Here is the basic recipe for cooking heritage poultry. Enjoy these other recipes using the roast chicken too!
Roast Chicken
You can roast a frozen chicken or a thawed chicken, the only difference is how long it will take to roast. To begin, place the chicken in an appropriate sized roaster pan (make sure the pan has a lid). Add about an inch of water and sprinkle with desired spices. You can make it a one dish meal by adding chopped, raw carrots, potatoes and/or cabbage as well. Put the lid on and place the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken at 350 degrees for about four hours. This time may vary depending on the age and size of the bird. If the bird was not frozen to start with, three hours may do. Most chickens will come out tender and juicy after four hours, inlcuding old (3 years and +) hens, but we have found that old roosters are still tough.Old roosters may need to be roasted and boiled before they are tender enough to eat or may need to be cooked in a pressure cooker.
Roast Turkey
Roasting a turkey is basically like roasting a chicken. You will need to defrost the turkey before cooking. The only difference is that you need to roast it even more "low and slow"-- 300 degrees for about 8 hours. This time should work for any turkey, regardless of size or age.