# Question About Cooking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2007, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370 "2007-03-10T13:23:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/1 "2007-03-10T13:23:33Z")
Simple cooking question– How long/what temperature to cook boneless chicken breast(s)? ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/2 "2007-03-10T13:28:28Z")
Baking, frying, microwaving, grilling? And also weight of the pieces of breasts + how many? [edit] I assume baking, because you asked temp, which is commonly 350 degrees F, but the size of the breasts still does matter[/edit] [edit again] I like **contraptual** ’s answer better. [/edit again] ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/3 "2007-03-10T13:31:03Z")
[How to cook chicken breasts.](http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/searchResults?searchType=Recipe&searchString=chicken+breasts&site=food&gosearch=Search) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/4 "2007-03-10T13:32:55Z")
Ummm…I don’t need a real recipie, just roasting time & temp. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/5 "2007-03-10T13:43:25Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Ummm..I don’t need a real recipie, just roasting time & temp. Thanks. [/QUOTE] A chicken breast is cooked when it has an internal temperature of F175, so it really depends o what outcome you desire. Five minutes at F800 will cook it. If you want it to be edible, about a half an our at F350 should do the trick, if you are just sticking it in the oven plain. If you want something that tastes good, you need to make adjustments. I provided the link so that you would understand how many ways there are to cook a chicken breast and have it taste good. ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/6 "2007-03-10T13:44:11Z")
Thaw in refrigerator. Broil or Grill: Preheat broiler or grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until internal temperature is 160°F. Contact Grill: Grill 3-4 minutes total. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Season as desired. Place chicken breasts in greased baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Pan Fry: Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or ½ butter, ½ olive oil) in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breast. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side reducing heat to medium after flipping. Season as desired. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/7 "2007-03-10T19:18:18Z")
Moved to CS. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cooking/395370/8 "2007-03-10T20:11:14Z")
[QUOTE=Quiddity Glomfuster] Thaw in refrigerator. Broil or Grill: Preheat broiler or grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until internal temperature is 160°F. Contact Grill: Grill 3-4 minutes total. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Season as desired. Place chicken breasts in greased baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Pan Fry: Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or ½ butter, ½ olive oil) in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breast. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side reducing heat to medium after flipping. Season as desired. [/QUOTE] I would agree with this. Aiming for a target temp of 160 - 165 is about right. Much more than that and it’s overcooked. Also, I would recommend brining chicken breasts before cooking to keep them moist.