How long to cook 4 pound chicken

Using the recommended time and temperature guidelines will ensure that the meat is cooked to the minimum safe internal temperature, which is critical in preventing food-borne illness that can be caused by undercooked chicken. Using an accurate meat thermometer is the best way to ensure proper doneness when cooking chicken.

Use the following chart as a guide for whole chicken cooking times, as well as for parts of a chicken, such as the proper chicken breast cooking time. Cooking times are provided for oven-baked or roasted chicken, stewed chicken, grilled chicken, or chicken that is inserted into an oven bag prior to cooking. See the article "Chicken - Checking Doneness" for additional information on cooking times for chicken and for other methods used in determining the proper doneness of chicken meat.

CHICKEN Cooking Times and Temperatures

Oven Baked or Roasted Chicken

Type of Whole Chicken Oven Temperature Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Unstuffed Stuffed
Chicken (whole) 350°F 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours
Chicken (whole) 350°F 3 - 4 lbs. 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours 1 3/4 - 2 hours
Chicken (whole) 350°F 4 - 6 lbs. 1 3/4 - 2 hours 2 - 2 1/4 hours
Cornish Hen 350°F 1 - 2 lbs. 1 - 1 1/4 hours 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours
Capon 325°F 5 - 6 lbs. 1 3/4 - 2 hours 2 1/2 - 3 hours
Capon 325°F 6 - 8 lbs. 2 1/4 - 3 1/2 hours 3 - 4 hours
Note: Start with chicken at refrigerator temperature. Remove the chicken from the oven when the
meat thermometer reads 175°- 180°F; the temperature will continue to rise as the chicken stands.

Stewed Chicken

Type of Whole Chicken or Chicken Part Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Unstuffed Stuffed
Whole broiler fryer 3 - 4 lbs. 1 - 1 1/4 hours 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 hours
Whole roaster 5 - 7 lbs. 1 3/4 - 2 hours 2 - 2 1/2 hours
Whole Cornish hens 18 - 24 oz. 35 - 40 minutes 50 - 70 minutes
Breast half (bone-in) 6 - 8 oz. 35 - 45 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Breast half (boneless) 4 oz. 25 - 30 minutes
Leg or thigh 8 or 4 oz. 40 - 50 minutes
Drumstick 4 oz. 40 - 50 minutes
Wing or wingette/drumette 2 - 3 oz. 35 - 45 minutes

Grilled Chicken

Type of Whole Chicken or Chicken Part Weight Approximate Cooking Time
(internal temperature 180°F)
Unstuffed Stuffed
Whole broiler fryer (indirect heat) 3 - 4 lbs. 60 - 70 minutes 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 hours
Whole roaster (indirect heat) 5 - 7 lbs. 18 - 25 minutes per lb. 23 - 55 minutes per lb.
Whole Cornish hens (indirect heat) 18 - 24 oz. 45 - 55 minutes 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Whole capon (indirect heat) 4 - 8 lbs. 15 - 20 minutes per lb.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Breast half (bone-in) 6 - 8 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Breast half (boneless) 4 oz. 8- 10 minutes per side
Breast half (boneless) 6 - 8 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Leg or thigh 8 or 4 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Drumstick 4 oz. 8 - 12 minutes per side
Drumstick 8 - 16 oz. 10 - 15 minutes per side
Wing or wingette/drumette 2 - 3 oz. 8 - 12 minutes per side
Note: When grilling with Indirect Heat generally the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a high heat. When grilling with Direct Heat the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a medium heat. Use these heat settings unless you have a recipe that states something different. See how to test the grill temperature.

Chicken Cooked at 350°F in an Oven Bag

Type of Whole Chicken
or Chicken Part
Total Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Regular-Size
Oven Bag
10" x 16"
Large Size
Oven Bag
14" x 20"
Turkey Size
Oven Bag
19" x 23 1/2"
Chicken pieces 2 - 2 1/4 lbs. 45 - 50 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Chicken pieces 2 3/4 - 3 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
45 - 50 minutes
Chicken thighs 1/2 - 1 1/2 lbs. 35 - 40 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Chicken thighs 1 1/2 - 2 1/4 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
35 - 40 minutes
Chicken drumsticks 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. 35 - 40 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Chicken drumsticks 2 - 2 1/2 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
35 - 40 minutes
Chicken breast half (bone-in) 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. 40 - 45 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Chicken breast half (bone-in) 2 - 2 1/2 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
40 - 45 minutes
Chicken breast half (boneless) 3/4 - 1 lbs. 25 - 30 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Chicken breast half (boneless) 1 - 1 1/2 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
25 - 30 minutes
Whole chicken 3 1/2 - 4 lbs. 1 - 1 1/4 hours
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Whole chicken 5 - 7 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours
Cornish hens 1 1/2 - 3 1/2 lbs. 40 - 45 minutes
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
Cornish hens 4 - 7 lbs.
How long to cook 4 pound chicken
55 - 60 minutes
Oven Bag Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add 1 tablespoon flour to the oven bag and distribute evenly on the inside of the bag prior to inserting the chicken. Brush the chicken with vegetable oil or butter. Remove the chicken from the oven when the meat thermometer reaches 180°F. If it is necessary to use a turkey-size oven bag for a chicken, gather the oven bag loosely around the meat allowing room for heat circulation; then close the bag with a nylon tie, and cut away any excess oven bag.

How long does it take to cook a 4 pound chicken at 400?

Roast the chickens at 400 degrees for about an hour and a half, depending on the size of the birds. The way I figure time for this is to take the average weight of one of the chickens (say, 4.5 lbs) and calculate 15 minutes per pound (that would be about 67 minutes for a 4.5 lb chicken).

Is it better to bake chicken at 350 or 400?

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Is it better to roast a chicken at 350 or 425?

You can roast a chicken at almost any temperature. It all depends on what you are looking for. For extremely tender, fall off the bone meat and soft skin, roast between 300 and 350 degrees. For firmer meat and crisp skin, roast the chicken around 425 degrees F.

How long does it take to cook a 5 lb whole chicken at 350?

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roast a whole (thawed) chicken for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes overall.