The chicken is Britain’s favourite meat. Every year the UK produces 700 million chickens; this does not include those reared for producing eggs. Therefore, everyone should know how to properly prepare and cook chicken. Cooking times are a very simple concept, but care needs to be taken to ensure that it is cooked all of the way through.

The chances of becoming ill or contracting salmonella can easily be avoided by making sure, firstly, that it is prepared correctly. All pre-packed chickens that can be bought from grocery stores will have guidance on the amount of time the chicken should be cooked, according to its weight. This states you should give it twenty minutes per pound, or in metric, twenty minutes per 450 grams, and then an additional twenty minutes. However, if you stuff the chicken the heat will take longer to penetrate all the way through and so you should adjust your chicken cooking times accordingly. If you are unclear of the amount of time that is required when it has been stuffed, give it an additional twenty minutes and then take it out and insert a knife or a skewer into the large part of flesh where the leg meets the body, if the juices run clear and there is no sign of any traces of blood then it is cooked. If unsure, return it to the oven for an additional twenty minutes.

When planning a meal you should take into account the need for the meat to rest once you have removed it from the oven. You should adjust your overall chicken cooking times to account for this, as the chicken should be rested for at least half an hour after it has come out of the oven. This is important because during the cooking process the juices from inside the chicken bubble up through the meat to the top, underneath the skin. If you immediately carve after the chicken has come out of the oven the juices will run out and the chicken will be dry. By allowing the chicken to stand the juices have a chance to soak back through the flesh back into the chicken resulting in a moister, more tender chicken.

If you are partial to a crispy skin, you can tweak your chicken cooking times slightly. By turning the oven up as far as it will go for the first half an hour, and then turning it back down to the regular cooking temperature you will crisp the skin. Another method to achieve this is to sprinkle salt, freshly ground black pepper and, if you wish, some parsley and thyme. Both of these methods will give you a very crispy skin and ultimately a better flavoured chicken.