Before you bake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse the chicken thoroughly with water.
Coat the sides of each piece of chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each piece.
Place the chicken in the dish.
(Optional) Drizzle marinade over each piece. Add herbs such as rosemary, oregano, or thyme if desired. You may use dried or fresh herbs, depending on your taste and the availability of each.

Baking the chicken
Place the baking dish in the oven. Do not cover.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1-½ hours. The skin should be a golden brown color.
Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of each piece of chicken. If the temperature is 170 degrees (180 degrees if the pieces are thighs), your chicken is ready to remove from the oven.
Cut the meat at its deepest part. The chicken is done if the meat is not pink and the juice from the chicken is clear.
Your chicken dish is ready to serve. Enjoy the expression on your guests’ faces as they savor your tender, juicy chicken.

Tips
Be sure that the chicken is completely done. Improperly cooked chicken can lead to food poisoning.
Wash any surface with which the raw chicken comes into contact with soap and water, or with a diluted solution of bleach or other cleaning agent to prevent contamination of other foods with bacteria that may be present on the raw chicken.

Answered by Seema , an ibibo Master, at 10:10 AM on November 08, 2008

well;
20 minutes per lb. If you have a 3 lb. chicken then cook it for an hour. You can check to be sure it's fully cooked by pulling the leg away a little and see if the juices are clear (it's cooked) or if it's a little pink (it's not done.)

The time your chicken needs to bake in the oven does depend on the baking temperature and size/thickness/bone in or out of the meat. To be sure that it is cooked thoroughly, use a Cooking or Meat Thermometer to assure the inner most meat is at the proper and safe temperature of 165° to 170°F.

Answered by Kishore , an ibibo Master, at 8:23 AM on November 08, 2008