what temperature is a roast chicken done

Over the years the most frequent question I receive in live cooking demos, on the website and all around is at what temperature is chicken done?

Chicken is the most commonly cooked protein in the US, yet it is also one that many home chefs say makes them the most nervous. Unlike beef or seafood, sometimes even pork depending on who you are talking to, chicken needs to be done–done. Cooking different types of meat requires different temperatures.

But some cooks say they that to keep it juicy is needs to only be cooked to 144°F with a pink hue, while others claim that 175°F is the magic ticket. To complicate things even more, white meat (cooking chicken breasts) and dark meat (cooking thighs or legs) have different doneness temps. And thus people end up with dry, chewy meat instead of succulent, juicy chicken.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty and talk all things chicken. Feel free to use the table of contents to scroll to the section you are looking for.

It is one of the most asked questions in cooking: What temperature should chicken be cooked to?

Chicken is considered done and safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). This temperature is recommended by food safety guidelines to ensure that harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, are killed, making the chicken safe for consumption. The best way to check this is by using a digital instant-read thermometer.

However, due to carryover cooking, you’ll want to remove the chicken from its cooking method at 157°F. During its resting period, the internal temperature of chicken will come to the full 165 degrees fahrenheit. If you get several reads on the way into the thickest part of the meat, use the lower temperatures, not the higher temperature, as your gauge for doneness.

When the chicken reaches this temperature, the color of the meat should be free from any pinkness and the juices will run clear. It’s important to use a food thermometer to accurately measure the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chicken, whether it’s a whole bird, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken legs, chicken wings or any other cut at the end of the whole cooking and resting process.

It is not scientific to press the meat and check for “firmness”. We at Savory Experiments do not believe that “medium-rare chicken” is a thing and prefer to cook until no pink color remains to keep everyone dining safe, free from food poisoning and consuming undercooked or raw chicken.

How Do You Check Internal Temperature When Cooking a Whole Chicken?

To check the internal temperature when cooking a whole chicken, follow these steps:

• Insert the thermometer correctly: Insert the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the chicken’s thigh, being careful not to touch the bone. The thigh is the slowest part of the chicken to cook, so checking the temperature there ensures that the rest of the chicken is cooked through as well.
• Avoid touching bones: Make sure the thermometer is inserted into the meat and not touching any bones, as bones can give a false reading and mislead you about the chicken’s doneness.
• Wait for a stable reading: Allow the thermometer a few seconds to stabilize and give you an accurate reading. Ensure you get a reading that is close to 165°F (74°C).
• Double-check if necessary: If you’re cooking a large chicken or if you are uncertain about the temperature reading, you can check the internal temperature in another spot, like the thickest part of the breast, to confirm that the chicken is fully cooked. Remember that the white meat and dark meat will need different temps.

What Temp to Cook Fried Chicken?

Just like other methods of preparation, when cooking fried chicken, the internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C).

Use a thermometer and go to the meatiest part of the chicken and well past the crunchy exterior. It should have a crispy and golden-brown exterior while remaining juicy and tender on the inside.

What is the Safe Temperature to Cook Chicken to?

What temperature should a chicken be cooked at?

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

What temperature should white meat chicken be cooked at?

The meat should shrink up, and you should be able to see a lot more bone than you could when you started cooking. White meat chicken (found in chicken breasts and chicken thighs) should reach an internal temperature of 165° and remain at that temperature for at least 30 seconds. Exceeding this temperature can result in dry, chewy chicken.

How long should a roasted chicken be cooked at 165?

Because the temperature of a roasted chicken continues to rise for several minutes after taking it out of the oven, if you pull it out when the breast is 162 F and let it rest for 30 minutes, that breast meat will remain above 165 F for more than the required 8.4 minutes, making it tender, juicy, and perfectly safe.

What temperature should a roast chicken thigh be cooked to?

You may want to continue cooking the thigh to as high as 195°, depending on personal preference. With a roast chicken, you’ll want to check two temperatures: the thighs and the breasts. Use the locations specified above and continue cooking until both locations reach the appropriate temperature.