Abstract: Apparatus and method for handling and preparing whole chickens for consumption involves severing a chicken carcass along the breast bone and opening it into a generally flat condition and suspending the chicken carcass by its legs with the legs sufficiently spread from each other to maintain the chicken in the opened generally flat condition. Embodiments of the invention in a conveyorized cooking apparatus and in a kiosk-style warming apparatus are disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatus for broiling whole chickens which have been severed along the breast bone for opening into a generally flat condition includes a housing having opposing laterally spaced sets of upright gas-fueled infrared heaters defining therebetween a cooking chamber and an endless chain conveyor for transporting chickens suspended by their legs through the chamber. Plural pairs of support forks are spaced along the conveyor for suspending one chicken carcass by its legs from each fork pair with the legs sufficiently spread from each other to maintain the chicken in the opened generally flat condition. A spaced pair of deflector plates are provided along the conveyor following the cooking chamber for discharging both legs of each chicken simultaneously from the pair of support forks suspending the chicken.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for broiling whole chickens which have been severed along the breast bone for opening into a generally flat condition includes a housing having opposing laterally spaced sets of upright gas-fueled infrared heaters defining therebetween a cooking chamber and an endless chain conveyor for transporting chickens suspended by their legs through the chamber. Plural pairs of support forks are spaced along the conveyor for suspending one chicken carcass by its legs from each fork pair with the legs sufficiently spread from each other to maintain the chicken in the opened generally flat condition. A spaced pair of deflector plates are provided along the conveyor following the cooking chamber for discharging both legs of each chicken simultaneously from the pair of support forks suspending the chicken.

Abstract: Apparatus for broiling whole chickens which have been severed along the breast bone for opening into a generally flat condition includes a housing having opposing laterally spaced sets of upright gas-fueled infrared heaters defining therebetween a cooking chamber and an endless chain conveyor for transporting chickens suspended by their legs through the chamber. To maintain generally constant air temperature within the cooking chamber, the opposed sets of infrared heaters are staggered with respect to one another with reflector plates arranged between each pair of adjacent heaters in each set in facing relation to a heater of the other set, and a hood structure is provided for creating an exhaust air flow from the cooking chamber.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for broiling whole chickens which have been severe along the breast bone for opening into a generally flat condition includes a housing having opposing laterally spaced sets of upright gas-fueled infrared heaters defining therebetween a cooking chamber and an endless chain conveyor for transporting chickens suspended by their legs through the chamber. To prevent burning and promote uniform cooking of the chicken meat, a screen is interposed between one set of heater panels and the path of movement of the chickens in the region of the chicken thighs and back, which have a sub-skin concentration of fat, to modify the cooking energy emitted from the laterally adjacent region of the heater panels.