How to truss a chicken for even cooking?

Question

Learn step-by-step how to truss a chicken so it cooks evenly in the oven.

Answer 1

Trussing a chicken involves tying its legs and wings close to the body, which helps ensure more even cooking, promotes a neater appearance, and results in juicier breast meat.

Detailed Explanation:

Trussing is a culinary technique used to tie a whole chicken (or other poultry) into a compact, uniform shape using kitchen twine. The primary purpose of trussing is to promote more even cooking. Untrussed chickens have their legs and wings splayed out, which means these thinner parts are exposed more directly to the oven's heat and tend to cook faster and dry out before the denser breast and thigh meat are done. By tying the legs together and tucking the wingtips under the body, the chicken forms a more cohesive, cylindrical shape. This allows for consistent heat circulation around the bird, ensuring that all parts cook at a similar rate. As a result, the breast meat, which is prone to drying out, remains juicier, and the entire chicken cooks more evenly. Trussing also makes for a neater, more aesthetically pleasing presentation.

Pro Tip:

When trussing, avoid tying the twine too tightly, as this can hinder heat circulation and prevent proper browning; the goal is to make the bird compact, not constricted.