Bake chicken at 200C (400F): 40-45 minutes for wings, 35-45 for drumsticks and bone-in thighs, 40-50 for bone-in whole legs, and 20-25 for boneless thighs or breasts. Whatever the clock says, chicken is only done when a probe thermometer reads 74C (165F) in the thickest part. Times shift with the size of the pieces and your oven — the temperature never does.
You are standing at the oven with a tray of raw chicken and you want a number. Here it is: 200C (400F) for nearly every cut, and the minutes are in the table below. But hear me on this, love — the clock is only a guess. Chicken is safe at 74C (165F) inside, measured with a probe thermometer pushed into the thickest part, away from the bone. Ovens lie, pieces come in all sizes, and juices running clear can fool you. The thermometer never fibs. Set your timer from the table, then check the temperature before anything comes out for good.
| Cut | Oven temperature | Time | Done at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wings | 200C (400F) | 40-45 minutes | 74C (165F) |
| Drumsticks | 200C (400F) | 35-45 minutes | 74C (165F) |
| Bone-in thighs | 200C (400F) | 35-45 minutes | 74C (165F) |
| Boneless thighs | 200C (400F) | 20-25 minutes | 74C (165F) |
| Bone-in whole legs | 200C (400F) | 40-50 minutes | 74C (165F) |
| Boneless breasts | 200C (400F) | 20-25 minutes | 74C (165F) |
| Whole chicken, 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) | 200C (fan 180C / gas 6) | About 1 hour 20 minutes (20 min per 500 g plus 20) | 74C (165F) in the thickest thigh |
How long to bake chicken legs and drumsticks in the oven
A drumstick is the lower half of the leg; a whole leg is the drumstick and thigh still joined. At 200C (400F), drumsticks take 35-45 minutes and bone-in whole legs take 40-50. Lay them on a rack or a lined tray, skin side up, and leave them be — no turning needed. The spread in those times is real: a small drumstick from a supermarket pack cooks faster than a great fat one from the butcher. So at the early end of the window, push a probe thermometer into the thickest part, not touching bone. 74C (165F) and they are done. Under that, back in they go for five minutes and check again.
How long to grill chicken thighs
Grilling here means cooking on the barbecue, over the coals or gas burners — what we British confusingly call a barbecue, since our grill is the American broiler. Boneless, skinless thighs want 10-14 minutes over direct medium-high heat, flipped partway so both sides take colour. Bone-in thighs need gentler treatment: 30-40 minutes over indirect heat — coals banked to one side, chicken on the other, lid down — or the skin blackens long before the inside is safe. Either way, the finish line is the same as the oven: 74C (165F) on a probe thermometer in the thickest part. Char is flavour; char is not doneness.
How long to bake a whole chicken
The old formula still holds: roast at 200C (fan 180C / gas 6) for 20 minutes per 500 g, then add 20 minutes on top. A typical 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) bird comes out at about 1 hour 20 minutes. Weigh the bird — the label has it — and do the sum before it goes in. When the time is up, push the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, between drumstick and breast, without touching bone. You want 74C (165F). If the breast browns too fast while the thigh catches up, tent it loosely with foil. Rest the bird 15 minutes before carving so the juices settle back where they belong.
Why thighs forgive you and breasts do not
Dark meat — thighs, drumsticks, wings — carries more fat and connective tissue, which softens as it cooks and keeps the meat juicy even a good way past 74C. That is why the table gives dark meat generous windows: five or ten minutes over does no real harm. Breast is another story. It is lean as can be, and once it passes 74C (165F) it starts squeezing its moisture out by the minute. That is why boneless breasts get only 20-25 minutes at 200C (400F), and why you pull them the moment the probe reads 74C. If your family swears your chicken breast is dry, the fix is not a sauce — it is a thermometer.
The clock guesses, the thermometer knows
Every time on this page assumes an honest oven and average-sized pieces, and neither is guaranteed. Ovens run hot and cold; chicken pieces vary by half again in size from one pack to the next. That is why the USDA rule is written in degrees, not minutes: all poultry is safe at 74C (165F) internal, measured in the thickest part away from bone. A probe thermometer costs less than one ruined dinner. And once it is cooked, do not let it linger — cooked chicken should not sit out more than 2 hours (1 hour if it is above 32C / 90F outside), because between 4C and 60C (40-140F) is where the trouble breeds.
Questions we get asked
How long do you bake chicken wings at 400?
40-45 minutes at 200C (400F), on a rack or lined tray, until the skin is crisp and a probe thermometer reads 74C (165F) in the meatiest part. Smaller wing pieces (flats and drumettes) finish at the early end of that window.
Is it better to bake chicken legs at 350 or 400?
Bake them at 200C (400F). The higher heat crisps the skin and renders the fat, and legs are dark meat, so they stay juicy. Whatever temperature you choose, the doneness test never changes: 74C (165F) on a thermometer in the thickest part.
How do you know when drumsticks are done without a thermometer?
Honestly, love — you do not, not reliably. Juices running clear and meat pulling from the bone are hints, not proof, and dark meat can look pink near the bone even when fully safe. A probe thermometer reading 74C (165F) is the only test worth trusting.
Why is my chicken pink but the thermometer says 165?
It is safe. Dark meat near the bone often keeps a pink or reddish tinge, especially in younger birds, and it means nothing once the meat has reached 74C (165F). Temperature decides doneness, not colour.
How long do you boil chicken thighs instead?
Bone-in thighs take 30-40 minutes at a gentle simmer; boneless breasts take 12-15. Keep it to a lazy bubble, not a hard boil, or the meat turns rubbery. Same finish line: 74C (165F) inside.
Should I cover chicken with foil when baking?
No — leave it uncovered so the skin crisps and browns. Foil traps steam and gives you pale, flabby skin. The only time foil earns its keep is tented loosely over a whole bird whose breast is browning faster than the thighs can cook.