Temperature for baking chicken

[kitchengoddess8]

A lot of the recipes I've seen for baked chicken say to bake at 350 for 40 minutes. I baked chicken thighs that way tonight, and the meat came out kind of tough. I would love some suggestions for how to bake chicken so the skin is crispy and the meat is juicy and tender. A chef I know suggests baking at a lower temperature, but I thought i'd see what folks here on the forum have to say.

 

[Andy M.]

I do chicken at 400ºF. Rather than time I go by temperature. Dark meat is better at an internal temperature of 185ºF.

 

[4meandthem]

I would say you can roast anywhere from 275-425f the cooler temps make a chewier denser meat and moister skin (like turkey should be). The high temps render the fat and make it crispy without the prevalant fat layer. The meat has the muscles more defined and maybe a bit tougher but still juicy after letting rest.

On edit: I usually do 400 like andy but my spices get a little dark sometimes.

 

[kitchengoddess8]

Thanks! How many minutes would you bake chicken thighs at 400?

 

[buckytom]

i'm not sure why i keep reading the thread titles so literally tonight, but my response would be 98.6.

 

[GLC]

I have come to think of baking chicken in the simplest possible terms, applying the simplest preparation and baking scheme. This attitude comes from baking pieces in preparation for using them in stock. One day, I decided I'd like to combine the stock making with a simple chicken meal preparation. I use thighs. They have a nice bit of continuous meat and a thick and even cross-section. I just toss them in olive oil and salt both sides and lay them out on a baking sheet in a 400F oven for a hour and twenty minutes, turning them halfway along. They come out every time browned and tender. If I leave the skin on, it is nicely done, but I usually pull it off, an easy operation with thighs, and add it to the stock later. I snatch four for the meal that night. The rest of the "family pack" goes into the stock put with the vegetables for four or five hours. I cannot say that I consider any other chicken better than this.

 

[4meandthem]

I think the thigh question depends on how many and how close they are packed in the dish. If your cooking 8-9 big thighs packed in a 9x13 then an hour should be about right. If your cooking four smaller in 8x8 than 45 minutes is closer. Depends on your oven and pan too. Learn what to look for. Clear juices and a firm texture!
The clock is kinda irrelavent and not foolproof.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I think you need to look at roasting chicken as a time-temperature envelope. Picture a graph of temperature vs. time. Or add a third dimension of doneness to get a 3D envelope. Outside of the envelope it will be undercooked or overcooked. Inside it will be cooked to varying interpretations of rare to well done. The envelope is influenced by how you prepare the chicken, for example skinless vs. skin on vs. coated with something.

Like Andy I use a meat thermometer to determine when mine is done. Get your initial values from the Internet or other sources, then adjust them depending on your own tastes and preferences. Cook to a higher temperature if it was too rare, cook to a lower temperature if it was too dry and tough.

4me had a very good reply and I agree with the analysis.

I'm surprised GLC could get by with 80 minutes at 400. In my experience that would be too done in my oven. Maybe different doneness preferences or different oven calibrations.

I usually use about 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. But I generally prefer my chicken a bit less well done than most people.

 

[Kayelle]

In my mind chicken should be roasted, not baked. You bake cookies cakes and casseroles at lower temperatures but whole chickens or parts of chicken with the skin on must be roasted at higher temps to get good results. I never roast chicken at less than 400, and often 425 degrees. Your instant read digital thermometer is your friend until you become comfortable with cooking times.

 

[Harry Cobean]

i think a good,accurate oven thermometer & the resting time for the meat are the most important factors here.whatever the dial says all ovens vary & it also depends on whether its fan assisted or convection.also depends on whether it's straight from the fridge or room temperature.i always allow meat to come up to room temp before cooking.
i roast whole chicken @ 440f(fan),20 mins/pound,rest for 15 mins/pound.skin is always browned & the meat moist.
but that's just me & my oven!

 

[Bacardi1]

For me it depends on what part(s) of the chicken I'm cooking. Bone-in skin-on usually goes at 400 degrees, unless a specific recipe states otherwise; boneless skinless usually goes at 350.

I always do whole birds in my rotisserie, so the time is more important than the temp. Birds always come out perfectly.

 

[Kayelle]

In my mind chicken should be roasted, not baked. You bake cookies cakes and casseroles at lower temperatures but whole chickens or parts of chicken with the skin on must be roasted at higher temps to get good results. I never roast chicken at less than 400, and often 425 degrees. Your instant read digital thermometer is your friend until you become comfortable with cooking times.

In addition, Andy is absolutely right that dark meat should be cooked to 185 degrees. Roasted chicken thighs are my favorite so I want them cooked at high temp for a longer amount of time. The texture of the meat is greatly improved when they are actually over cooked.

 

[kitchengoddess8]

In addition, Andy is absolutely right that dark meat should be cooked to 185 degrees. Roasted chicken thighs are my favorite so I want them cooked at high temp for a longer amount of time. The texture of the meat is greatly improved when they are actually over cooked.

Interesting to hear that dark meat tastes better when cooked at high temperatures. Maybe I should try cooking them at 400 for 45 minutes and see how that goes. I generally cook them in a foil lined 8 x 8 baking pan.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I think we have a difference of opinion here on just how well done dark meat should be.

 

[kitchengoddess8]

Oh dear. Now I'm really confused!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

If there were one correct answer you would find it in Wikipedia.

Instead, get a meat thermometer and try it for yourself, cooking your chicken to different degrees of doneness and then you decide how you like it.

Start out at an intermediate temperature. Then adjust up or down depending on your taste.

 

[Kayelle]

Oh dear. Now I'm really confused!

Don't be confused KG, you've already found out that an intermediate temp of 350 doesn't give you crispy skin like you wanted, nor did you like the texture. Try them at 400 degrees and cook them slightly longer. Then you'll know.

 

[Andy M.]

A thin coating of oil on the skin helps to crisp it up.

 

[GotGarlic]

This is my go-to recipe for baked/roasted chicken: Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters. It works equally well with bone-in breasts. I use whatever seasoning mix I feel like - dried herbs or herb blends, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, etc.

It's the salt in the soy sauce that helps the skin dry and crisp and seasons the meat like a brine would. It doesn't taste like soy sauce, though. Really delicious. I also use the thermometer probe that came with my oven to let me know when it's done. It usually takes about an hour, rather than an hour and 15 minutes. YMMV.

 

[Harry Cobean]

A thin coating of oil on the skin helps to crisp it up.

This is my go-to recipe for baked/roasted chicken: Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters. It works equally well with bone-in breasts. I use whatever seasoning mix I feel like - dried herbs or herb blends, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, etc.

It's the salt in the soy sauce that helps the skin dry and crisp and seasons the meat like a brine would. It doesn't taste like soy sauce, though. Really delicious. I also use the thermometer probe that came with my oven to let me know when it's done. It usually takes about an hour, rather than an hour and 15 minutes. YMMV.

here's a brilliant tip for seasoning chicken.marco pierre white uses it,it works & that guy was the youngest chef in the uk to get 3 michelin stars,so if it's good enough for mpw..........:
make a paste out of a knorr chicken stock cube & olive oil.rub over the skin & inside the cavity.crisp skin & delicious meat.do the same with beef,lamb,pork,fish & vegetables.just use the appropriate flavour cube.