Chicken can be prepared a variety of ways in the oven by baking, which is much more healthful than frying it. You can roast a whole chicken much as you would a turkey, or you can bake chicken parts such as breasts and legs. Chicken can be baked alone on a tray, in a roaster or in a casserole. In most cases, the skin can be left on or removed when baking chicken; the choice is up to you. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Choose the Right Chicken
The type of chicken you choose to bake makes all the difference between moist and tender, and dry and tough. Choose chicken parts that are young, and are labeled as broiler/fryer for baking. If baking a whole chicken, look for roasters or capons, as these are younger birds with a lot of meat. Avoid baking or roasting stewing hens or roosters, as the meat will be tough. Cornish hens are suitable for baking, and each hen will serve two people.
Defrost the Chicken
Defrost the chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Another method of thawing the chicken is placing the packaged chicken in a cold water bath. Depending on the size of the parts or the whole bird, this can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. Change the water every 1/2 hour to ensure that the water stays cold. The third method of defrosting is the microwave. Use the defrost cycle on your microwave in 3- to 5- minute increments. Cook the chicken immediately after thawing.
Baking the Chicken
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken parts in a single layer on a shallow rack inside a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Legs, thighs, wings and breasts with the bone will be done in around 45 minutes. Breast meat that is boneless will cook in approximately 30 minutes. Whole birds such as roasters or capons will cook in 2 to 3 hours. If you stuff the chicken, add 15 to 30 extra minutes to the cooking time. Check for doneness using a meat thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees.
Fry Chicken by Baking It
You can make fried chicken in the oven. Coat the chicken the same way you would if you were going to fry it. Spray a cooking sheet with nonstick spray and lay the coated chicken parts in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour in a preheated 350 degree oven or until golden brown and fully cooked.
Tags: chicken parts, Baking Chicken, chicken parts single, fully cooked, parts single, parts single layer, roasters capons