Chicken fillet cooking time in oven?

mel.b

I'm just learning how to cook meat and tonight I tried a recipe from the Jan 2015 Tesco mag (Which I've also just discovered is an operation transformation recipe - see here...http://www.rte.ie/ot/recipes/day-02-stuffed-chicken-with-mozzarella-and-chilli/

The recipe recommends cooking for 15 - 20min until cooked through. I cooked it for the 20min at 170 and it was still very pink. I turned the oven up to 200 and left it for almost another 10min and it was still pink. At this point I gave up and the dog got it :eek:. The only difference I made to the recipe is that I used frylight spray instead of olive oil - would this make much of a difference to cooking times? I know I need to invest in a meat thermomter, so I can be sure but what would be an average cooking time for a chicken fillet?

I don't mind how long it takes to cook it's just that I had the vegies and other bits ready to go - it would be good to get it all on the plate at the same time!

Faith

We'd need a bit more information. What size was the breast? Bone in or out? Did you cook it uncovered, and on what kind of dish?

I'd reckon 20 minutes is usually sufficient for an average chicken breast. If it was still pink after 30 minutes, something definitely went wrong, I'd guess.

r3nu4l

Is the oven temperature dial celcius or Fahrenheit?

My dad's is Fahrenheit... Makes a difference

Charlie19

30 minutes at 190 degrees wrapped loosely with tinfoil and you'll have very tasty chicken.

The foil keeps a lot of the juices locked in the breast and the time and and temperature will guarantee it will be fully cooked.

If there is bone on the breast, increase the time by 10 minutes.

Jezek

did you pre-heat the oven ? you gotta.

buy a meat thermometer. they will help immensely with cooking times, especially if you 're not that experienced.

mel.b

Faith wrote: »

We'd need a bit more information. What size was the breast? Bone in or out? Did you cook it uncovered, and on what kind of dish?

I'd reckon 20 minutes is usually sufficient for an average chicken breast. If it was still pink after 30 minutes, something definitely went wrong, I'd guess.

I'd say it was a normal sized one It was cooked uncovered in a small Tesco Bernades cooking dish that they recently had on offer.

r3nu4l wrote: »

Is the oven temperature dial celcius or Fahrenheit?

My dad's is Fahrenheit... Makes a difference

LOL, celcius!

Charlie19 wrote: »

30 minutes at 190 degrees wrapped loosely with tinfoil and you'll have very tasty chicken.

The foil keeps a lot of the juices locked in the breast and the time and and temperature will guarantee it will be fully cooked.

If there is bone on the breast, increase the time by 10 minutes.

No bone, but that's good to know for future reference, thanks

Jezek wrote: »

did you pre-heat the oven ? you gotta.

buy a meat thermometer. they will help immensely with cooking times, especially if you 're not that experienced.

Yep, oven pre-heated. Yes, I really must get a thermometer.

Does anyone know if the frylight spray affects cooking time? That's the only thing i can think of.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

30 minutes cooking in a preheated oven and it was still pink? Sounds like your oven might be broken.

mel.b

Elise Worried Crap wrote: »

30 minutes cooking in a preheated oven and it was still pink? Sounds like your oven might be broken.

Nope, because the other stuff in the oven cooked exactly as expected.

Tree

Pink and raw looking or pink and cooked looking? If you've been buying meat off birds that actually get to flap about outdoors they have more myoglobin in their muscles and stay pinker when cooked.

Faith

If you're sure your oven isn't broken, then it sounds likely that you have a different idea of what 'cooked' looks like . Was it solid looking all the way through, but slightly pink in colour, or very pink and wobbly in the middle?

As tree says, if it was from a bird that had an active life, the meat is a little darker than battery-farmed chicken.

mel.b

It wasn't wobbly anyway! But definitely pink. Any recommendations for a good thermometer?!!

Jezek

I just got a digital one from ebay...cheap and cheerful. I'd link it here but ebay.co.uk isn't loading for me right now!

Kat1170

mel.b wrote: »

It wasn't wobbly anyway! But definitely pink. Any recommendations for a good thermometer?!!

Homestore & More have a few different types if there is one near you.

Meat thermometer here and here they also have oven thermometers to keep an eye on oven temp.

The Hill Billy

Why did you cook the chicken at 170C when the recipe states 200C?

Forget about meat thermometers. If you are only "learning to cook meat" I would strongly recommend that you follow the recipes to the letter until you become a more competent cook. This is especially important when cooking poultry.

monkeynuz

Stick a sharp knife in for 2-3 seconds, pull it out and stick it on your tongue, if it burns your tongue chances are it's cooked.

Also check juices, if they run pink then not ready if they run clear then done.

Jezek

monkeynuz wrote: »

Stick a sharp knife in for 2-3 seconds, pull it out and stick it on your tongue, if it burns your tongue chances are it's cooked.

Also check juices, if they run pink then not ready if they run clear then done.

yeah, a cooking novice should cut themselves and burn themvselves at the same time...or just get a meat thermometer...

Jezek

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Why did you cook the chicken at 170C when the recipe states 200C?

Forget about meat thermometers. If you are only "learning to cook meat" I would strongly recommend that you follow the recipes to the letter until you become a more competent cook. This is especially important when cooking poultry.

yeah I agree. a beginner doesn't need notions , they need to work on their skills.

however a thermometer relieves some of the anxiety and can teach you what correctly cooked meat looks and feels like.

monkeynuz

Jezek wrote: »

yeah, a cooking novice should cut themselves and burn themvselves at the same time...or just get a meat thermometer...

Being a novice at cooking doesn't mean someone can't use a knife. It was meant slightly tongue in cheek if you'll excuse the pun but equally sound advice nonetheless.

Jezek

monkeynuz wrote: »

Being a novice at cooking doesn't mean someone can't use a knife. It was meant slightly tongue in cheek if you'll excuse the pun but equally sound advice nonetheless.

whoosh..I didn't get the joke then. having first cup of tea right now

The Hill Billy

To be honest, I wouldn't have a clue myself what internal temperature a cooked chicken breast should have.

Jezek

The Hill Billy wrote: »

To be honest, I wouldn't have a clue myself what internal temperature a cooked chicken breast should have.

You just look it up online. It really helps avoid overcooking, my chicken breasts are now very tender and juicy, and safe to eat based on health guidelines. In the past I kept them in a little bit over just to be safe.

MissFlitworth

Another thing that will affect cooking time, that I only copped onto after several pink-raw-wobbly chicken incidents, is how cold your chicken is going into the oven. If it's fridge cold or (and I have done this which is why I mention, not because I think anyone is as dizzy as me) still a bit frozen it's going to take longer to cook.

mel.b

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Why did you cook the chicken at 170C when the recipe states 200C?

Forget about meat thermometers. If you are only "learning to cook meat" I would strongly recommend that you follow the recipes to the letter until you become a more competent cook. This is especially important when cooking poultry.

The recipe stated 170, not 200. I turned it up to 200 when I realised after the 20min (recipe said 15-20min at 170) that it was no where near cooked.

endacl

monkeynuz wrote: »

Being a novice at cooking doesn't mean someone can't use a knife. It was meant slightly tongue in cheek if you'll excuse the pun but equally sound advice nonetheless.

Be careful putting a hot sharp knife on your tongue if your tongue is in your cheek.

Cooking is starting to sound over complicated...

Mrs Fox

mel.b wrote: »

The recipe stated 170, not 200. I turned it up to 200 when I realised after the 20min (recipe said 15-20min at 170) that it was no where near cooked.

Eerrrrrrrr......

monkeynuz

Are you using fan or conventional oven?

mel.b

Actually, following on from HillyBilly's comment about the temp, I checked the on-line recipe and the recipe in the magazine which is the one I followed. The magazine says 170, the on-line recipe says 200, so I'd say that is where the problem is!

monkeynuz

mel.b wrote: »

Actually, following on from HillyBilly's comment about the temp, I checked the on-line recipe and the recipe in the magazine which is the one I followed. The magazine says 170, the on-line recipe says 200, so I'd say that is where the problem is!

Depends whether youre using fan or conventional. As a rule of thumb gas 4-5 is 160 fan or 200 conventional then goes up incrementally i.e. 170 is gas 6.

mel.b

I have a fan oven and the printed recipe says fan 170. The online recipe says 200 (doesn't say if fan forced or not). So it wasn't that I can't cook, it's that the printed recipe is most likely wrong.

Gael23

20 minutes should be plenty. I would have thought that temperature was too low.

ankers99

From a top chef his advice was to put a pan on very high heat with small bit of oil. Brown(not burn) the fillet for a minute each side to seal juices. Oven for 12-15 mins. Test by piercing breast with sharp knife and if juice run clear its done. Take out and leave to cool for 5 mins. This allows meat to tender and prevent all the juices to run free if cut straight from oven.

I love it with Franks hot sauce and veg on the side.

monkeynuz

mel.b wrote: »

I have a fan oven and the printed recipe says fan 170. The online recipe says 200 (doesn't say if fan forced or not). So it wasn't that I can't cook, it's that the printed recipe is most likely wrong.

The online recipe is referring to conventional fan temp.

The recipes do not differ at all.

That is what I've been trying to explain about oven temps/settings

mel.b

monkeynuz wrote: »

The online recipe is referring to conventional fan temp.

The recipes do not differ at all.

That is what I've been trying to explain about oven temps/settings

What does the 190 refer to then in the printed recipe? I read that as 190 for non-forced fan oven and 170 for fan oven. When I made it, I only had the printed recipe. I only found the online one when I started this post.

monkeynuz

mel.b wrote: »

What does the 190 refer to then in the printed recipe? I read that as 190 for non-forced fan oven and 170 for fan oven. When I made it, I only had the printed recipe. I only found the online one when I started this post.

190/200 are both non fan temps. 170 is a bit over zealous for gas 5 (160) but you did nothing wrong by setting fan to 170. How many fillets were you cooking or was there other stuff in the oven at the time as the more stuff there is in the oven the longer it can take.

mel.b

There was only one fillet in, and a few potato crocquettes, so the oven was hardly full. If i had only seen the online recipe I would have cooked it at 200c fan. It would never cross my mind that that wasn't the fan temp.

monkeynuz

mel.b wrote: »

There was only one fillet in, and a few potato crocquettes, so the oven was hardly full. If i had only seen the online recipe I would have cooked it at 200c fan. It would never cross my mind that that wasn't the fan temp.

That's why knowing the equivalents for gas is useful as that is always reliable (ish)

Faith

I think we can chalk this one up to a confusing recipe .

A thermometer is a good idea, but I've always had a hard time getting a read from small cuts of meat. A digital one is definitely the best one to get.

monkeynuz

Faith wrote: »

I think we can chalk this one up to a confusing recipe .

A thermometer is a good idea, but I've always had a hard time getting a read from small cuts of meat. A digital one is definitely the best one to get.

Not confusing at all really.

endacl

monkeynuz wrote: »

Not confusing at all really.

We're making a meal of it...

The Hill Billy

endacl wrote: »

We're making a meal of it...

Indeed we are. Let's leave it at that before just desserts need to be served.
Further constructive advice is fine. Mickey-taking is not.

tHB

PS - Better luck next time Mel.b.

rubadub

mel.b wrote: »

It wasn't wobbly anyway! But definitely pink. Any recommendations for a good thermometer?!!

The poster also asked if it was solid looking and then pink. If chicken is undercooked if you cut it the outside layer should be cooked with a raw middle inside.

Like this


Also did you have a lid on the cooking dish? You should not have one as it will insulate the meat when it goes into the oven at first.

Iranoutofideas

Did you close the oven door?