Cooking a chicken in the oven is very simple, both for an experienced cook and for those who have recently approached cooking. The time it takes for the preparation is very minimal and, if you decide to follow the advice and directions contained in this article, you can enjoy a really delicious chicken within an hour. Choose, among the many, your method for cooking chicken in the oven and remember that each of them has a different cooking time.
Ingrediants
- 1 whole chicken of about 2 kg
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- Other toppings to your taste (optional)
- Baking tray
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Cook a whole chicken
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 230 ° C
If you use a convection or convection oven, you can lower the temperature to 220 ° C.
Step 2. Rinse the chicken with cold water
Make sure you clean the chest cavity well and remove any residue from both the inside and the outer skin. Remove any internal organs and dry the chicken carefully with paper towels.
Step 3. Grease the chicken with extra virgin olive oil and carefully massage the entire skin
Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (or butter) should be enough for a 1.5kg chicken.
Step 4. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper
If you wish, you can also use spices or herbs, both fresh and dried.
Step 5. Place one or two halved lemons in the cavity of the chicken (optional)
The lemon will help the meat stay tender and juicy, and will give it its scent and aroma.
Step 6. Place the chicken in a high-sided baking sheet
If you are using an oven pan with a grill, line the bottom with aluminum foil to facilitate subsequent cleaning operations.
Step 7. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine or cotton twine
This step will allow the legs to cook faster. Breast is usually the cut of meat that cooks the fastest, becoming dry and stringy while the rest of the chicken reaches its perfect cooking. With this method you will avoid this inconvenience.
Step 8. Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 200 ° C
Cook it for another 40 minutes or until the core temperature of the meat has reached 80 ° C.
Step 9. When cooked, remove the chicken from the oven, cover the pan with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for 15 minutes
In this way, the juices of the chicken will be able to redistribute themselves within the fibers, flavoring and keeping the meat juicy. If you cut the chicken just out of the oven, all its juices would be scattered on the cutting board.
Step 10. Enjoy your meal
Method 2 of 3: Cook a chicken into pieces
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C
If you use a traditional, electric or gas oven, preheat it to 200 ° C, if you are using a ventilated or convection oven, lower the temperature to 190 ° C.
Step 2. Prepare the chicken while the oven is heating up
If you bought a whole chicken, cut it into pieces (thighs, thighs, brisket). Rinse all cuts with cold water and dry them carefully using absorbent paper. If you have purchased a chicken in pieces, you will only have to rinse it thoroughly and dry it.
Step 3. Pour about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of a high-sided pan
If you want to save time during the final cleaning, line the bottom with aluminum foil
Step 4. Place the chicken pieces in the pan and let them grease well with the oil in the bottom
Step 5. Season the chicken with herbs and add some vegetables (optional)
Your chicken in the oven will become amazing by cooking it, for example, with lemon, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, rosemary, cayenne pepper and any other ingredients you may want to combine with it. Browse some cookbooks or search the web, you can find your inspiration or combinations that tickle your palate.
Step 6. Season each piece of meat with salt and pepper and use all the spices you love if you wish
Step 7. Bake
Place the pan in the oven uncovered and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. After this time, lower the temperature to 180 ° and cook for about another 30 minutes.
Step 8. Check for doneness 5 minutes before the estimated cooking time runs out
Skewer the chicken pieces with a fork, if the juices that come out are transparent the chicken is cooked. If not, continue cooking and check again after 5 minutes.
Step 9. Let the chicken rest
Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. In this way, the juices of the chicken can redistribute themselves within the fibers, flavoring and keeping the meat juicy.
Step 10. Enjoy your meal
Method 3 of 3: Cook a boneless chicken
Step 1. Boning and rolling out the chicken
This type of preparation involves removing the bird's backbone. Once boned, the chicken can be opened and rolled out completely and cooking times will be significantly reduced. Many people think that chicken, cooked in this way, is juicier.
Step 2. Preheat the oven to 230 ° C
If you use a convection or convection oven, you can lower the temperature to 220 ° C.
Step 3. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, using cold water
Remove any organs, or giblets, still present within the chest cavity. As a final step, dry the meat with paper towels.
Step 4. Start cutting the chicken
Arrange it on a cut with the chest facing down.
- Use kitchen scissors and cut the chicken along one side of the spine, along its entire length.
- Repeat the same cut on the other side of the backbone so you can then detach it from the rest of the chicken.
- Open the chicken like a book, you should be able to see the sternum bone right in the middle of the animal. It is a bone with a cartilage consistency, vaguely reminiscent of the shape of a long tooth.
- Incise the membranes that hold the bone, they are located about two centimeters below him. Now remove it completely.
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Turn the chicken, to have the breast in front of you, and spread it gently with your hands to flatten it, it will have to assume a position that vaguely resembles the shape of a butterfly.
Step 5. Arrange the chicken in a high-sided baking sheet
To facilitate final cleaning, you can line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil.
Step 6. Grease the meat with extra virgin olive oil and massage the skin carefully
Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (or butter), for a chicken weighing about 1.5 kg, should be enough.
Step 7. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper
If you wish, you can also use spices or herbs, both fresh and dried.
Step 8. Bake it in the oven for 40 minutes or until the core temperature of the meat has reached 80 ° C
Step 9. When cooked, remove the chicken from the oven, cover the pan with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for 15 minutes
The juices of the chicken can thus be redistributed within the fibers, flavoring and keeping the meat juicy. If you cut the chicken just out of the oven, all its juices would be scattered on the cutting board.
