How to Baste a Chicken

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Basting is a cooking technique where you coat your chicken in fat while roasting to develop moist meat and golden skin. [1] Whether you’re a seasoned chef or just starting out in the kitchen, you can baste with a few simple utensils at home. By using a turkey baster, trying alternate basting methods, or basting on the grill, you can have a golden, delicious chicken in no time.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using a Turkey Baster

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  1. Place the chicken in the oven at the temperature called for by your recipe. It’s best to roast your bird in a roasting pan rather than on a baking sheet, since its juices may spill onto the floor of the oven.
    • If your recipe calls for roasting vegetables in the same pan as the chicken, roast them in a separate pan so they don’t get overcooked by the basting liquid.
    • Chickens will typically take 20 minutes per pound (0.45 kg) plus an additional 15 minutes of total roasting time to cook through. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches at least 165° F (74° C) with a meat thermometer. [2]
  2. Unwrap 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup or 110 g) and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the butter in 15-second intervals until it is fully melted. Because it takes a little time for your chicken to begin rendering its own fat into the pan, you will baste with just butter to begin with. [3]
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  3. Set your pan on a heat-safe surface, such as the top of the stove. Close the oven door to make sure the oven stays hot. Have your melted butter and a turkey baster nearby. [4]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    Being careful near the hot roasting pan, squeeze the bulb of the baster while the tip is submerged in the melted butter. Gently release the pressure on the bulb, which will draw warm butter up into the baster. Gently squeeze the bulb over the chicken to coat it in melted butter. [5]
    • Draw up more butter from your bowl as necessary to coat the chicken. If you have a very large chicken, you can melt a little more butter as needed to fully coat your bird.
    • Work quickly (but carefully!) so the chicken is not out of the oven for more than a minute or two. Taking too long to baste will cool your chicken and add additional cooking time. [6]
  5. Wear oven mitts to protect your hands as you place the roasting pan back in the oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    After removing your chicken from the oven, dip the tip of the baster into the rendered chicken fat at the bottom of the roasting pan. Suck this liquid up into the baster, and use it to coat the chicken completely. Repeat as necessary. [7]
    • After coating, place the chicken back in the oven.
    • Be careful not to touch the tube of the baster when it is full of hot liquid. You can burn yourself.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    When you think your chicken is done, use an ovenproof meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken. Place the thermometer tip in the thigh, which usually takes the longest to cook. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165° F (74° C). [8]
    • If you are basting chicken parts in the oven rather than a whole chicken, baste every 15-20 minutes rather than every 30 minutes. [9]
  8. When your chicken has reached the right temperature, tent the chicken in foil and let it rest for 10 minutes in the roasting pan. Move it to a cutting board with kitchen tongs. Carve the chicken and serve. [10]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Trying Alternate Basting Methods

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    Try using a basting brush to coat your chicken instead of a turkey baster. Dip the bristles of the brush into your melted butter or rendered fat and paint the chicken with the liquid, coating it completely. Perform the baste every 30 minutes. [11]
    • Make sure your basting brush has bristles made of a heat-safe material, such as silicone. If it doesn’t, it may be a pastry brush, which is not meant to be used at high heat.
  2. Using your hands, break a stick of cold butter into coin-size pieces and deposit them evenly over the chicken between the skin and the muscle. You may need to gently pull the skin away from the chicken to create space for your hand to fit.
    • This one-time baste method slowly melts the butter over the chicken as it roasts. You don’t need to remove the chicken from the oven to perform any touch-ups. The butter bastes the chicken continuously.
    • For additional flavor while cooking, you can add spices or chopped herbs to your butter before adding it to the chicken.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    Soak a layer of cheesecloth in melted butter, and lay it over your prepped chicken. Place the cheesecloth-covered chicken in the oven. As the chicken roasts, the butter in the cheesecloth will drip over the chicken, basting it and creating a golden skin.
    • Roast your chicken for the amount of time your recipe indicates. There is no need to open the oven to re-baste. The cheesecloth will do the work for you.
    • Remove and discard the layer of cheesecloth before serving your chicken.
  4. Start your chicken breast-side down and then, halfway through the roasting time, flip it breast-side up. Roast it the rest of the time in the oven as your recipe directs.
    • Kitchen tongs can help you flip your hot chicken without hurting yourself. Always take care around the hot pan!
    • Starting the chicken breast-side down enables the fat-rich dark meat in the thighs and legs to drip down over the leaner meat, basting it.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Basting a Chicken on the Grill

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  1. Use a clean grill and bring it to the desired heat for your recipe. You can use either a charcoal or gas grill to baste your chicken. [12]
    • Basting on the grill is about adding flavor thorough periodic brushing with a marinade rather than a fat. [13]
    • Brushing your chicken with a fat, such as butter, over an open flame is not advised and may be a fire hazard.
  2. Choose chicken thighs, breasts, wings, or drumsticks, which cook more quickly than a whole bird. You can marinate your chicken pieces for additional flavor before grilling.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    If your marinade is high in sugar, place the chicken towards the outer rim of the grill to start. This will keep the sugar from burning during cooking. Replace the lid of the grill, and let the chicken cook for 3 minutes. [14]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    Remove the lid of the grill, and use tongs to turn the pieces of chicken, so that they are now grill-side up. Use a silicone brush to coat the chicken pieces with a light coat of marinade. Replace the lid and cook for 5 more minutes. [15]
    • Only use marinade that has not been in contact with raw poultry to baste the meat. You can reserve some marinade to baste before marinating the chicken.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Baste a Chicken
    Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches at least 165° F (74° C). [16] .
    • If you’re grilling chicken pieces of varying sizes, take the temperature in a chicken thigh, which will often take the longest to cook.
  6. Use tongs to move your cooked chicken onto a clean plate. Tent the pieces in foil, and let them rest for 5 minutes. Dinner is served. [17]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Do you need to baste a chicken?
    JoAnna Minneci
    Professional Chef
    JoAnna Minneci is a retired Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specialized in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control.
    JoAnna Minneci
    Professional Chef
    Expert Answer
    You usually only need to baste it if you're buying it from a farmer, since most of the chickens sold at the grocery store are already pre-brined and don't need basting.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Chicken
      • Roasting pan
      • Turkey baster
      • Butter
      • Cheesecloth
      • Kitchen tongs
      • Oven mitts
      • Basting brush
      • Marinade

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/basting
      2. ↑ https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/255247/the-best-roasted-chicken/
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abWDuIXcggc&feature=youtu.be&t=36
      4. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-baste-106751
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abWDuIXcggc&feature=youtu.be&t=60
      6. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-baste-106751
      7. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-baste-106751
      8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srIA1r6hEXw&feature=youtu.be&t=3
      9. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-baste-106751
      1. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-resting-meat-46678
      2. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-baste-106751
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-SgpJ2dDYY&feature=youtu.be&t=12
      4. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/basting
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-SgpJ2dDYY&feature=youtu.be&t=12
      6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-SgpJ2dDYY&feature=youtu.be&t=57
      7. ↑ https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/255247/the-best-roasted-chicken/
      8. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-resting-meat-46678
      9. ↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To baste a roasted chicken, microwave 1/2 cup (110 g) of butter at 15-second intervals until it melts completely. Submerge the tip of a turkey baster in the melted butter, then gently squeeze and release the bulb to draw warm butter up into it. Pull the baster out of the butter and squeeze the bulb over the chicken to coat it in melted butter. Perform your first baste 30 minutes into the roast, and then every 30 minutes after that until your chicken is fully roasted! If you want to learn how to baste your chicken while it's on the grill, keep reading the article!

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