Healthy, affordable and versatile, chicken has been a popular part of our diet for thousands of years.
Not only does chicken taste good, and do you good, but it’s the least environmentally unfriendly of all of the meat proteins in terms of its carbon footprint. *Cows release the equivalent of 16kg of carbon dioxide for every kilo of meat they produce, sheep produce 13kg of CO2, whereas chickens are responsible for only 4.4kg of CO2 per kilo of meat. Not only does chicken produce the least greenhouse gas emissions of the most popular types of meat, but it produces less overall emissions during each phase of production, processing, and cooking.
*Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28858289
Light meat (breast fillet and wings) and dark meat (leg meat) in bold
Energy: 106 Kcal/449kJ / 109 Kcal/459kJ
Protein: 24g / 20.9g
Carbohydrates: 0g / 0g
Of which sugars: 0g / 0g
Fat: 1.1g / 2.8g
Of which saturates: 0.3g / 0.8g
Fibre: 0g / 0g
Sodium: 60mg / 90mg
Remove all packaging. Wash hands, all surfaces and utensils after touching raw poultry. Keep raw poultry separate from cooked foods.
All appliances vary. These are guidelines only. All chicken products should be cooked thoroughly, until there is no pink meat and the juices run clear. Ensure the product is piping hot before serving. Do not reheat.
Whole bird
Cook from chilled. If freezing at home, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight, before cooking. Note the weight of the Chicken from the label.
Preheat oven: Appliances vary, but as a guide start at: 210oC.
Remove all packaging including the trussing band and discard. Do not wash the chicken.
Place the chicken into a lidded roasting tray, optionally, loosely cover with foil. Place onto the middle shelf of the oven. Allow to cook for 20 minutes at this high temperature of 210oC Then reduce temperature to 180oC and allow cooking for 20 minutes per 500g of the chicken’s weight. (1 Kg = 1000g)
At the end of the cooking time, check that the food is cooked using a probe or that it is steaming hot and that juices run clear when probed. No pink flesh should be evident. If in doubt about it being cooked, cook for a further 5 mins and then check again.
Let the food rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Breast fillets and boneless portions
Cook from chilled. Preheat oven: 200°C/ Fan 180°C/Gas . Place the chicken on a roasting tray, cover loosely with foil and cook for 25-30 minutes in the centre of the oven. To check that the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the portion. If the juices run clear the chicken is cooked. If the juices run pink, return to the oven for a further 5 minutes and re-test.
Legs and bone-in portions
Cook from chilled. Preheat oven: 200°C/ Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Place the chicken on a roasting tray and cook in the centre of the oven for 35 – 40 minutes (legs), 30 – 35 minutes (thighs and drumsticks) or 30 minutes (wings). To check that the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the portion. If the juices run clear the chicken is cooked. If the juices run pink, return to the oven for a further 5 minutes and re-test.
For recipe inspiration, head to our recipes page and follow this link for more information about preparing and cooking chicken safely.