How Long Do You Cook A Whole Chicken

Cooking whole chickens is a relatively simple process although to ensure that you chicken is properly cooked through is important given the risks of food poisoning. So how long does chicken need to cook exactly?

The cooking time for a whole chicken will need to be calucated from the weight of the bird. Looking at the packaging which the chicken was purchased in will tell you the exact weight of the bird which you can use to cross reference against the chicken cooking guide below.

Bear in mind that different ovens operate at different temparatures. To be certain your chicken is cooked throughly before serving, simply skewer the deepest part of the meat (usually the breast or thigh area) and watch the flowing juices to ensure they are running clear and not pink. Better still, all kitchens should have an important impliment called a meat thermometer which are inexpensive gadgets which show you the actual internal temparature of your meats taking the guess work away.

The meat probe that I use is the Silicone Meat Thermometer 2″ Dial which is a really simple and effective tool which you can place in the chicken before cooking and leave in the bird during cooking.

Whole Chicken Cooking Times (unstuffed – refer to Cooking Chicken for information around cooking stuffed chickens)

These guidlines are to cook the whole chicken at a temperature of 350ºF (176ºC) – either use a skewer and check the juices before serving or better still invest in the meat thermometer.

2.5 – 3 lbs – 1 – 1hr 45 mins
3.5 – 4 lbs -1hr 30 mins to 1hr 45 mins
4.5 – 5 lbs -1hr 30 mins to 2hrs
5 – 6 lbs -1hr 45 mins to 2hrs 30 mins

Cooking Chicken Internal Temperature

Cooking chicken correctly eliminates nasty illness causing bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria. Therefore ensuring that your chicken has reached the correct temperature to eliminate any remnants of these bacteria is crucial.

The old fashioned way of judging what temperature should chicken be cooked at is to probe the thickest section of the meat usually around the thigh or breast area and observe the resulting flowing juices. If they are clear to view and translucent the chicken is done, if they are slightly pink or worse still, red then further cooking is required.

Nowadays though with the onset of technology touching the confines of our kitchens most cooks have the use of a meat thermometer. These inexpensive heat sensing kitchen gadgets serve to inform you with a degree of accuracy, the internal temperature of any meat you wish to insert the probe into. Therefore the most reliable method of checking whether or not your chicken is cooked correctly is to use a meat thermometer.

Using a meat probe is very straight forward indeed however one point to remember is to ensure that when probing meat for the temperature you do avoid the bones of the cut (if it is a bone in cut). The temperature reading can be inflated due to the heat conductance of bones which results in a false reading. Thankfully, the probes are designed as such that it is very easy to insert (they have a very sharp tip) and therefore are easy to avoid hitting any bones.

You can get the Silicone Meat Thermometer 2″ Dial one I use, it is cheap and can be inserted into the meat at the start of cooking and left, saving you from having to reinsert the probe! withstands temperatures of over 500°F.

Your chicken cooking temperature and times are to roast your chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Cooking times are 20 minutes per lb (450 g) adding an additional 10 to 20 minutes at the end of the cooking time. As mentioned above, probe the chicken into the thigh area avoiding the bones and deep into the breast area. Also worthy to note that your chicken will continue to cook even after you have removed it from the oven or grill meaning you can even remove the meat from the heat source a few degrees below the desired temperature. Leave the meat probe in the carcass and keep an eye on the temperature to ensure it reaches its target. Enjoy your cooking.

How Long Do I Boil A Chicken

Boiling chicken is a old cooking process and contrary to popular belief is no healthier than roasting a chicken. Given the fat content remains the same (tests have shown that the water content of the boiled chicken is reduced but not the fat content) you can still roast the chicken to produce a similar nutritional value.

That said, boiling chicken in a large crock pot or stock saucepan can achieve some good results.

The technique to boil a chicken is relatively straight forward and is also quite quick to cook using water. One issue to bear in mind when cooking chicken in this manner is to ensure that your chicken is brought up to room temperature before boiling. Under no circumstances should you attempt to boil a frozen chicken. Always thoroughly thaw a frozen chicken overnight in the refrigerator and then take out for several hours to bring to room temperature before cooking.

The best method to boiling a chicken is to use a large pot or saucepan filled with hot water or the same amount of stock. I always add some whole onions and a few diced carrots to the stock to add some additional flavour to the cooking liquid.

Simply put therefore, for best results use chicken stock and added vegetables when boiling.

Boiling a Chicken Method

1. Make up sufficient chicken stock (using a chicken stock cube) to fill your pot or saucepan to the halfway point.

2. Peel 2-3 onions and dice 2-3 carrots and add to the liquid.

3. Place the whole chicken into the pan and top up with stock to cover if needed.

4. Bring the pot to the boil and then reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cover.

An average sized (4lb) chicken will need to boil/simmer for around 1 hour.

For the best and safest results from boiling your chicken is to invest in a meat thermometer. These handy kitchen meat gadgets allow you to check the internal temperature of the meat during cooking which you can then use to determine exactly the required finish simply by probing the prong into the heart of the meat. For a boiled chicken the internal temperature will need to be 180°. You can get the Silicone Meat Thermometer 2″ Dial which is the one I use, it is cheap and can be inserted into the meat at the start of cooking and left, saving you from having to reinsert the probe! withstands temperatures of over 500°F. Enjoy your cooking.

How Long Do You Bake Chicken With Bones

Cooking chicken is a fairly simple process but most of us are aware of the importance of fully cooking chicken particularly whole birds with their bones given the risk of food poisoning. This is why the heat source must penetrate the chicken in it’s entirety to kill of any residual bacteria before eating.

So, just how long to you bake chicken with bones for?

The cooking time very much depends on the size of the chicken and whether or not you are stuffing the bird. In my experiences I would recommend that you do not stuff the chicken cavity with any kind of stuffing during cooking. The cavity inside the bird is a critical cooking element allowing the heat to pass inside the bird and fully cooking it through. Blocking off this cavity will restrict the flow of heat and results cannot be predicted with any certainty.

Therefore, the safest and simpliest method of cooking a stuffed chicken is to place the stuffing mixture either in a separate roasting dish or place the stuffing beside the chicken later during the cooking time.

For an average sized chicken around 4lbs in weight you will need to be cooking at a temperature of 350 degrees for a period of 1hr 45mins to 2hrs. As will all cooking, and to double check whether the bird is fully cooked, skewer the deepest part of the bird (usually through breast and thigh area) and pay attention to the resulting flow of juices – you are looking for a clean fluid, if it is pink then place the chicken back in the oven for a further 15 minutes and check again.

Better still, I always recommend that a meat temparature gauge is the integral part of any kitchen and takes the guess work out of baking given it will display the actual temparature inside any piece of meat. They are inexpensive and well worth the money.