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Chicken Cooking Times

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The correct chicken cooking times and the precise temperatures for cooking chicken are extremely important. The optimum flavor and tenderness of chicken can be consistently achieved when care is taken to follow the recommended time and temperature guidelines for cooking chicken.
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Using the recommended time and temperature guidelines will ensure that the meat is cooked to the minimum safe internal temperature, which is critical in preventing food-borne illness that can be caused by undercooked chicken. Using an accurate meat thermometer is the best way to ensure proper doneness when cooking chicken.

Use the following chart as a guide for whole chicken cooking times, as well as for parts of a chicken, such as the proper chicken breast cooking time. Cooking times are provided for oven-baked or roasted chicken, stewed chicken, grilled chicken, or chicken that is inserted into an oven bag prior to cooking. See the article "Chicken - Checking Doneness" for additional information on cooking times for chicken and for other methods used in determining the proper doneness of chicken meat.

CHICKEN Cooking Times and Temperatures

Oven Baked or Roasted Chicken

Type of Whole Chicken Oven Temperature Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Unstuffed Stuffed
Chicken (whole) 350°F 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours
Chicken (whole) 350°F 3 - 4 lbs. 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours 1 3/4 - 2 hours
Chicken (whole) 350°F 4 - 6 lbs. 1 3/4 - 2 hours 2 - 2 1/4 hours
Cornish Hen 350°F 1 - 2 lbs. 1 - 1 1/4 hours 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours
Capon 325°F 5 - 6 lbs. 1 3/4 - 2 hours 2 1/2 - 3 hours
Capon 325°F 6 - 8 lbs. 2 1/4 - 3 1/2 hours 3 - 4 hours
Note: Start with chicken at refrigerator temperature. Remove the chicken from the oven when the
meat thermometer reads 175°- 180°F; the temperature will continue to rise as the chicken stands.

Stewed Chicken

Type of Whole Chicken or Chicken Part Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Unstuffed Stuffed
Whole broiler fryer 3 - 4 lbs. 1 - 1 1/4 hours 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 hours
Whole roaster 5 - 7 lbs. 1 3/4 - 2 hours 2 - 2 1/2 hours
Whole Cornish hens 18 - 24 oz. 35 - 40 minutes 50 - 70 minutes
Breast half (bone-in) 6 - 8 oz. 35 - 45 minutes
Breast half (boneless) 4 oz. 25 - 30 minutes
Leg or thigh 8 or 4 oz. 40 - 50 minutes
Drumstick 4 oz. 40 - 50 minutes
Wing or wingette/drumette 2 - 3 oz. 35 - 45 minutes

Grilled Chicken

Type of Whole Chicken or Chicken Part Weight Approximate Cooking Time
(internal temperature 180°F)
Unstuffed Stuffed
Whole broiler fryer (indirect heat) 3 - 4 lbs. 60 - 70 minutes 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 hours
Whole roaster (indirect heat) 5 - 7 lbs. 18 - 25 minutes per lb. 23 - 55 minutes per lb.
Whole Cornish hens (indirect heat) 18 - 24 oz. 45 - 55 minutes 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Whole capon (indirect heat) 4 - 8 lbs. 15 - 20 minutes per lb.
Breast half (bone-in) 6 - 8 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Breast half (boneless) 4 oz. 8- 10 minutes per side
Breast half (boneless) 6 - 8 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Leg or thigh 8 or 4 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Drumstick 4 oz. 8 - 12 minutes per side
Drumstick 8 - 16 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Wing or wingette/drumette 2 - 3 oz. 8 - 12 minutes per side
Note: When grilling with Indirect Heat generally the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a high heat. When grilling with Direct Heat the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a medium heat. Use these heat settings unless you have a recipe that states something different. See how to test the grill temperature.

Chicken Cooked at 350°F in an Oven Bag

Type of Whole Chicken
or Chicken Part
Total Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Regular-Size
Oven Bag
10" x 16"
Large Size
Oven Bag
14" x 20"
Turkey Size
Oven Bag
19" x 23 1/2"
Chicken pieces 2 - 2 1/4 lbs. 45 - 50 minutes
Chicken pieces 2 3/4 - 3 lbs. 45 - 50 minutes
Chicken thighs 1/2 - 1 1/2 lbs. 35 - 40 minutes
Chicken thighs 1 1/2 - 2 1/4 lbs. 35 - 40 minutes
Chicken drumsticks 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. 35 - 40 minutes
Chicken drumsticks 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. 35 - 40 minutes
Chicken breast half (bone-in) 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. 40 - 45 minutes
Chicken breast half (bone-in) 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. 40 - 45 minutes
Chicken breast half (boneless) 3/4 - 1 lbs. 25 - 30 minutes
Chicken breast half (boneless) 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. 25 - 30 minutes
Whole chicken 3 1/2 - 4 lbs. 1 - 1 1/4 hours
Whole chicken 5 - 7 lbs. 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours
Cornish hens 1 1/2 - 3 1/2 lbs. 40 - 45 minutes
Cornish hens 4 - 7 lbs. 55 - 60 minutes
Oven Bag Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add 1 tablespoon flour to the oven bag and distribute evenly on the inside of the bag prior to inserting the chicken. Brush the chicken with vegetable oil or butter. Remove the chicken from the oven when the meat thermometer reaches 180°F. If it is necessary to use a turkey-size oven bag for a chicken, gather the oven bag loosely around the meat allowing room for heat circulation; then close the bag with a nylon tie, and cut away any excess oven bag.
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Chicken Cooking Times Reviews

chicken cooking times

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Average of 4.83 out of 5 stars
Rating of 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Ratings (12)
Reviews (12)
Comments (0)
TBarrows53
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Oh My Goodness... what a wonderful site, I have spent hours trying to find a chart that would give me some ideal on how long to cook a whole stuffed 5.815 pound chicken... THIS ONE DID THAT in simple to follow chart... LOVE IT!!!"
GrillGuy User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I have used these cooking times for grilling a couple of times this summer and they have been pretty close. It is nice to have an idea for how long something is going to take before you start. It is nice to have this chart to reference."
RJames User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I have grilled a lot of steaks but not much chicken so it was nice to find this chart of chicken cooking times that included some grilling times. Now if it ever quits raining we can do some grilling and try out some of these times."
single_dad User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"This chart will be helpful to me this summer. I plan on doing more grilling this summer and we eat a lot of chicken. This will at least give me an idea of cooking times to use."
bberg User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I never thought about cooking chicken breast in a cooking bag but I tried it with about 2 lbs. of bone-in chicken breasts. I used the regular size bag and baked for 40 minutes. They were great and how much simpler does it get!"
GabriELLA User
Reviewed By
"I didn't realize that dark meat needed to cook longer than white meat until I was glancing over this chart. Thanks for the info. It was helpful."
Haley User
Reviewed By
"I used a cooking bag to cook a chicken breast and used cooking temperature and time form this chart. It turned out so moist and delicious. Great way to cook white meat to keep it moist."
newcook User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I was tired of buying a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket that had been setting there for hours so decided to try cooking one myself. I used this chart for the cooking temperature and the cooking time for a 3 lb. whole chicken. It turned out so moist and delicious. I will definitely be cooking my own chickens more often."
gigs User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"We were grilling beer can chicken this last weekend but had no idea how long to leave it on the grill. I found this chart when searching online and used 18 minutes per lb. as indicated for a whole chicken. Perfect!!! It turned out great!"
Savory User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Great work! I used this chart for some large chicken drumsticks, since I always seem to have to throw back on the grill because they aren't done, and they were juicy and perfectly done."
Brad User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I grill my wife's marinated chicken breasts on direct medium heat (400) for about 6 minutes per side and it results in tender, juicy chicken every time. Sometimes I test with a meat thermometer (165)."
Michael Wayne User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Great charts and the information is just what I was searching for. It would be nice to try and provide printable cards."
jack3032
Rating of 3 out of 5.0 stars
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mistal
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
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