Preparation

• Recipes often vary slightly, but for a basic roast, set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, a modestly low temperature at which the chicken can cook evenly. Rub the chicken with butter or olive oil and season it with your choice of spices such as salt and pepper. Stuff the inside of the chicken with your choice of aromatic fruits and vegetables, if desired, which create steam to keep the inside of the chicken moist. Onions, carrots, celery, lemons and apples are commonly used. Some roasting pans are sold with matching lids that fit fairly tightly over the pan. In the absence of a pan with a lid, cover the chicken with aluminum foil, rolling the foil firmly around the edges of the pan to trap in heat and moisture.

Basting the Chicken

• The cover traps in moisture around the chicken, but you can add flavor and more moisture by basting the bird every 30 minutes or so while it roasts. Remove the entire pan from the oven so you can baste it safely. Lift off the lid, if applicable, or unfold the aluminum foil carefully so you can replace it after basting. Spoon some of the drippings from the bottom of the pan over the chicken, or use a turkey baster. Return the cover to the pan and place the pan back in the oven.

Roasting Time

• It takes roughly one hour to cook a 3-pound chicken at an oven temperature of 350 F, with another 10 to 15 minutes needed for each additional pound. The finished cooking temperature should be 160 F, which you can check with a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh. The cover keeps the skin from burning, but it also prevents it from developing a desirable golden brown color. If you want the skin to turn brown and crisp, remove the cover for the last 15 to 20 minutes of the cooking time, and turn up the oven temperature to 425 F.

Oven Bags

• An oven bag offers the same moisture-boosting benefits of a lid, but the chicken -- and mess -- is kept contained inside the bag. The bags withstand high temperatures without melting, but must be coated with a tablespoon of flour so the grease thickens to a gravy instead of bursting the bag. Use a pan that is 2 to 3 inches deep and and 2 to 3 inches wider than the chicken. The bag expands while cooking, so set the oven rack low enough to allow 8 inches of clearance height over the pan. Oven bags are self-basting so there's no need to untie the bag and baste while cooking. Bake a 3-pound chicken for about 1 hour, adding 10 to 15 minutes for each extra pound. Take the chicken out of the oven and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before removing the chicken from the bag.