# Time & Temp to Bake/Roast/Cook chicken Quarters?



## thecactuswill

I got a 10lb bag of chicken quarters on sale at the grocery store, 59 cents a lb, total $5.90 lol!  I think I'm just going to toss them in italian dressing & olive oil, put in a big foil pan and bake, to keep it simple you know.  How long & what temperature would be best for this?


----------



## Andy M.

Are you cooking the whole 10 pounds at once?  Don't crowd the pan, do it in two batches if necessary.

Bake at 400F for 40-45 minutes and check the internal temperature.  It must be greater than 160 F.


----------



## thecactuswill

Ok thanks, I didn't know I couldn't 'crowd' it together.  Thats what I always did before lol.  Maybe I'll just do 5lbs at a time, thx.


----------



## thecactuswill

Yeah it only took 4 quarters to fill the pan, about 3-4 lbs or 1/3 of the 10lb bag.

What part of the quarter should I put the thermometer in to test the temp?


----------



## ChefJune

I'd bake it at 350, and I'd cover the pan for about half the time.  I don't like dry chicken!


----------



## Chef_Jen

Me too June.. generally i like 350-375 i cover..


----------



## Chopstix

Chef June & Chef Jen,  that would be 350 for how long? Thanks!


----------



## VeraBlue

chicken has to cook to an internal temperature of 180 degrees for at least 5 mintues.  Probe the flesh at the thickest part and be careful not to temp right next to a bone.  It will give you a false temp reading.


----------



## Andy M.

VeraBlue said:
			
		

> chicken has to cook to an internal temperature of 180 degrees for at least 5 mintues...


 

This is different from what I've learned.  It has been my understanding that the bad guys in chicken, e.g. salmonella, die instantly at 160F.


----------



## sparrowgrass

I buy the leg quarters in those big packages all the time--ocasionally, they will even be on sale for $.29 a pound.

I think I do mine at 400 for about 45 minutes, but the size varies so much, you kinda have to play it by ear. Stick your thermometer in the thigh, don't touch the bone.  I find that the quarters are done when the skin is brown and crispy, with no flabbiness.  I don't cover.

Try seasoning with garlic and lemon, or Italian seasoning mix, or curry powder.

Something else I do with those big packages--separate the drums from the thighs, remove the section of back bone at the top of the thigh, and save it, along with any broken drumsticks, for stock.  Makes the thighs easier to eat without that piece of back attached.


----------



## FryBoy

My understanding is that poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service,*Safe Cooking*

FSIS recommends cooking whole chicken to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured using a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook poultry to higher temperatures.
​However, several years ago Sunset Magazine's test kitchens cooked dozens of turkeys and determined that if you push the thermometer all the way to the bone in the thickest part of the breast, 160 degrees is sufficient. I know, I know, we're all taught not to do that, but Sunset's experiment found that this method actually gives more consistent results because you don't have to guess where the middle of the meat is. They also determined that 160 at the bone is the same as 165 in the middle of the breast.


----------



## Toni.W

Ok, this might be a stupid question, but everytime I try to remove the backbone thing, I end up breaking all kinds of bones inside the chicken. How do I remove this piece properly?


----------



## Zhizara

Toni.W said:


> Ok, this might be a stupid question, but everytime I try to remove the backbone thing, I end up breaking all kinds of bones inside the chicken. How do I remove this piece properly?



Just Google "cut up chicken"  Lots of videos there.

Welcome to DC.


----------



## mrs.mom

Try to marinate the chicken first with salt, black pepper, juice of 4-5 lemons and 1/4 cup white vinegar. You can also add 1 cup of yougurt. The yougurt gives the chicken a brownish red color while baking. Mix the chicken well with the marinates and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. If you don't need to cook the whole amount of chicken at the same time, you can place some of them with the marinate in a large zipper bag and freeze them for later use.
After 1-2 hours place the chicken in a large oven tray and be careful not to crowd the chicken in the tray. Bake the chicken at 400 F for 45 min. You need to cover the tray with aluminium foil for the first 30 min. then remove the foil in the last 15 min.
I hope this could help you.


----------



## Nicholas Mosher

For me chicken legs are something that I enjoy fall-apart tender.  I like the skin crisp, and the bone to almost pull-out of the leg when you pick it up.  I roast mine at 400ºF until they reach this point (usually an hour and a half +/-).  The leg bone should be easy to wiggle.  All of the collagen in the extensive leg connective tissue will melt and coat everything into finger-licken' goodness.  I generally roast the legs on a bed of thinly sliced onions which are stirred midway to coat them with the juice and fat.  They caramelize, and can be served with the chicken spooned into a baked potato - fat, juice, onions, and all.  Only thing I season with is S&P - sometimes a bit of oregano and a squeeze of lemon if I feel fancy.

EDIT:  If I have a whole bird (which I usually do), I butcher it into leg quarters and a bone-in breast.  The breast I put into the pan with the legs and onions after about 45 minutes, then remove it once the thickest part reaches 160ºF.

This is the way I always roast whole birds... in pieces.  Of course just the legs are also great!


----------

