How do I change cooking time/temp for roasting two chickens in one oven?

[Anonymous]

Please, Food friends, help me out. I've got a family visiting next week FOR A WEEK so I need to double up on recipes.

My question is, if I'm cooking two chickens, how do I adjust the time or temperature--or do I?

This recipe calls for one 3-4 pound chicken, and baked for 3 hours on 300F. So if I did two, would it just be the same time, or because there is more cold mass going into the oven that has to get warmed up, should I add on time (or heat or whatever?) Do I put them as far apart from each other as possible?

TIA!

[Anonymous]

I use the same oven temp as normal (although I usually use a higher temp for roasting chicken anyway, more like 400- but it's the same whether I'm roasting one chicken or two). It might take a few more minutes, but not significantly longer. The actual weight of each bird will make a bigger difference than the quantity. Just use a meat thermometer to test whether it's ready.

[Anonymous]

I don't adjust at all, but I based doneness more on temp/wiggling the legs than anything.
I would space them out, to give the hot air room to circulate in between, but that's about it. Just keep an eye on them.

[Anonymous]

Use the same temp as normal - you should count on about 15-20 minutes/pound for each chicken... so if you have two 6 lb. chickens, I would figure on 90 minutes - 2 hours of cooking time total.

I do 425 for the first 20-30 minutes, then 350 thereafter. Allows the birds to develop a nice crust that will help them maintain moisture the rest of the time. If you have a meat thermometer, use it.