Putting foil on roast chicken is a common practice when cooking a whole chicken in the oven. The foil is used to cover the chicken partially or fully at different stages during roasting. There are good reasons for using foil, but also some drawbacks to consider. Looking at the pros and cons will help you decide if foil-roasting is right for your roast chicken recipe.
Pros of Using Foil for Roast Chicken
There are several potential benefits to putting foil on chicken when roasting:
Retains Moisture
Covering the roast chicken with foil can help retain moisture as it cooks. The foil creates a barrier that prevents the moisture evaporating quickly from the surface of the chicken. This steam then circulates under the foil, keeping the meat juicy. Using foil to cover the legs and breast is especially useful if those thinner parts are cooking faster than the thighs.
Prevents Over-Browning
Foil placed over the chicken skin will prevent it from browning too quickly or over-cooking. The very top of chicken and any extremities like the wing tips often get done faster than the rest. Tenting them with foil avoids charring or burning before the inside is fully cooked. It helps control the cooking rate.
Makes for More Even Cooking
Covering thinner sections while leaving thicker, slower-cooking parts uncovered can promote more even cooking. It prevents any part of the chicken being ready long before the rest. Removing the foil from the breast or legs later in roasting then allows it to gently cook through without ending up dry.
Easy to Add Aromatics
Putting foil over the chicken creates a parcel that makes it very easy to add aromatics. Things like lemon, garlic and herbs can be placed under the foil to release their flavor during roasting. The sealed parcel contains the aromas and flavors as they permeate the meat.
Less Mess and Easier Clean-Up
Foil contains any juices or fat released while the chicken cooks. This keeps your oven much cleaner compared to roasting without foil. It also makes clean-up after dinner simpler – just toss away the foil. No need to scrub pans covered in drippings.
Cons of Using Foil for Roasting Chicken
While using aluminum foil when roasting chicken does have some benefits, there are also a few drawbacks and disadvantages to consider:
Can Make Skin Soft and Soggy
If foil sits directly on the chicken skin for the entire cooking time, it will stop the skin crisping up. It needs exposure to the hot, dry oven air to go crisp and golden. Foil tends to make the skin soft and soggy.
Reduces Browning and Maillard Reaction
Browning happens through the Maillard reaction – where amino acids and sugars react at high heat to produce flavor compounds and color. Foil prevents this, reducing the roasted flavors, smells, and appetizing brown coloration of the well-browned skin.
Cooking Times Can Be Longer
Fully covering a roast chicken with foil can increase the cooking time. The foil slightly insulates it from the oven’s heat. Remove foil towards the end of cooking if you want the skin to crisp up. Just watch that it doesn’t burn.
Moisture Can Make Skin Soggy
While retaining moisture keeps the meat juicy and tender, all that steam under the foil can also make the skin soft and soggy. Letting it uncover towards the end of cooking helps dry out the skin.
Can Cause White Patches on Skin
Known as “blanching”, extended contact between foil and chicken skin can bleach color from the skin, leaving pale white patches. To minimize this, ensure the foil isn’t touching the skin directly.
Makes It Hard to Test Doneness
With foil covering the chicken fully, you can’t easily pierce the meat to check if the juices run clear. Removing foil periodically lets you test the meat is cooked through using a meat thermometer or cutting to inspect the inside.
Tips for Using Foil when Roasting Chicken
To maximize the advantages of using foil, while avoiding the potential pitfalls, follow these tips:
- Only cover parts of the chicken, not the entire thing
- Tent foil above the chicken so it is not touching the skin directly
- Remove foil for the last 15-30 minutes to crisp the skin
- For even cooking, loosely tent thinner breast meat first
- Watch for pale patches and remove foil if they appear
- Use multiple sheets so you can remove them one by one
- Check for doneness and end-point temperature before serving
How and When to Use Foil for Roast Chicken
There are several different ways you can use foil to aid roasting chicken:
No Foil
It’s perfectly possible to roast a chicken without using any foil at all. This gives the best crispy, browned skin. Be prepared for some oven splatter though. Letting it brown well before reducing temperature helps.
Breast Only
Just tenting foil over the breast keeps the lean meat moist, while still allowing the thighs and legs to brown nicely. Remove for the last 20 minutes to crisp and brown the breast skin.
Extremities
Covering just the wing tips, ends of the drumsticks and neck opening prevents these bony parts charring before the rest is cooked through. Leave uncovered for an evenly browned bird.
Tented
Loosely tenting foil over the chicken creates a heated space for circulating moisture and aroma. Elevate it so the foil is not touching the skin directly. Remove foil in the last quarter of cooking.
Fully Covered
Fully enclosing the chicken in a foil sealed parcel will keep it very moist and steam it through. But it prevents browning and crisping. Only recommended if you want very soft, tender meat and skin isn’t a priority.
How Foil Compares to Roasting Bags
Special oven roasting bags are available that perform a similar function to foil. They are bags designed just for oven roasting meat and poultry. Here is how they compare:
| Factor | Foil | Roasting Bags |
|---|---|---|
| Retains moisture | Yes | Yes |
| Browning | Minimal | Minimal |
| Flavor penetration | Good | Good |
| Clean-up | Foil to remove | Bag to remove |
| Reusable | No | No |
| Touching skin | Can avoid | Touches skin |
As the comparison shows, foil and roasting bags work similarly, with bags designed specifically for the purpose. Bags can be easier to form around uneven shapes but always touch the skin.
Recipes Using Foil for Roast Chicken
To see foil in action, here are some delicious roast chicken recipes employing foil:
Lemon and Herb Roast Chicken
Uses a tented foil tent to infuse lemon, garlic and herb flavors into a simple roast chicken. Foil removed at the end for crispy skin.
Beer Can Chicken
Standing the bird up on an open beer can, then loosely tenting with foil, produces incredibly moist and flavorful meat.
Roast Chicken With Root Vegetables
The chicken is roasted alongside peeled root veg like carrots and parsnips. Foil keeps everything tender and stops it drying out.
Whole Roast Chicken Dinner
An entire roast chicken meal made together in one pan. Potatoes, lemon and onion roast under the foil with the chicken for wonderful convenience.
Conclusion
Using aluminum foil when roasting a whole chicken can provide some real advantages. It helps keep the meat juicy, cooks it evenly, adds flavor and reduces mess. But foil can also cause problems like soggy skin and slow browning if used improperly.
The best method is loosely tenting thinner parts like the breast to retain moisture, while leaving most of the chicken uncovered for optimized browning and crispiness. Remove any foil in the last 20-30 minutes of roasting to really crisp and brown the skin. With the right technique, foil can make your roast chicken deliciously moist and tender every time.