How to use the online timer
An hour at a steady oven temperature is the working figure for a medium chicken, which makes it the default Friday lunch in a great many households. It is also long enough to plan the rest of the meal around: rice on with twenty minutes to go, salad made while the bird rests, bread warmed at the very end when the oven is finally free.
Start the count once the oven has actually reached temperature rather than when you switched it on, since ovens in flats can take fifteen minutes to get there and rarely say so. Basting is optional and opening the door repeatedly is not free — every look costs heat. The countdown runs inside this browser tab, so leave the page open on the counter rather than closing it between checks.
With poultry the clock raises the question and temperature answers it. The thickest part of the thigh should reach 75°C, and the juices should run clear with no pink at the bone. A larger bird, a fan setting, or a cold chicken straight from the fridge all shift the timing. Rest it for fifteen minutes before carving; it stays hot far longer than people expect.
Common questions
How do I know it is properly cooked?
By temperature rather than by the clock. The thickest part of the thigh should reach 75°C and the juices should run clear with no pink at the bone. Size, oven and starting temperature all move the timing.
Does opening the oven matter?
Each look costs heat that takes several minutes to recover, so keep it to a minimum. Basting is optional and does less than most people think; a rest of fifteen minutes at the end does considerably more.
Cookie policy