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7.14

Cooking chicken to a safe temperature

Trust a thermometer, not the colour: chicken is safe at 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part.

Safe minimum internal temperatures. Cook all chicken to 165°F (74°C), measured in the thickest part of the meat and not touching the bone. For a whole bird, Health Canada advises 82°C (180°F).
Fig. 7.14 Cook all chicken to 165°F (74°C), measured in the thickest part of the meat and not touching the bone. For a whole bird, Health Canada advises 82°C (180°F). Source: USDA FSIS; Health Canada.
Area: KitchenFrom age 16Time to learn: 15 minutes

You will be able to state the safe internal temperature for chicken and check it correctly with a thermometer.

SafetyUse a separate cutting board for raw chicken, and wash boards, knives and hands in hot, soapy water afterwards. If you prepare food for others, a food handler course covers safe cooking in depth.

Why it matters

Raw chicken can carry Salmonella, Campylobacter and other germs. Colour and clear juices are not reliable signs: safely cooked chicken can stay pink, and undercooked chicken can look done. A food thermometer is the only way to know.

About 1 in 25 packages of chicken at the grocery store are contaminated with Salmonella, based on 2018 US retail testing.
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chicken and Food Poisoning (citing FDA NARMS 2018 data), 2024.Measured

How to do it

  1. Get a food thermometer. A digital instant-read type is easiest to use.
  2. Check it: in boiling water at sea level it should read 212°F (100°C). Note any difference and adjust.
  3. Know the numbers. US (USDA): all poultry, whole or in pieces, 165°F (74°C). Canada (Health Canada): poultry pieces and ground poultry 74°C (165°F); a whole bird 82°C (180°F).
  4. Near the end of cooking, push the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, all the way to the middle, without touching bone.
  5. For a whole bird, check the innermost part of the thigh, the wing, and the thickest part of the breast. For several pieces, check each one.
  6. For burgers or patties, insert the thermometer through the side into the centre.
  7. If any reading is low, keep cooking and check again in a few minutes.
  8. Wash the thermometer in warm, soapy water before each use.
  9. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them to 165°F (74°C).

Common mistakes

  • Judging doneness by colour or clear juices.
  • Letting the probe touch bone, which reads high.
  • Testing one thin piece and assuming the thick ones are done.
  • Rinsing raw chicken before cooking it.
You can do this when …you can say 165°F (74°C) without looking it up, and you have checked a chicken dish with a thermometer in the right spot.

Sources

  1. FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
  2. Health Canada: Safe internal cooking temperatures
  3. USDA FSIS: Chicken from Farm to Table
  4. CDC: Chicken and Food Poisoning

Sources and numbers last checked . How we check

Topic: Food safety at home

Go deeper

ReportWhat Happened to Home Economics?It was named in 1899 as science for everyday life. In recent decades, schools have given it less room. Here is the history in the US and Canada, and what the evidence says about teaching its skills in school.

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1Body16 lessons
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