Safety Tips for Handling and Cooking Chicken

Though bacteria can’t live for more than a few minutes in direct contact with salt (which dehydrates bacteria, leading to cell death), it can live on the edges of a box or shaker. To avoid contamination, premeasure salt and pepper so you don’t need to reach into a box or grab a grinder with dirty hands.

Avoid rinsing raw poultry. Contrary to what some cookbooks advise, rinsing is likely to spread bacteria around the sink (and perhaps onto nearby foods such as lettuce sitting on the counter). And our tests failed to demonstrate any flavor benefit to rinsing poultry before cooking.

Make sure to wash your hands, knives, cutting boards, and counters (and anything else that has come into contact with the raw bird, its juices, or your hands) with hot, soapy water. In lab tests we found that hot, soapy water, a bleach solution, and undiluted vinegar were equally effective at reducing bacteria on non‑dishwasher-safe cutting boards.

Freezing: Wrap each chicken part securely in plastic wrap, place inside a zipper-lock bag, and press out the air. Freeze the items in a single layer. We don’t recommend freezing for more than two months because we’ve found the texture and flavor suffer.

Thawing: Don't thaw frozen poultry on the counter; this puts it at risk of growing bacteria. Thaw it in its packaging in the refrigerator overnight (in a container to catch any juices). Count on 1 day of defrosting in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of bird.

Don’t rely on those little pop-up thermometers that come pre-inserted in chickens; they’re undependable and can lead to under- or overcooked birds. And don’t believe the myth about cooking a chicken “until the juices run clear.” The most accurate way to gauge the doneness of a chicken is to take its temperature with an instant-read thermometer.

When it comes to breast meat temperature, we generally look for a temperature of 160 degrees F. Pulling the chicken at this temperature allows carry-over cooking to bring the chicken to a safe temperature of 165 degrees per the FDA.

While chicken thighs and legs are safe to eat at 165 degrees, we find that the meat doesn't become tender and the connective tissue doesn't soften until 175 degrees or higher. (We actually like to cook legs to 185 to 190 degrees to make them ultratender.)

Insert the thermometer from the neck end, holding it parallel to the bird. (Avoid hitting the bone, which can give an inaccurate reading.) It should register 160 degrees.

Insert the thermometer at an angle into the area between the drumstick and breast away from the bone. It should register 175 degrees.