Today I will show you how long does it take to roast a whole chicken at 350 degrees in oven. I have the best recipe with the perfect cooking times and temperatures depending on the size of the chicken.
Roasting a whole chicken in the oven is one of the easiest ways to have an impressive dinner after putting in very little effort. The crispy golden skin, moist, tender meat, and rich aromas are something you cannot get with any other cooking method.
The best cooking time and temperature to roast a whole chicken
This has always been the subject of controversy. Different people like their chicken cooked differently, and it is hard to please everyone. You might have a preference for a certain level of doneness.
There are 3 factors to consider when cooking your whole chicken: size, desired temperature, and time. I will show you how to get the best results every time by using these three factors in this article. You can make moist, tender meat with crispy skin by following my instructions.
Chicken size:
If you have a small chicken, it will cook faster than a larger one, so you need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. This is because heat travels from the outside to the inside of the meat through conduction. In other words, the bigger the piece of meat is, the longer it takes for heat to diffuse into all.
Desired temperature:
What is your preference? Is it 165F for chicken breast meat, 180F for thigh meat, or 185F for white meat? Most people agree that all chicken parts should be cooked to at least 165F, but there have been heated discussions about whether legs need more time than other parts.
As a result, many people are cooking their chicken pieces to different temperatures. With my method of using a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each piece, you don’t have to worry about overcooking or undercooking your chicken anymore. If there is any doubt, always do this!
Cooking time:
Again, this is a subject of controversy. Some say the chicken should be roasted in less than an hour, while others prefer over 2 hours. You can definitely cook your whole chicken in less than 1 hour, but I will show you how to roast it for longer (about 3 hours) and still end up with moist and tender meat.
If you are cooking a large chicken, it can take longer than an hour. However, if you are cooking a small chicken, it cooks faster, so the total time is less. This is why I prefer using total cook time instead of one number for all chickens.
How long does it take to roast a whole chicken at 350 degrees?
In this recipe, I use a 3.5-pound bird and roast it at 350F for 1 hour 15 minutes. By using the same temperature and time for cooking all-size birds, you will end up with perfect results every time.
Note that cooking your whole chicken at a lower or higher temperature might result in slightly different cooking times due to factors like the size of the bird, the internal temperature you are looking for, your cooking equipment, and geographic location.
Cooking time at 350 degrees:
| Chicken Size | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| 3.5 lbs chicken | 1 hr 15 min at 350F (45 min 375F) |
| 2.25 lbs chicken | 45 mins at 350F (40 mins at 375F) |
| 1.5 lbs chicken | 35 mins at 350F (30 mins at 375f) |
| 1 lb chicken | 25 mins at 350F (20 mins at 375f) |
Cooking time at 400 degrees:
| Chicken Size | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| 3.5 lbs chicken | 1 hr at 350F (50 mins at 400F) |
| 2.25 lbs chicken | 45 mins at 350F (40 mins at 400F) |
| 1.5 lbs chicken | 40 mins at 350F (35 mins at 400F) |
| 1 lb chicken | 30 mins at 350F (25 mins at 400F) |
Roast a Whole Chicken at 350 in Oven
Equipment
- Carving knife
- Meat fork
- Roasting pan with lid
- Kitchen foil
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken (3.5 lbs)
- Olive oil or cooking spray
- Salt and pepper to taste (for seasoning)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse the chicken under cold running water and dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper into the cavity, then rub all over the skin.
- Place chicken in a roasting pan lightly coated with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Cook for 1 hour without taking off the cover (the time may vary depending on your oven - cooking times may be shorter when using a convection oven).
- After cooking for 1 hour, check the internal temperature of the drumstick with the meat thermometer.
- If it reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit, take it out of the oven; if not, continue to cook.
- When done, remove chicken from pan and let sit 5 minutes before cutting into pieces (or allow to cool completely then cut into pieces).
The perfect chicken size to roast in an oven
The perfect chicken size to roast in an oven is 3.5 lbs. But this weight is the average of all the sizes available at many grocery stores. To find out how big your chicken should be, see this table:
| Chicken Size | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 lbs bird | 1 hr 20 min at 350F (50 mins at 375F) |
| 2 to 3 lbs bird | 1 hr at 350F (40-45 min at 375F) |
| 1.5 lbs bird | 1 hr at 350F (35-40 min at 375F) |
| 1 lb bird | 45 mins to 1 hr at 350F (30-35 min at 375f) |
Why do you need a meat thermometer?
Today, many people rely on guesswork to tell if their meat is ready. They have heard that certain cooking times produce tender and juicy chicken, so they set the timer for about an hour or so. The problem with this method is that you will never really know when your chicken will be tender and juicy.
A meat thermometer measures the internal temperature of a piece of meat or poultry so you can keep track of how much cooking time is left before it reaches the core temperature that will determine whether the food is fully cooked, safe for eating, and ready to be consumed.
Most of these tips are implied in other cookbooks, but you can use all of them.
- Most people usually prefer thigh as their first piece of chicken. Why? Thigh meat contains large muscles that don’t work as hard as the breast, so it’s still tender even if you overcook it.
- Brining. People who brine their chicken have a more tender and juicier bird.
- Not overcooking the meat: Roast your chicken until the inner leg temperature reads 165 F, not 190 F, as many people do!
- Let your cooked whole chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it so the juices and flavors can settle.
- Use a meat thermometer: The juiciest, tenderest whole chicken will come from the drumstick, whose interior temperature measures about 170 F.
- Cooking time is not absolute. Multipliers (for example, 2 – 1 hour at 400 F) make cooking times approximate depending on your oven’s temperature accuracy, wind direction around the bird, if the chicken was stuffed, if it’s wet or dry, etc.
Conclusion
This how-to guide is a comprehensive overview of the best techniques for cooking a perfect whole chicken in your oven. Roasting a whole chicken at 350 degrees for an hour and twenty minutes will result in a tender, moist bird with crispy skin.
Make sure you have enough time to cook your chicken at the lower temperature of 350 degrees for at least an hour and twenty minutes. This will ensure it cooks completely without overcooking the meat. Finally, make sure to use a meat thermometer to check the interior temperature of the chicken to make sure it has been cooked fully.
So, do you already know how long does it take to roast a whole chicken at 350 degrees in oven? Feel free to leave your comments below!
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