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I have had a look at lots of recipes for yoghurt and spice based marinated chicken legs. They are almost all similar with little variations. I skin, slit and marinate the chicken overnight and cook it in a fan forced oven at 180 degrees and turn and baste with the marinade every 15-20 minutes.

The problem that I am facing is that the chicken legs take more than an hour to cook and even then there is a little bit on the inside that looks uncooked. If I cook it any longer, the outside is very dry.

I had a look at How long and at what temperature do the various parts of a chicken need to be cooked?, but it doesn't help.

Can someone provide any usefull tips?

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    Can you describe "looks undercooked" in more detail? After an hour at those temperatures, especially with convection, it is highly unlikely that the legs truly are undercooked. Your best bet, of course, would be to check them with an instant read thermometer if you can, although that is tricky with legs since it is hard to get a center temperature without hitting the bone.
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Mar 13, 2014 at 0:47
  • It looks pink and the texture of the meat looks a bit undercooked, like its still raw
    – Divi
    Mar 13, 2014 at 1:24
  • Are you starting it from frozen? Have you tested your oven temperature with an oven thermometer?
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Mar 13, 2014 at 1:24
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    I suggest checking your oven calibration, then/
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Mar 13, 2014 at 3:55
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    Was that 180 degrees FAHRENHEIT?!!
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Mar 13, 2014 at 18:49

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I think opening the oven door every 15-20 minutes is causing the oven to loose a lot of heat very frequently, therefore the process becomes even more prolonged. Try these steps:

1) Make minimum of 3 slits diagonally.

2) Cover the chickens with foil in the first 15-20 minutes of its cooking time to creat and retain steam inside the meat and then uncover and continue with your process.

3) Baste less frequently to maintain the oven heat.

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  • Are you able to provide a diagram to show where the 3 slots would be?
    – MyDaftQuestions
    Apr 8, 2021 at 8:50
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It sounds like you are running the oven at 180°F AND trying to make the chicken legs reach the same temperature (per the link guide). This will indeed take a very long time.

Either Way, try these modifications:

  • Run the oven at a higher temperature (250°F or higher)
  • Basting tends to cool down the meat. If you are using a Yogurt based marinade, then try letting the Yogurt do the gentle buffering of the heat.
  • Finally, a good digital in-oven thermometer for measuring the internal temperature can give you great feedback before the meal is botched.
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    180 is probably a reference to 180C not F. 15-20 minutes at 180F would barely warm chicken.
    – wax eagle
    Mar 13, 2014 at 18:09
  • @waxeagle OP says baste every 15-20 and after 1hr it's still undercooked. That's consistent with 180°f somewhat near boiling temperatures. Though it's possible that at 180°C (~350°F) chicken pieces would take longer than 1hr.
    – MandoMando
    Mar 13, 2014 at 18:16
  • Its definitely not fahrenheit. Could it be to do with the size of the chicken legs? Or am I not slitting it enough?
    – Divi
    Mar 13, 2014 at 21:16

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