How to Tell if a Roasted Chicken is Cooked Thoroughly

When roasting a chicken in the oven it is important to cook it thoroughly, but equally important is to keep it hot throughout the cooking process. You do not want to keep pulling it out of the oven, but you also do not want to cook it too long or it will dry out. Here's what to do.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sharp, thick knife
• Cooking Thermometer
• Clock

1. The surest way to tell if your chicken is cooked to is check its internal temperature. Jam a cooking thermometer, available at most grocery stores, between the thigh joint and the body of the bird. Most recipes will call for the chicken to reach an temperature around 165 degrees F--however anything between 145 to 180 is usually OK.

2. A second way is to go at the same joint with a sharp knife, cutting a slit deep into the meat. If the juices that come out are clear, rather than pink, you are in good shape. I like to use both methods, just to be safe.

3. Most of time, when cooking your bird at 400 degrees, you should assume about 20 minutes of cooking time for every pound of chicken. This should give you a ball park figure of when to start checking in your avian sustenance to see if it is cooked.

Tips & Warnings

• Placing your bird breast-side down will help keep the breasts moist even if you overcook it a little bit.