Chicken – Whole Chicken – Grilling

This guide shows how to cook whole chicken by grilling. The times and temperatures below are the published figures for this cut, and they are a sensible starting point for planning your meal. Your own weight, thickness and equipment will move the time up or down, so the calculator is the quickest way to adjust them.

Times and temperatures

Total cooking time

90 minutes

Cooking temperature

180°C (350°F)

How to cook it

Preheat the grill so the bars or element are properly hot, then oil the meat rather than the grill. Turn only when the first side releases easily. Keep the lid or door closed as much as you can.

Take the whole chicken out of the fridge about thirty minutes before cooking if you can, pat it dry and season it just before it goes on the heat. When the time is nearly up, check the thickest part with a thermometer. Then rest the meat for several minutes under loose foil so the juices settle before you carve or serve.

Food safety

Always use a clean food thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, away from bone. Chicken and pork must be cooked right through, with no pink meat and clear juices. Wash your hands, boards and knives after handling raw meat, and never wash raw chicken, as splashing spreads bacteria. Leftovers should cool quickly, go in the fridge within two hours and be eaten within two days.

Related guides

• Chicken – Whole Chicken – Roasting
• Chicken – Whole Chicken – Baking
• Chicken – Breast (Bone-In, Skin-On) – Roasting
• Chicken – Thigh (Bone-In, Skin-On) – Air Frying
• Chicken – Drumstick – Searing/Pan-Frying
• Beef – Brisket – Slow Cook – Very Tender (Pull-Apart)
• Beef – Ribeye Steak – Frying – Medium-Rare
• Beef – Sirloin Steak – Grilling – Medium-Well