Perfect roast chicken recipe | Jamie Oliver Christmas recipes (2024)

FAQs

What temperature does Jamie Oliver roast chicken at? ›

What temperature is best for roasting chicken? Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9, then as soon as you put your chicken in the oven, reduce the heat to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Weigh your chicken and calculate the cooking time according to the guide below. Sit the bird in a roasting tin slightly larger than the chicken, and don't cover it with foil or you won't achieve a crisp skin. Basting your chicken during cooking will help keep the meat moist.

Chicken is done cooking when its internal temperature reaches 165ºF (75ºC). 165ºF is the safe internal temperature regardless of cooking method, cooking temperature, and cut of meat—including white meat like chicken breasts and wings, and dark meat like drumsticks and thighs.

Fattier dark meat can stand a higher temperature than lean white meat. While it's safe to eat dark meat cooked to 165°, you'll get a bouncier bite. Allowing thigh meat and the like to reach somewhere between 175° and 190° will give you more tender meat because the connective tissues have longer to break down.

Larger cuts, such as whole chickens or bone-in pieces, often benefit from covered baking to ensure thorough and even cooking. Smaller cuts, like chicken breasts or tenders, can be baked uncovered for quick results.

It's usually not necessary to add water to the pan for a roast chicken: the steam created by the water can prevent the skin from becoming browned and crisp.

On the temperature front, the differences between roasting and baking are fairly cut and dry. Both roasting and baking involve cooking with dry, ambient heat, usually in an oven. Roasting temperatures are typically above 400 degrees Fahrenheit while baking temperatures are about 375 degrees and below.

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

Should you flip a roast chicken? ›

However, low heat will not give the yummy crisp skin. Neither of these requires flipping the chicken. However, if you really want the crispiness of the skin, flipping is the way to go. Two recipes from Cooks Illustrated (one and two) both call for high heat and a couple of flips.

Before it goes in the oven, chicken should be at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge (1 hour for a whole chicken; 30 minutes for a cut) before cooking. Keep it covered, in a cool place.

3. Never Roast a Cold (or Soggy) Chicken. Before you put the chicken in the oven, give it time to come to room temperature. 30 to 45 minutes will do the trick.

Major problem in roasting poultry is cooking legs to doneness without overcooking the breast. Techniques to resolve the problem: Roasting breast down for part of the roasting period. Gravity draws moisture and fat to the breast rather than away from it.

When roasting meat and poultry, set the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) or higher. Explore the charts below to learn how to get great results every time you cook.

Otherwise, follow this general formula: Cook large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for 20 to 30 minutes in a 375-degree-F oven. Cook large, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for 35 to 40 minutes in a 375-degree-F oven.

Whole bird: According to the USDA, you want take the temperature of a whole bird by inserting the thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh and wing, and the thickest part of the breast. Avoid bones. If the temperature reads 165°F, then the chicken is ready.

For the ultimate juicy and tender chicken thigh experience, aim for an internal temp between 175 and 185 F. Any temperature higher than that can dry out or burn your meat, but the perfect 175° to 185° range will get you well above the minimum safe temperature and maximize the poultry's flavor potential.