What the cluck happened to my chicken??

I cook a whole chicken about twice a month. Either spatchcock or rotisserie. They're always really great.

Tonight's was terrible. But I'm not sure why. I didn't do anything I don't usually do:

Rubbed with Hardcore Carnivore Red
Banked lump on side side of the kettle (actually in a basket, but same difference)
Spun at 400°ish for a little over an hour till the breast read 165°F with my new Thermapen
Rested for about 10mins before carving

Looked normal. Tons of juice on the cutting board after carving it up, like usual.

In fact, after I brought it inside I checked the temp again, and when I removed the thermapen juice squirted out of the hole nearly two feet, all over the kitchen floor.

Anyhow, flavor was fine, but it was tough as leather. So tough it was hard to pierce with a fork. And it was kinda dry. We ate very little, and tossed the rest.

I've NEVER had one turn out like that! Usually they're super tender and moist.

I thought maybe my Thermapen wasn't right, maybe Inover cooked the crap out of it. Before I always used this crappy Pampered Chef thermometer, it worked okay but was sloooow. In the kitchen, at room temp, the Thermapen and PC thermometer were pretty close, Thermapen about 2°F lower. Of course I don't actually know which one is right.

Any idea what went wrong?? Did I just have a bad bird?

NotSoBigDan said:

"Juices all over the cutting board" would lead me to believe it maybe needed to rest a little longer, even though you did it the same as always?

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I actually let it rest longer than normal. But the amount of juice on the board was no different than usual.

@Cowgirl - I've used this brand before, but may steer clear for a bit. Not sure if it had ever been frozen or not, hasn't been while I've had it. It's been in my fridge for less than a week.

Cook said:

I would guess a hen as well...

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You know what, it was a hen. I didn't realize there was a difference in how they cook, I thought it was just a different term for marketing purposes. Good to know, I learned something!

Thanks folks!