Chicken Roasting question

[Bob Loblaw]

Note: I am NOT actually planning on roasting a chicken. I'm writing an essay and want to use chicken roasting as a metaphor.

My understanding is that the tricky part of roasting a chicken is that one part cooks faster, the other slower. Dark meat v. white meat, somehow.

So, my question: which is it that cooks faster? If you cook until the thighs are done, are the breasts a) undercooked, or b) overcooked?

I've eaten many fine roast chickens, I'm sure that there are ways around this, but, again, the goal is to use this as a metaphor in an essay.
Thanks!
-Charles.

[CDouglas]

If you roast a chicken until the thighs are done the breasts would be overcooked.

[Bob Loblaw]

Thanks everyone!

[magiesmom]

not if you cook it in a preheated skillet, then they are both done perfectly.

[randyjl]

I cook a game hen and it all comes out good at the same time.

[Karl S]

Breasts would be overcooked, unless you used tricks of the trade, which I needn't go into because you are only seeking an answer to the metaphorical question.

[monavano]

White meat cooks faster than dark meat, and dark meat is juicier and able to handle longer heat without drying out.
Ways to mitiigate cooking different parts of a chicken to different doneness are a few things:
1. You can tie/truss the legs to the body for more even heating
2. You can place tin foil over the breast as it cooks so it doesn't get too brown while the thighs finish
3. You can spatchcock or open up the chicken to make it flat to encourage even cooking
4. You can set the temperature according to the size of the chicken. I generally think smaller chicken= higher temps and larger chicken=lower temps.

Hope this helps!