Whole Chicken
cooking times
The answer
1 hr 40 min – 2 hrat 375°F
At the most common temperature, 375°F, a whole chicken runs about 1 hr 40 min – 2 hr at 6 lb. Pick your temperature below for the full chart. Done is always 165°F internal.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·whole chicken row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
USDA safe zone — 165°F and above
Done is a temperature, not a time. Every figure on this page is a planning range; the green band is the only part that decides. For a whole chicken it opens at 165°F and a 10-minute rest.
Source—USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperatures—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Anchor. Start from what USDA FSIS publishes for a whole chicken — its safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F, and the FSIS roasting timetable where one exists for this cut.
- Rate. Convert the anchor into a planning rate at 375°F: 17–20 min/lb, cross-checked against at least three independently published sources.
- Scale. Multiply that rate by your weight. A 6 lb piece lands at 1 hr 40 min – 2 hr; the range is widened to cover source disagreement rather than averaged into false precision.
- First check. The first thermometer reading is set at 85% of the low end of the range — early enough that an under-reading costs nothing and a late one cannot cost the meal.
- Gate. The time is only a plan. It is not done until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part, then rests about 10 minutes. Time never overrides temperature on this site.
- Round. Every printed figure is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes; precision beyond that would be invented.
plan_low = weight_lb × 17 min/lb
plan_high = weight_lb × 20 min/lb
first_check = plan_low × 0.85
DONE ⟺ internal_temp ≥ 165°F AND rest ≥ 10 min
(USDA FSIS — the gate, not the clock)
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·safe minimum for this cut·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Pick your temperature
Every temperature this chart room holds for a whole chicken, each with its own worked ledger.
The whole cut, temperature by temperature
| Oven temp | Time for a 6 lb whole chicken | Per pound |
|---|---|---|
| 325°F | 2 hr 10 min – 2 hr 35 min | 22–26 min/lb |
| 350°F | 2 hr – 2 hr 20 min | 20–23 min/lb |
| 375°F | 1 hr 40 min – 2 hr | 17–20 min/lb |
| 400°F | 1 hr 30 min – 1 hr 50 min | 15–18 min/lb |
| 425°F | 1 hr 20 min – 1 hr 35 min | 13–16 min/lb |
SOURCE·USDA safe-temperature guidance·timing ranges derived, see method·REVIEWED JUL 2026
When it is actually done
165°F internal
The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 165°F, followed by a rest of about 10 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·whole chicken row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the ledger does not tell you
- Measure in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone — the thigh is the last place to finish.
- An unstuffed bird cooks faster and more evenly. If you stuff it, the centre of the stuffing must also reach 165°F, which usually adds 15–30 minutes.
- Untrussed legs cook faster than tightly trussed ones; these ranges assume a loosely tied or untied bird.
- Starting from properly thawed, fridge-cold meat. A partially frozen bird can take 50% longer.
The clock tells you when to start looking. The thermometer tells you when to stop.
