How long to roast a chicken
How long to roast a chicken
Roasting times by bird weight at 190 °C, with the internal temperature to hit and where to measure it.
Unstuffed bird at 190 °C / 375 °F in a preheated oven, then rested 15 minutes.
More chicken times
Common questions
Where exactly do I put the thermometer?
Into the thickest part of the thigh, angled towards the body, stopping short of the bone. Bone conducts heat and reads hotter than the meat around it. The thigh is the last part to come up to temperature, so that is the reading that decides whether the bird is done.
Should I cover it with foil?
Only if the skin is browning faster than the inside is cooking, which usually happens on larger birds. Foil over the breast for the middle third, off for the last twenty minutes so the skin crisps back up.
Why is the breast dry when the thigh is finally done?
Because they want different temperatures. Breast is at its best around 68 °C and thigh needs 74 °C or more, and on a whole bird you cannot have both. Spatchcocking fixes it properly: flatten the bird and the two cook in roughly the same time.
Is the pink juice test reliable?
No. Juice colour depends on myoglobin and on the bird, not on doneness. A properly cooked chicken can still run slightly pink near the bone, and an undercooked one can run clear. Use a thermometer.
Egg times come from the thermal-diffusion equation for a spherical egg published by Charles D. H. Williams (University of Exeter), calibrated so a large fridge-cold egg at sea level matches the times cooks actually use. Size, starting temperature and altitude then follow from the physics. Treat the result as a very good starting point, not a guarantee, because pans, hobs and eggs all vary.