How long should you cook chicken? (2023)

How long should chicken be cooked?

Boneless breasts should be cooked for 35-45 minutes depending on the size, while bone-in breasts should be cooked for 40-50 minutes. Boneless thighs should be roasted 20-30 minutes, while bone-in thighs should be roasted for 35-45 minutes.

How Long to Bake Chicken Breasts? Once pounded to an even thickness, these baked boneless chicken breasts will need to cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F).

Unstuffed: A 4-pound whole chicken will take about 80-90 minutes at a temperature of 350°F, while a larger 7-pound chicken could take up to 2 hours and 20 minutes. In general, add 20 minutes for each additional pound.

Poke the meat to see if juices are red or clear

For properly cooked chicken, if you cut into it and the juices run clear, then the chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are red or have a pinkish color, your chicken may need to be cooked a bit longer.

Dark meat, such as chicken thighs or legs, will take longer to cook, because they have a higher fat content and density. Boneless thighs will take 20 to 30 minutes to cook at 350F (dependent on size). Bone-in cuts will require an extra 15 minutes in the oven.

Add Fat. Any kind of fat—like butter and oil—is a heat conductor, so it'll help the chicken cook faster. Plus, fat helps give flavor to cuts like chicken breasts.

How to Cook Chicken - YouTube

Pay attention to the color of the meat and of the juices coming out of the chicken. A simple rule of thumb is that cooked chicken will be white in color and undercooked or raw chicken will be pinkish or even bloody.

As the meat rests, the stored heat at the surface continues to cook the middle of the meat, causing the internal temperature to rise as much as 10 degrees. Try it next time -- take a roast chicken out of the oven and immediately insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part.

How long does it take chicken breast in the oven?

Make sure you use a quick read meat thermometer to get them perfectly cooked. To Bake Chicken Breast at 400°F: This will take between 22 and 26 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. You can cook chicken breasts at 350°F for closer to 25-30 minutes (although I prefer the higher heat above).

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recommends cooking whole chicken and parts of chicken (like the breasts, legs, thighs, wings and giblets), ground poultry, and stuffing to 165 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place flour coated chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 8-10 minutes.

A whole chicken should be cooked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes per pound for a 3 to 8 pound chicken. So, if you have a 4-pound chicken, you would cook it for 80 minutes.

If you eat undercooked chicken, you can get a foodborne illness, also called food poisoning. You can also get sick if you eat other foods or beverages that are contaminated by raw chicken or its juices. CDC estimates that every year in the United States about 1 million people get sick from eating contaminated poultry.

We all know the golden rule of cooking chicken: Don't overcook it. Doing so leads to dry and leathery meat.

The USDA says that as long as all parts of the chicken have reached a minimum internal temperature of 165°, it is safe to eat. Color does not indicate doneness. The USDA further explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices.

Starting With Cold Chicken Breasts

And while this might sound obvious, the best way to avoid overcooking a chicken breast is to cook it for as short a time as possible. When you start with cold chicken breast straight from the fridge, it's going to take longer for the middle to heat all the way through.

To start, brine your chicken in a mixture of water and a few tablespoons of salt for about 20 to 30 minutes. This will boost the natural flavor and moisture of the chicken breasts and will leave you with a super tender piece of meat. This is the one step that will really ensure your chicken won't be dry or tough.

How long is too long for chicken?

Raw chicken keeps for no more than one to two days in the fridge. If you're unsure whether you'll get to cooking that raw chicken before this timeline is up, your best bet is to freeze it.

The last, and easiest, way to make sure your chicken cooks faster is to cover it while it's cooking. Even if you've browned the outside of the chicken already, you should still cover the pan or grill while it's cooking.

You're not completely drying chicken off before you cook it

If the chicken is not dry, it will release more moisture while cooking." If any moisture in the chicken seeps out into the pan, the chicken will steam. The chicken will still cook, but it likely won't get very crispy.

Baking/roasting

For baking, Wings, drumsticks, chicken thigh cutlets and whole chickens are best. As these cuts have a bone in the centre, it takes these cuts longer to cook all the way through. By baking, the drumstick will be cooked by an even heat all over, while gently cooking the skin at the same time.

Brush some olive oil onto the chicken. Then, choose one of the following to sprinkle over your chicken: cayenne, garlic, lemon-pepper, pepper, rosemary, salt, or thyme. This is also great for grilled or baked chicken. Go basic with some salt and pepper.

Sometimes the meat will have some pink hues in the white, meaning that it needs to be cooked a tad bit longer. If the meat is white, then it is fully cooked. With practice and time, checking your chicken will become an easier and quicker task. When in doubt, remember the temperature of 165ºF.

Cooked chicken should be white, with no pink pieces of flesh. Pink flesh is a sign of undercooked chicken. If you're storing chicken as leftovers, be sure to keep it in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or less, in a sealed container for a maximum of 3 days.

Symptoms usually occur within one to two days after consuming Salmonella and within 2 to 10 days after consuming Campylobacter. Symptoms usually go away after around four days. In severe cases of a Campylobacter infection, antibiotics may be needed.

Should I cover chicken with foil when roasting?

Do you cover a chicken when roasting? We generally like to roast our chicken uncovered so the skin crisps up and turns an appealing golden brown. If the chicken starts to get too dark before it reaches the proper internal temperature, you can tent a piece of foil over the top to protect the skin from burning.

Pan-fried chicken breast recipe

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan then add the chicken breasts (skin-side down, if they have skin) and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Then turn over, cover and cook on the other side for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through.

You can calculate the right cooking time by allowing 45 minutes per kilo plus an additional 20 minutes – for example, a 1.6kg chicken should be cooked for 90 minutes.

To start, brine your chicken in a mixture of water and a few tablespoons of salt for about 20 to 30 minutes. This will boost the natural flavor and moisture of the chicken breasts and will leave you with a super tender piece of meat. This is the one step that will really ensure your chicken won't be dry or tough.

It delivers mouth-watering results: By using foil to bake chicken, you seal in its juices as it steams. This keeps your chicken moist and wonderfully flavorful. It gives you a complete meal in a packet: While you can bake your chicken alone, using foil allows you to build a delicious, all-in-one meal.

Baking chicken at home (whether as pieces or a whole bird) is really as easy as prep and bake. You never have to worry about covering chicken while baking, as it's fine to bake it uncovered. Once your chicken is in the oven, it's hands-free until you need to check the temperature.

Pay attention to the color of the meat and of the juices coming out of the chicken. A simple rule of thumb is that cooked chicken will be white in color and undercooked or raw chicken will be pinkish or even bloody.

Fry chicken, turning with tongs every 1–2 minutes and adjusting heat to maintain a steady temperature of 300°–325°, until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°, about 10 minutes for wings and 12 minutes for thighs, legs, and breasts.

Roasting a chicken will take approximately 20 minutes for every 500g of weight at 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius for fan-forced ovens). So if you do the maths, it should take a 2kg chicken about 80 minutes (1 hour and 20 minutes) to cook.

How long does a chicken take to cook per kg?

How long to roast a chicken. When it comes to cooking times, it couldn't be easier to calculate – you'll need 45 minutes per kg, plus an extra 20 minutes to finish. If you want to, you can baste your roast chicken once or twice during cooking to help keep it moist.

Cooking The Chicken

As a rule, the roasting formula is 20 minutes per 450g plus an extra 20 minutes, which means a typical 1.4 kg chicken will be perfectly roasted after 1 hour and 20 minutes at 200°C.

Cook at a lower heat for longer to keep the chicken breast tender and juicy. Bake just until internal temp reaches about 160º F, then let sit under foil to cook to a safe internal temp. Line pan or baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Olive oil keeps chicken moist and adds extra flavor.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recommends cooking whole chicken and parts of chicken (like the breasts, legs, thighs, wings and giblets), ground poultry, and stuffing to 165 degrees F.

A whole chicken should be cooked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes per pound for a 3 to 8 pound chicken. So, if you have a 4-pound chicken, you would cook it for 80 minutes.