The Safest and Correct Chicken Internal Temp for a Juicy and Tasty Meat

Chicken meat is delicious and nutrient-dense, but only if it’s cooked to a specific internal temperature. Go below it, and you’ll end up with devastating health problems. Go above it, and you’ll end up chewing on a dry, complex, and tasteless piece of meat.

Figuring out what the safest internal temperature for cooking poultry is is something many people struggle with.

If you are struggling with the same issue, this article is written for no one else but you. Without further delay, let’s get going.

What is the correct and safest chicken internal temperature?

Red meat offers many levels of doneness to choose from, like rare, medium, medium-rare, etc. With chicken, however, you don’t get that luxury. A piece of chicken meat is either cooked, undercooked, or overcooked.

Undercooked chicken is harmful. It contains pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella. These could lead to serious health problems. Overcooked chicken meat, on the other hand, while not particularly harmful, is dry and flavorless. Who wants to eat that?

The secret to a healthy, juicy piece of chicken is knowing the exact internal temperature at which to cook it. This depends on the type of chicken, the cooking method you plan to use, and the time it takes to cook the meat for each technique.

There are two types of chicken meat: white and dark. The internal temperature to cook each one to is slightly different. The USDA recommends cooking white chicken meat to 165 degrees F, and dark chicken meat to 175 degrees F.

However, you should get your chicken out of the oven at around 160 to 162 degrees F, as the temperature will still rise a few degrees before it dips while the chicken is resting.

To get your chicken to an internal temperature of 165, your oven needs to be between 350 and 450 degrees F.

The time the meat should be on the fire to achieve this internal temperature varies by cooking method. For example, cooking chicken breasts in the oven at 350 degrees F will take about 20 to 30 minutes. On a grill, on the other hand, it will only take 7 to 8 minutes per side.

Tip: Click here to learn more about recommended temperatures if interested.

How to check the chicken’s internal temperature?

To check whether a piece of chicken is fully cooked, there are a few ways that many cooking experts recommend.

Let’s say you are cooking a few chicken breasts and you’d like to see if they are ready to take out of the oven or if they still need a few more minutes. The first method is to cut the chicken breast and squeeze it.

If the juices running from the meat are clear, it’s a good indication that the meat is safe and fully cooked. You also need to pay close attention to the meat’s color. If you cut into the meat and it’s still pinkish on the inside, return it to the oven; it is not fully cooked yet. A well-cooked piece of chicken meat should be white, tender, and juicy. While this is a great way to check out the chicken’s internal temperature, the second method trumps it.

A better, faster, easier, and more accurate way to check the internal temperature of your chicken and ensure your meat is healthy and tasty is to use an instant-read meat thermometer.

How to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of a chicken?

Checking your chicken’s internal temperature with an electronic meat thermometer is easy. If it’s a whole chicken you are cooking, push the thermometer probe slowly into the thickest part of the breast, making sure you don’t hit the bone. Then, slowly pull it out and look at the reading. It should be around 162, as discussed before. Do the same thing with the thighs.

For chicken breasts, tilt the digital food thermometer slightly horizontally and push the probe halfway into the breast. Then, slowly pull it out. Again, it should read 160 to 162, as the temp will carry over to that 165 degrees F sweet spot when the meat is resting.

Whole chicken oven recipe

Ingredienti

• One three-pound whole chicken. Make sure you remove its giblets.
• A tablespoon of onion powder.
• Half a cup of margarine. Divide it into two servings.
• One whole stalk of celery without the leaves.

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the chicken in a roasting pan.
• Mix garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Season the chicken with the mixture on the inside and outside
• Place the first serving of margarine inside the chicken. Rub the other serving on the outside of the chicken.
• Cut the celery into four pieces. Place a few inside the chicken and the rest around it.
• Please put it in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• With the internal temperature recommendations above, use a kitchen thermometer to check the chicken’s temperature periodically.

Chicken wings and drumsticks grill recipe

Ingredienti

• A teaspoon of garlic powder
• A teaspoon of ground pepper
• A tablespoon of salt
• One and a half pounds of chicken wings and one and a half pounds of chicken drumsticks
• A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• Six tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
• A tablespoon of honey
• A third of a cup of hot sauce

Directions

• Mix garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
• Grab a big bowl and place the wings in it. Add the seasoning mixture. Mix until all the wings are generously seasoned.
• Preheat the gas grill to 350 degrees F.
• Place the wings on the grill, one next to the other. Let them grill for about 20 minutes. Flip them every five minutes.
• Put a saucepan on low heat. Add butter, honey, hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until they are combined.
• Place the wings and the drumsticks in a clean large bowl. Add the butter mixture. Mix the wings and the drumsticks with the sauce.
• Place the wings and drumsticks back on the grill and turn the heat to medium-high.
• Leave them for two minutes on each side and place your grill thermometer in one of them. Remove them once the internal temperature reaches 170°F.
• Let them rest for a few minutes so the temperature can reach 175.
• Serve and enjoy the crispiness.

Chicken Breasts Oven Recipe

Ingredienti

• Four 5-oz chicken breasts
• Two teaspoons of olive oil
• One and a half tablespoons of brown sugar
• One teaspoon of either thyme or oregano
• A quarter teaspoon of garlic powder
• Half a teaspoon of pepper and salt
• Chopped parsley for garnishing

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F
• Mix the seasonings in a small bowl.
• Add the chicken breasts to a large bowl. Add in the seasoning mixture. Mix the two well.
• Line a tray with parchment paper, then arrange the chicken breasts on it.
• Place the tray in the oven for eighteen minutes.
• Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer and remove them from the oven once they reach 165°F.
• Let them rest for five minutes.
• Sprinkle parsley on top and serve.

Final words

There you have it. That’s the safest internal temperature you should always aim for for a healthy, tasty piece of chicken.