Chef in the house

Actually the correct answer for "is my chicken done"? is to use a meat thermometer and take the birds temp in the meaty part of the leg, If it reads 165 F it's done.

Her answer could get someone sick. Unless you've made chicken after chicken day after to day it is impossible to judge by touch, home cooks din't have that level of experience.

Truly irresponsible.

sorry chicken, but chicken is done much before it hits 165. At 165 it will be dried out. ALL bacteria that one is killing with heat are DEAD at 144 degrees Fahrenheit. Take your chicken above that temp and you will be safe. I too use a meat thermometer and I NEVER take my chicken to 165. And I've never been sickened by my chicken and neither have any of my family members. Chicken cooked to 145 to 150 and removed from the heat will have carry over of 5 to 10 degrees, meaning when you actually eat your chicken it is nice and moist AND it has well exceeded 144.

@menlo voter

You are correct, but with the added caveat that it be held at 145 F for 8.5 min. The biggest balancing act is to nit over cook the white meat and not under cook the dark. They both are done at different temps.

We do agree that the use of a meat thermometer is key.

WHAT TEMPERATURE TO COOK CHICKEN TO?

The FDA Food Code recommends cooking chicken to 165°F (74°C). But the pasteurization of chicken is actually a function of both temperature and time. If you can hold your chicken at 145°F (63°C) for 8.5 minutes, you can achieve the same bacterial reduction as at 165°F (74°C). In his new book Kenji López-Alt uses this principle along with the principle of carryover cooking in large masses of meat to achieve succulent, perfectly safe results at a dramatically lower pull temp. To learn the necessary thermal secrets, keep reading.

THE FOOD SAFETY CULPRIT: SALMONELLA

Verifying the internal temperature of chicken is particularly important given the threat of salmonella bacteria in poultry. Why is there so much concern with this particular bacteria? Salmonella is a very hardy bacteria. It lives in the temperature range of 35-117°F (2-47°C) which is beyond what most other common food bacteria can tolerate. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 Americans gets sick from foodborne illness each year, and about one million of those cases can be attributed to salmonella.

Proper cooking and refrigeration temperatures when dealing with chicken are critical to avoid foodborne illnesses.

FOOD SAFETY IS ABOUT TEMPERATURE AND TIME

The FDA Food Code suggests cooking chicken to 165°F (74°C) to be sure all bacteria is killed and safe to eat. This temperature is suggested because at 165°F (74°C) the chicken achieves a 7-log10 reduction—meaning that 99.99999% of the bacteria present are destroyed—instantaneously: a foolproof rule to follow for safety. Salmonella isn’t anything to be trifled with, and 165°F (74°C) is indeed the temperature to target if preparing food for individuals at higher risk of illness (older adults, pregnant women, young children, and others with compromised immune systems).

Chicken PreparationNot widely known is the fact that chicken can achieve the same 7-log10 reduction at temperatures as low as 136°F (58°C) as long as that temperature is held at 136°F (58°C) for at least 63.3 minutes. As the internal temperature increases, the holding time for a 7-log10 reduction decreases.

In a document from the USDA on Time and Temperature Tables for Cooking Poultry Products, the time cooked chicken must be held when brought to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) is 8.4 minutes. At 150°F (65.5°C) the time is reduced to only 2.7 minutes!

CHICKEN AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES

In The Food Lab, Kenji breaks down what is going on with the protein as the internal temperature of poultry rises:

Under 120°F: The meat is still considered raw. The muscle cells are bundled up in long, thin fibers giving the meat its “grain.”
At 120°F: The protein myosin begins to coagulate, forcing out some liquid that remains within the protein sheaths at this point.
At 140°F: The remaining proteins within the muscle cells of the breast meat coagulate, forcing all of the liquid out of the cells. The coagulated proteins make the meat firm and opaque.
At 150°F: Proteins in the sheaths themselves rapidly coagulate and contract. Water that was forced out of the cells and collected within the sheaths is squeezed out of the breast meat.
Above 150°F: Muscle fibers in breast meat have become almost completely squeezed dry. Meat is dry and chalky.
160-170°F: When held in this temperature range for ten minutes, collagen in the leg meat will begin to convert into rich gelatin, keeping the meat moist and juicy even after the muscle fibers have expelled most of their liquid.
Perfectly Cooked ChickenCHICKEN TEXTURE AT DIFFERENT PULL TEMPS

Below is a breakdown of what the texture of the breast meat of chicken will be at different pull temperatures:

140°F: Pinkish-tinged and almost translucent; extremely soft, with the texture of a warm steak; fleshy.
145°F: Pale, pale pink but completely opaque; very juicy, a little soft. This is Kenji’s favorite doneness temp.
150°F: White and opaque, juicy, and firm.
155°F: White and opaque, starting to turn a little bit stringy; bordering on dry.
160°F and higher: Dry, stringy, and chalky.
According to this temperature guide, the breast meat will become dry if taken too far above 150°F (65.5°C), while the leg meat needs to reach the temperature range of 160-170°F (71-77°C) in order for the connective tissue to dissolve into mouthwateringly rich gelatin. Knowing that salmonella has been scientifically proven to be safely eliminated at temperatures lower than 165°F (74°C), we followed Kenji’s recipe for Simple Whole Roast Chicken to the finest detail, including the 145°F (63°C) pull temperature.