How to cook chicken legs more evenly?
I have had a look at lots of recipes for yoghurt and spice based marinated chicken legs. They are almost all similar with little variations. I skin, slit and marinate the chicken overnight and cook it in a fan forced oven at 180 degrees and turn and baste with the marinade every 15-20 minutes.
The problem that I am facing is that the chicken legs take more than an hour to cook and even then there is a little bit on the inside that looks uncooked. If I cook it any longer, the outside is very dry.
I had a look at How long and at what temperature do the various parts of a chicken need to be cooked?, but it doesn't help.
Can someone provide any usefull tips?
Best Answer
I think opening the oven door every 15-20 minutes is causing the oven to loose a lot of heat very frequently, therefore the process becomes even more prolonged. Try these steps:
1) Make minimum of 3 slits diagonally.
2) Cover the chickens with foil in the first 15-20 minutes of its cooking time to creat and retain steam inside the meat and then uncover and continue with your process.
3) Baste less frequently to maintain the oven heat.
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How do I cook chicken evenly?
Turn the heat on medium-high and wait for the water to come to a simmer and then immediately turn the heat down to right below a simmer. The goal is to gently poach the chicken so it cooks evenly and does not dry out. A simmer or boiling water is too much heat for the chicken breasts.Why does my chicken cook unevenly?
Mistake: You overcrowd the pan. "What ends up happening is the meat cooks unevenly due to being overcrowded." Additionally, overcrowding can cause your chicken to steam rather than help it get that nice caramelized-brown sear.Is it better to bake chicken legs at 350 or 400?
400 degrees is a great temperature for baking chicken legs, and you can get them to come out nicely crispy and cooked all the way through if you cook them for long enough.Do you have to flip chicken legs in the oven?
I definitely recommend turning the chicken over halfway through baking, so the skin gets cooked on all sides. By the end the skin on top should be nice and crispy, but if you prefer it even crispier, set your oven to broil and place the chicken under the broiler for a minute or 2 on each side!Now I cook chicken only this way! Delicious and Quick Chicken Legs Recipe
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Answer 2
It sounds like you are running the oven at 180°F AND trying to make the chicken legs reach the same temperature (per the link guide). This will indeed take a very long time.
Either Way, try these modifications:
- Run the oven at a higher temperature (250°F or higher)
- Basting tends to cool down the meat. If you are using a Yogurt based marinade, then try letting the Yogurt do the gentle buffering of the heat.
- Finally, a good digital in-oven thermometer for measuring the internal temperature can give you great feedback before the meal is botched.
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