How to Bake Chicken

Posted on January 1st, 2009 by monsterguide

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Chicken is a delicious, nutritious, and versatile choice when it comes to planning a menu. You can make chicken in a variety of ways, but one of the easiest and healthiest methods is to bake it. You can bake a whole chicken, or if you are short of time, chicken pieces such as breasts, thighs, legs, and wings will do just fine.

What You Will Need

About 2 to 3 lb chicken, cut up
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Dried or fresh herbs such as rosemary, tarragon, thyme, or oregano
Marinade (optional)
Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray
Roasting pan
Meat thermometer

Step 1: Preparing The Chicken For The Oven

The first thing you should always do when you are cooking chicken is to wash and pat the chicken dry gently. If you are going to use a marinade, you will need to marinate your chicken overnight. A great marinade to use is Italian dressing. It is all ready for you; just add the chicken. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl or a plastic bag with a ziplock, and pour the Italian dressing over the pieces. Close tightly and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Getting Ready To Cook

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Take your roasting pan and coat lightly with olive oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Take the chicken out of the marinade if you have used one, and place the chicken skin side up in the roasting pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper as well as any of the other herbs you would like to use. If you are using a marinade, you will not need to season the chicken as much.

Step 3: Cooking The Chicken

Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Do not cover the chicken. To check whether it is done, use a meat thermometer to ascertain the temperature. If you are cooking chicken breasts, the thermometer should read 170°F, and for thighs, it should read 180°F. Always ensure that you insert the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken.

Step 4: Ensuring That Your Chicken Is Ready To Eat

Eating pink chicken that is uncooked is not recommended. If you are still unsure whether your chicken is fully cooked or not, take a knife and cut through the thickest part of the chicken. When the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink, your chicken is ready to serve.

Cleaning Up When You Are Through

Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that raw chicken has touched is an important part of the cooking process. Chicken has dangerous bacteria that need to be removed as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Be sure you wash your hands after handling chicken and cleaning the work area. (Read 50 amazingly helpful time tested tips for the kitchen)

Chicken For Special Or Everyday Meals

Because chicken is so versatile and there are so many methods of cooking it, it is a popular dish that can be served as a favorite item on your family’s dinner menu. Also, it can be a perfect dish for a holiday or a special-occasion meal. A vast assortment of recipes are available to cook whole chicken or chicken parts (bone-in or boneless).

* Baked chicken tastes good, but if it’s Thanksgiving, you’re better off learning how to bake a turkey. Of course, you’ll need side dishes for that, so here’s how to bake a potato. Looking for a yummy and nutritious snacks? Satisfy your stomach by baking pumpkin seeds.