how do i bake chicken in the oven?

Question

i tried to bake chicken in the oven last nite , with foil but didnt cover it as it takes too long, the thing is when i took the chicken out 25 mins later it was like rubber!! how can i make nice baked chicken?

Answer 1

If it came out rubbery, it means one of two things - either your temperature was too high or you cooked it too long.

When you cook chicken or any kind of meat on a high heat, the muscles in the meat clench up (like if you put your hand in a fist) and the meat is rubbery and tough. The object is to cook it at a lower temperature so the muscles in the meat relax. That's also why you don't "boil" it but you can simmer it.

I'm going to assume you cooked chicken breast because at 25 minutes it was rubbery. Chicken breasts (which are probably chicken breast halves - boneless? skinless?) take only 10-15 minutes to cook depending on how you cook it.

Put your chicken in a pan with some water or soup or some liquid mixture (You can even use the juice from a can of fruit) - that will keep it moist while it cooks - but again, keep the temperature down - more like 350º - no higher than 400º for the 10-15 minutes.

I have cooked the chicken in a skillet, gently browned it on both sides in butter, then added the juice from the can of fruit, and finished cooking the chicken in the broth. Don't boil it - just let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes after it's been browned - when you use chicken breast.

Answer 2

I would not cover it. Are you cooking whole chicken? Pat the skin dry, season, rub with butter or oil, roast at 400F til temp of thickest part is 160-165F. Done. If you cover it you are basically steaming the chicken.