How Long Does a 7 lb Chicken Take to Cook? A Detailed Guide
Sometimes it seems hard to cook a whole chicken, especially a big 7-pound bird. A 7-pound chicken takes different amounts of time to cook, so the answer is not a simple one. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to roast a 7-pound chicken so that it is juicy and full of flavor.
Chicken Cooking Times: The 20 Minute Rule
A general guideline for roasting chicken is to allow around 20 minutes per pound at 350°F. This means a 7 lb chicken would take roughly 140 minutes or 2 hours and 20 minutes. However, this timing should only be used as a baseline.
Why Cooking Time Varies
The actual time needed can vary quite a bit based on:
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The accuracy of your oven Get an oven thermometer to check the true temperature
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The chicken’s shape and proportions. Chickens come in different forms. A tall, narrow bird will cook faster than a short, wide one.
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Bone-in vs boneless. Chicken with bones takes longer to cook because the bones keep the meat warm. Chicken without bones cooks much faster.
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Stuffing, A stuffed bird requires more time to ensure the interior stuffing reaches a safe temperature
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Basting. Basting the chicken as it cooks adds moisture and can speed up cooking slightly.
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Opening the oven. Every peek inside lets heat escape and extends cooking time. Minimize opening the oven until the end.
Utilizing a meat thermometer is the sole method to be 100% certain that your chicken is fully cooked.
Why Internal Temp Matters Most
Relying on a cooking time chart alone can lead to undercooked or overcooked chicken. The internal temperature is what really determines doneness.
To be safe to eat, chicken should reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F, according to USDA rules.
Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, taking care not to hit bone. If any part of the chicken is below 165°F, return to the oven for additional cooking until fully heated through.
For enhanced juiciness, some chefs advocate removing the chicken at 160°F and allowing carryover cooking to finish it as it rests. But for food safety, 165°F is recommended.
Tips for Roasting a Juicy 7 lb Chicken
Follow these tips to achieve a flavorful, tender 7 lb roast chicken:
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Brine the Bird: Soaking the raw chicken in a saltwater brine solution for 1-2 hours before cooking enhances moisture.
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Pat Dry: Remove the chicken from the brine and pat very dry with paper towels. This helps the skin get extra crispy.
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Use a Rack: Elevate the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, which allows air flow for even cooking.
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Rub with Oil or Butter: Coat the skin liberally in olive oil or melted butter to keep meat from drying out.
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Season Well: Generously season the cavity and outside with salt, pepper and aromatic herbs or spices.
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Cook Breast Side Up: This protects the delicate breast meat from overcooking.
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Baste Frequently: Spoon pan juices over the chicken every 30 minutes while roasting.
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Let It Rest: Allow the chicken to rest 15-20 minutes before carving. This helps lock in juices.
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Carve Properly: Learn how to carve a chicken into perfect portions for serving.
Estimated Cooking Times for a 7 lb Chicken
Now that we’ve covered the importance of using a meat thermometer, here are some estimated cooking times for a 7 lb chicken at varying oven temperatures:
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350°F oven: About 2 hours 20 minutes up to 2 hours 45 minutes
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375°F oven: Roughly 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes
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400°F oven: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours
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425°F oven: Around 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes
Remember, always verify the internal temperature and watch the chicken closely as it nears the end of estimated cooking time. This prevents over or undercooking.
Signs Your Chicken is Done
In addition to temperature, you can assess doneness through these visual cues:
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The juices run clear when pierced, not pink or red
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The leg joints wiggle freely
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The meat near the bone looks white, not pink
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The skin is beautifully browned and crispy
If you see these signs and the thermometer reads above 165°F, your 7 lb chicken is ready to enjoy!
Serving Juicy, Flavorful Roast Chicken
Once rested, your chicken is ready to carve and serve. Here are some mouthwatering ways to enjoy this home cooked meal:
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In classic roast chicken dinner form with roasted vegetables and pan gravy
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Shredded over fresh greens for a hearty chicken salad
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Sandwiched on crusty bread with pesto mayo and tomato for an amazing roast chicken sandwich
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Diced up to top a hearty pasta dish or pizza
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In tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or other Mexican cuisine
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Sliced on top of a garden salad for added protein
Get Creative with Leftovers!
A 7 lb bird will provide ample leftovers. Safely store cooked chicken in the fridge up to 4 days. Some creative ways to use extras:
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In chicken noodle or rice soup
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Mixed into a creamy chicken and vegetable casserole
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As the protein in a hearty breakfast hash with veggies
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Topped with barbecue sauce and melted cheese for sliders or flatbread pizza
Roasting a 7 lb chicken does require more time than a smaller bird. But the rewards of juicy, flavorful meat and the convenience of leftovers is well worth the extra effort. Follow the guidelines above for properly cooking a 7 lb chicken. Soon you’ll be impressing family and friends with tender, delicious home-cooked chicken dinners.
Guidelines For Perfect Roasted Chicken
A roasted chicken in the oven is a beautiful aroma! I can recall many Sunday family dinners enjoying roasted chicken and fighting over who gets the chicken leg. Nowadays, you can buy a roasted rotisserie chicken at your local grocery store for a convenient weeknight dinner to feed the family. However, there is nothing like slow roasting a chicken over a bed of vegetables in your own oven!.
Learn how to Brine Poultry (Chicken and Turkey) and check out more outstanding Poultry Recipes.
The USDA has issued new guidelines for cooking and roasting whole chickens. A study from the University of Georgia led to these changes. It found that the current USDA cooking times were longer than needed to make sure food was safe and cooked through. The data supported reductions of 15 minutes to one hour, depending on the size of the bird. The USDA has come up with a one-temperature-suits-all for poultry safety: 165 degrees F. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer. It appears that “timing is NOT everything. ” Recommended cooking techniques must also be followed. A meat thermometer should be used to check the internal temperature of the bird in several places for safety’s sake and to prevent overcooking.
Many variables can affect the roasting time of the whole chicken:
- A partially frozen bird requires longer cooking.
- Dark roasting pans cook faster than shiny metals.
- The pan’s depth and size can make it harder for heat to reach all parts of the bird.
- Putting a foil tent over the whole thing can slow down the cooking process.
- Use of the roasting pan’s lid speeds cooking.
- An oven cooking bag can accelerate cooking time.
- A stuffed chicken takes longer to cook.
- The oven may heat food unevenly.
- Calibration of the oven’s thermostat may be inaccurate.
- Where the rack is placed can affect how evenly food cooks and how heat moves through the oven.
- The meat thermometer needs to be put in the right place in the thigh joint. See Taking The Chicken’s Internal Temperature below.
Roasted Chicken Instructions for Safety and Doneness:
Be sure the chicken is completely thawed – Times are based on fresh or completely thawed frozen chicken at a refrigerator temperature of about 40 degrees F. or below.
Placing Chicken in Roasting Pan – Place chicken breast-side up on a flat wire rack in a shallow roasting pan, 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep.
Optional Steps:
Truss or Not to Truss – You do not need to bother with complicated trussing. Instead, secure the legs by tucking the ankle joints into the pocket of skin at the tail end. Tuck wing tips back under the shoulders of bird (called “akimbo”).
Adding Liquid – Add 1 cup chicken broth/stock to the bottom of the pan before beginning the cooking. This will turn the oven into a steam room, which will help keep the breast moist but won’t stop the skin from turning brown. Check out Chicken Stock – Basic Chicken Stock to learn how easy it is to make your own homemade chicken stock.
Tenting the Chicken – In the beginning, a tent of aluminum foil may be place loosely over the breast of the chicken for the first hour, then removed for browning. You could also put a tent of foil over the chicken once it’s the color you want it to be. As part of the study, some chickens were tented with foil for the entire cooking time; this increased the cooking time required.
Basting the Chicken – Brush the chicken with butter or vegetable oil at the beginning before roasting it in the oven. This will contribute to browning. Basting during the roasting process is an unnecessary extra stop. Basting in the last hour of roasting can actually turn a beautiful crisp chicken skin soft.
Easy ways to baste a chicken: Use a Chicken Baster (bulb baster). Use a basting brush. Use a large spoon to scoop up the juices and drizzle over the chicken.
Chicken Cooking Times – The new roasting times are based on the recommendations above and on a 325 degree F. oven temperature. These times are approximate and should always be used in conjunction with a properly placed meat thermometer.
| Weight | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| 3/4 pounds | 30 minutes |
| 1 1/4 pounds | 40 minutes |
| 2 pounds | 50 minutes |
| 3 pounds | 1 hour and 10 minutes |
| 4 pounds | 1 hour and 15 minutes |
| 4 1/2 pounds | 1 hour and 25 minutes |
| 5 1/4 pounds | 1 hour and 30 minutes |
| Weight | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| 1 pound | 40 minutes |
| 2 pounds | 50 minutes |
| 3 pounds | 60 minutes |
| 4 pounds | 1 hour and 20 minutes |
| 5 pounds | 1 hour and 30 minutes |
| 6 pounds | 1 hour and 40 minutes |
| 7 pounds | 1 hour and 45 minutes |
The USDA has come up with a one-temperature-suits-all for poultry safety: 165 degrees F. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer.
This is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. To learn more about this excellent thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined: Thermapen Thermometer.
To Take Temperature of Thigh – Place the thermometer in the thickest part of thigh away from the bone of the chicken to check the internal temperature at intervals during the cooking time.
To Take Temperature of Breast – Insert thermometer at neck end, holding it parallel to the chicken. Confirm temperature by inserting thermometer in both sides of the chicken.
Cleaning Meat Thermometer – After each use, wash the stem section of the thermometer thoroughly in hot, soapy water.
Temperature of Cooked Chicken and Stuffing/Dressing – The temperature must reach a minimum of 165 degrees F. in the thigh before removing from the oven. The center of the stuffing should reach 165 degrees F. after stand time.
In Absence of a Meat Thermometer – Juices should be clear. Pierce the chicken with a fork in several places; juices should be clear with no trace of pink. NOTE: The old-fashioned way of wiggling the leg to see if it’s loose will give you an indication that the chicken is ready, but unfortunately, by the time the leg is truly loose, the chicken is sadly overcooked. The only reliable test for doneness is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone.
Once you remove the chicken from the oven, tent it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes, so the meat can firm up and hold the juices, making it easier to carve. Resting allows for the redistribution and re-absorption of the juices in the meat. This makes for ultra-moist, flavorful meat while also giving the chicken a chance to cool for easier carving. If you skip this important step, you will both burn yourself and end up with a flood of juices on your carving board, not to mention a dry chicken.
In this recipe I have used Julia Child’s technique for Roast Chicken. In her first cookbook, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, by authors Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. Her recipe is the French technique and requires a lot of basting and turning of the chicken while roasting which I followed.
- 1 (4-pound) whole chicken*
- Coarse salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 to 4 big carrots, peeled, washed, and cut up
- 4 to 5 red potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Take the neck, liver, and gizzards out of the chicken and either throw them away or freeze them for later use. Clean and dry the chicken, then put it on a plate and put it in the fridge uncovered for one to two days. This dries out the skin, which will make it crispier when you roast it. Take the chicken out of the fridge at least two hours before roasting so that it can come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place oven rack in middle of the oven.
- Prepare the Chicken:
- After taking the chicken out of the fridge, let it warm up at room temperature.
- Spread half of the butter inside the chicken. Sprinkle the inside with coarse salt. Rub the outside skin with the remainder of the butter. As an extra step, you can secure the legs by tucking the ankle joints into the skin pocket at the very end. Chicken should have its wing tips tucked back under its shoulders. This is called “akimbo.”
- When the roasting pan is ready, put the chicken breast side up on the bottom of it. Spread the carrots and potatoes around the chicken.
- Roasting the Chicken:
- Put the chicken that has been prepared in the oven and let it brown a bit for 15 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat while the chicken roasts. Add olive oil and stir until combined. Remove from heat.
- Basting the chicken:
- With a chicken baster bulb, a basting brush, or a large spoon, spread the melted butter mixture over the front and sides of the chicken. Open the oven door. Pick up the liquid from the pan’s bottom as well and pour it over the chicken.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. When the butter or oil baste runs out, use the fat in the roasting pan to baste the chicken every 10 minutes.
- About halfway through the cooking time, sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt over the chicken. Turn chicken over on its other side. Continue basing every 10 minutes.
- About 15 minutes before the chicken is supposed to be done, sprinkle it with 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt one more time. Turn the chicken breast-side up. Continue basting every 10 minutes. Continuing to baste as the chicken cooks.
- When the thigh and breast reach 165 degrees F on the inside, the chicken is done. when you cut into the meat with the tip of a knife, the juices will run clear.
- Take the chicken out of the oven and place it on a cutting board. Cover it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Take the chicken and cut it into pieces that will fit on the platter. Then, put the cooked potatoes and carrots around the edges. Drizzle pan juices on top of chicken.
- Makes 4 servings.
Recipe Notes
* Choose a chicken weighing around 4 pounds. I prefer organic, free range chickens as I think they taste better.
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How long does a 6 lb chicken take to cook at 375?
FAQ
How long does it take to roast a 7 lb chicken?
How long does it take to roast a 7-pound chicken? At 350°F (175°C), a 7-pound chicken will go through two hours of roasting. A meat thermometer must be used to make sure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). This internal temperature ensures that the chicken is cooked through and safe to eat.
How long do you cook a pound of chicken in the oven?
When the oven is hot, roast the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a juicier and more flavorful chicken.
How do you cook a 7 lb chicken in the oven?
Use an oven-safe pan, such as a roasting pan, large cast iron pan, or a rimmed baking sheet. For a 7-lb chicken, preheat your oven to between 325°F and 425°F. A lower temperature will result in softer, fall-off-the-bone meat, while a higher temperature will give you firmer, juicier meat and crispier skin. Roasting Time
How long do you cook chicken at 325 degrees?
If you opt for a lower temperature of 325°F, the chicken will need to roast for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours. On the other hand, if you choose a higher temperature of 425°F, the roasting time will be around 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is crucial to ensure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
How to cook a 7 lb chicken?
Follow these easy steps to cook a 7lb chicken: Combine the salt, sugar, garlic, and fresh herbs in a mixing dish. The chicken should be rubbed with the mixture. Lift the skin from the top of the chicken and sandwich the butter between the flesh and the skin, allowing the chicken to self-bast while cooking.
How long does it take to cook a 7 lb chicken?
| Weight (in lbs.) | Regular Method | High Heat Method |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 to 6 | 2 hours 15 minutes | 2 hours |
| 6 to 6.5 | 2 hours 25 minutes | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| 6.5 to 7 | 2 hours 35 minutes | 2 hours 20 minutes |
| 7 to 7.5 | 2 hours 45 minutes | 2 hours 30 minutes |
Is it better to roast chicken at 350 or 400?
How long does it take to cook a 7 lb roast at 350 degrees?
| Type of roast | Oven temperature | Cooking time |
|---|---|---|
| Top sirloin roast Half | 350°F | 17-20 mins / lb |
| Stuffed roast Lamb, pork, beef, veal | 350°F | 20-25 mins / lb |
| Rack of lamb | 425°F | 25 mins |
| Veal roast (boneless) | 350°F | 20 mins / lb |
How long to cook 8 lbs of chicken?