when I'm not lurking.

[judydawn]

OK Thermomixer, you've got me. I have all those herbs growing so will make the butter this afternoon ready for whenever I get around to steaming the chicken.  You are a gem - does your DW tell you that