Cooking Guide -- Chicken

Cooking guide

The art of perfect baking

Our master butchers share their techniques and tips for making the most of each cut.

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Complete Guide

Cooking Chicken

Chicken is an everyday essential. Breast, thigh, wing, or whole chicken — each cut has its secret. Ours: Quebec grain-fed chicken, well-seasoned and never overcooked.

Steps

Temperature Guide

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Steps

From prep to plate

Preparation

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels—dry skin makes for crispy skin. Season under the skin for whole pieces.

Cooking

For breasts, medium-high heat starting skin-side down. For whole chicken, oven at 200°C. Do not cover—you want the skin to get golden and crispy.

Rest

Let stand for 5 minutes for breasts, 15 minutes for a whole chicken, covered with aluminum foil. The juices will redistribute and the meat will remain tender.

Service

For the whole chicken, first detach the thighs, then the wings, then slice the breasts. Baste with cooking juices before serving.

Why rest the chicken?

During cooking, heat pushes the juices to the center of the meat and the fibers contract. By letting the chicken rest for a few minutes after cooking, the juices redistribute evenly again. If you cut it immediately, the juices will escape — and the meat will become drier, less tender, and less flavorful.

Temperature chart

Cup	Cooking	Internal temperature	Time (per book)
Boneless breast	Cooked	74°C	6–8 min per side in the pan
Bone-in breast	Cooked	74°C	25 – 30 min in the oven at 200°C
Bone-in thigh	Cooked	74°C — 82°C	30–35 min in the oven at 200°C
Whole thigh	Cooked	74°C — 82°C	35 - 45 min in the oven at 200°C
Whole chicken	Cooked	74°C (thigh)	20 min / lb in the oven at 200°C
Chicken wings	Cooked	74°C	20-25 min in the oven at 220°C
Chicken tournedos	Cooked	74°C	5-6 min per side in a pan

Expertise

Butcher's Tips

The thigh forgives, the breast does not

Thigh meat is fatty and tolerates overcooking. Breast meat dries out quickly. For breasts, remove from heat at 72°C — it will reach 74°C during resting.

Dry skin = crispy skin

The secret to golden skin is less moisture. Pat dry, salt the skin 30 minutes before, and never cover in the oven.

Grain-fed chicken makes all the difference

Grain-fed chicken raised in Quebec has more flavour and better texture than industrially farmed chicken. You'll taste the difference from the first bite.