Help! I’m trying to cook a Mother’s Day dinner, and I’m stumped. My mom’s cookbooks ain’t helpin’ neither. :mad: How long and at what temperature do you roast chicken wings and legs for? I got ‘em in a roastin’ pan with other vegetables.
Generally I roast them at 325-350 degrees F, and I cook them until they’re no longer pink in the middle. I make a slit in the deepest part of the chicken (usually the thigh takes the longest to cook) and if the juices are clear, not pink, the bird is DONE. You’re supposed to cook them until the internal temperature reaches about 170 F. Don’t let the thermometer touch the bone.
How long this will take depends on how big the chicken pieces are. I would PROBABLY roast the pieces you describe for about an hour, but I’d start checking on them in about 45 minutes.
Rosemary is a classic chicken spice, but don’t use too much.
Thanks, Lynn. Well, I just kind of threw the wings, the legs, the veggies, and spices in the pan with olive oil and pats of butter. I have no idea how much rosemary I used either. :eek: And, I don’t know where my mom keeps her meat thermometer, or even if she has one. [giggle] This is really going to be a Mother’s Day surprise for my mom, alright. 
It’s the thought that counts, right?
As long as they’re cooked through and the juice is clear when you poke them, they’ll be good.
Sounds yummy BTW
A guildeine my mom has always used (that’s in her cookbooks), and is easy to remember is the 4-4 rule.
4-4… 40 minutes at 400.
(Note: 40 minutes is a minimum, but I’ve never had chicken coming out looking pink – even larger pieces).
get a meat thermometer, you get it perfect everytime. Any food store has one for a few dollars.
Eats_Crayons & irishgirl, thanks for the tips. I do hope this meal turns out okay. I roasted/steamed everything for 2 hours. It’s got to be done by now. My mom who is a master cook says it smells good, so I figure that’s got to be a good sign!
handy, I’ll look into getting a meat thermometer.
But for now, I’m getting myself a glass of Dalwhinie and sittin’ down! I declare I don’t see how my mom does this cookin’ thing every day!
[celestina raising her glass to mom’s who cook everywhere]
Here’s to you! 
celestina, not trying to make fun of you or anything, but if you have over 1000 posts you MUST have discovered google by NOW…
jonpluc, I had no idea I have over a thousand posts! :eek: When did that happen? 
But, I must speak in my defense. If you must know, late last night when I started on this cooking adventure, I checked my mom’s worn, tattered cookbooks, but you see she’s been cooking so long that she don’t have simple recipies that answer basic questions like mine. When I couldn’t find anything in the cookbooks, I did do a google search. :o I confess I was a little intoxicated at the time too so I don’t recall what terms I typed in the search thingy, but I couldn’t find an answer, so that’s when I came to this forum.
I used “chicken well done” without the quote marks in Google. That lead me to various sites. I read up on the sites, added in my own chicken roasting experiences, and came up with the hour guesstimate.
If you can get your grubby little hands on a copy of Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Book, or even better, her The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book, it’s quite possible that you will never need to consult another cookbook again. I believe it’s out of print, though, which is a pity.
I think that I’ll move this on over to Cafe Society, because I’m going to give you a recipe from Peg Bracken’s cookbook. She calls it:
Innocent Chicken
Coat chicken pieces in melted butter. Then roll the pieces in seasoned bread or cracker crumbs (she seasons hers with salt and pepper and garlic salt, I season mine with poultry seasoning and seasoned salt). Bake at about 375 for about an hour. Turn the pieces over about halfway through, if you happen to think about it. This is Very Yummy Indeed.
I am really paraphrasing that recipe, but it’s a simple roasted chicken dish which has always turned out very nicely.
I have horrible luck with my meat thermometer. It must be screwed up, it’ll swear the chicken thigh is 170F and then when I carve the birdy up it starts squacking and trying to peck me.
But with chicken parts, 375 for a hour seems to work. Nothing like dismemberment to tame the savage beast!
I really like The Best Recipe it goes into detail about the theory behind the basics…ie what chemical process has to happen for the dish to be a success and what happens if you cook at a lower temperature for a longer time, etc.
Great cookbook for learning!
Annie, it sounds like the thermometer is touching a bone, that will give a higher reading. Or you could have a miscalibrated thermometer.
Thanks for the recipe and all the advice, Lynn. I’m happy to report that the chicken turned out well. I’ll see if I can’t fing that cookbook you suggested.
Annie, I wish I knew what to tell you about your chicken dish, but it sounds like you got good advice from Lynn.
Slindorff, thanks for the name of that cookbook. I can’t wait to get to the bookstore to see if I can’t find it.
A couple quick suggestions. Marinading your chicken in either buttermilk, kefir, or yoghurt gives it a rather lovely texture and juciness. It’s especially good if you add some tandoori masala or Old Bay Seasoning to the mix. Also, dusting your chicken with a bit of paprika gives it a nice “roasted” color.
375 is the standard temp for roast chicken, but there are certain cooks who prefer a slow oven, say 325, for up to two hours.And, no, the chicken does not dry out if you’re nice to it, but it’s that falling-off-the-bone kind of chicken that perhaps not everyone prefers. Basting every 15-20 minutes or so is also a pretty standard rule, but I’ve survived without basting my chicken at all, so there you go.
pulykamell, thanks for the tips. I declare before long y’all are going to have me being the chicken roastin’ expert! But, can you tell me how long I should marinade chicken in yoghurt or buttermilk, and what is kefir? I believe I heard somewhere that you don’t want to soak it in yoghurt for too long because it will ruin the texture/taste of the chicken.
An hour’s pretty standard. I’ve done it longer and never had the dreaded woolly texture effect.
I second the recommendation of Peg Bracken’s books. It was one of my favourite books when I was a kid. Wonder where those copies are now…
I’ve been chucking smoked paprika and lemon juice on the chook, adding peeled garlic cloves and wine to the pan and baking it. Olives at the end in the sauce.
Wow, Primaflora, that recipe sounds delicious. Is smoked paprika spicy?