Why my fan oven is taking soo long to cook chicken?

Why my fan oven is taking soo long to cook chicken? - Side view of housewife wearing apron standing at table in cozy kitchen and preparing dough for baking while using rolling pin

I have a brand-new digital Electrolux microwave that comes with fan oven. I'm cooking poultry (like 3 pieces of small thighs) and it takes more than 30 minutes at 180C and still it doesn't feel like it's been cooked. I have to crank it up to like 210C for 20mins to really cook them. Why is that?

Most online articles say cooking chicken barely takes 15mins at 160C or so. Like here, https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-cook-with-a-fan-oven/



Best Answer

I ‘m afraid, but it seems you misunderstood something here. A fan oven is not a wonder tool that will mysteriously cook a meal in super short time. (That would be partially correct for a microwave or microwave/convection combination.) Even the article you linked to doesn’t give 15 minutes, but 18-20 minutes per pound plus another 20 minutes on top.

Yes, cooking times can, but need not in all cases, be somewhat shorter, and reducing the temperature compensates the improved heat transfer due to the fan to prevent preliminary browning. But apart from that, the difference to a non-fan oven isn’t that much.

But a word of warning re. relying on cooking times to judge doneness of a roast: Don’t. Yes, a timing table may be useful for a ballpark number, but every oven is different, the starting temperature of the meat may differ, geometry is a factor and even the breed and form of raising of the animals can have an influence. A meat thermometer will be the only way to precisely determine the core temperature and hence doneness and, even more important, food safety. From your post, it seems you did use common sense (and maybe a thermometer), but for future readers I would like to add this note.




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Why does baking chicken take so long?

The average cooking time for boneless chicken breasts ranges from 35 minutes to 45 minutes, at 350F (depending on size). Expect to add an additional 5 minutes or more to the cooking time for bone-in pieces as bones absorb heat, increasing the time it takes the chicken to cook all the way through.

Why does my oven take so long to bake?

Answer: If your baking times are significantly shorter or longer than those called for in a recipe, there may be a calibration issue with your oven's thermostat. This is a very common problem, and almost all ovens \u2013 even those that give the impression of precision through digital temperature displays, etc.

How long do I cook chicken breasts in a fan assisted oven?

Method
  • Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. ...
  • Place the chicken breast on the tray \u2013 if cooking more than one breast, space them well apart. ...
  • Bake for 16\u201322 minutes, depending on size and thickness. ...
  • If you have a digital food thermometer, test the internal temperature through the thickest part of each chicken breast.


  • How can I speed up chicken in the oven?

    Add Fat. Any kind of fat\u2014like butter and oil\u2014is a heat conductor, so it'll help the chicken cook faster. Plus, fat helps give flavor to cuts like chicken breasts. So go H.A.M. on that butter.



    How to Cook Roast Chicken | Jamie Oliver




    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Maria Orlova, RODNAE Productions, RODNAE Productions