According to Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF), all parts of the chicken meat must be cooked to a temperature of no less than 75°C.
Any poultry such as chicken, ducks or turkey (including their livers) will also be contaminated throughout whether they are whole or minced so they must be cooked to 75°C in the thickest part near the centre.
High temperatures can kill these microbes, but enough may survive to cause illness if meat is undercooked. Food should be cooked to 158 F (70 C) according to the World Health Organization, while the USDA advises that poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F (73.8 C).
But First, Chicken Safety
Only cooking kills salmonella, and the government says to cook food to 165°F (75°C) to instantly pasteurize it. However, while cooking chicken breasts especially, I shoot for closer to 150°F (65°C) and try to hold it there for a couple minutes.
Chicken must be cooked thoroughly before eating. The internal temperature for bone-in chicken should be 82°C. The internal temperature for all other chicken should be 76°C. Best practice – Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
All parts of the chicken (internal and external) need to reach a steady temperature of 75°C to be eaten safely. This also includes any stuffing, wings, and legs. There are several ways to test the internal and external temperature of cooked chicken.
Cooked chicken temps: safety concerns
The USDA publishes critical food safety temperatures for all foods, including chicken, that reflect the heat needed to kill the bacteria commonly associated with those foods. And most people know that the recommended safe internal temp for chicken is 165°F (74°C).
Here's the problem – Salmonella requires a temperature of 60C for 10 minutes to be effectively killed. Campylobacter also needs to get to 60C, though it's a bit more fragile so a minute or two should do trick. E. coli is more robust – but less common in poultry meat – and needs to be heated to 72C.
Provided proper technique is observed, chicken cooked at 60C is safe to eat. Not only that, it is more moist and more delicious than chicken cooked to 75C or higher.
Shown above are two identical dishes cooked (left) below (140°C) and right at much higher temperatures. Both caramelization and the maillard reaction only occur on the right producing the noticeable brown color. 160°F/70°C -- Temperature needed to kill E. coli and Salmonella.
Safe temperatures are 5°C or colder, or 60°C or hotter. Potentially hazardous food needs to be kept at these temperatures to prevent food-poisoning bacteria, which may be present in the food, from multiplying to dangerous levels.
If you have a meat thermometer, push the probe into the thickest part of the thigh. The temperature should be at least 75C for cooked chicken.
140°F (60°C) Chicken: Very Soft and Juicy
Chicken cooked to 140°F has a very tender, extremely juicy, and smooth texture that is firm and completely opaque (no medium-rare chicken here!) and shows no signs of stringiness or tackiness. It melts between your teeth.
This temperature will continue to rise after removing the chicken from the heat, ideally to a temperature of about 165°. According to Morocco, the temperature of a whole cooked chicken can increase 10° at rest, so it's best to pull it from the heat source at 155°.
The USDA says that as long as all parts of the chicken have reached a minimum internal temperature of 165°, it is safe to eat. Color does not indicate doneness. The USDA further explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices.
Pick the spices, herbs and flavors you enjoy. Chicken breasts do best at a high temperature (roasting) around 425-450℉. This allows the meat to cook quickly and retain a lot of moisture.
Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.
Chicken doneness temperature
To kill the ever-present salmonella bacteria that inhabits chicken, it must be pasteurized by cooking. The standard temperature for pasteurization is 165°F (74°C), the temperature at which salmonella is killed almost instantly.
As a rule, you should never wash raw chicken in order to avoid spreading illness-causing bacteria to hands, surfaces, cooking equipment and even clothing. Poultry naturally contains Salmonella, which you can kill by cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 165°F or higher.
Danger Zone! Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees. Bacteria will not multiply but may start to die between 140 and 165 degrees. Bacteria will die at temperatures above 212 degrees.
Cooking foods at 165°F (74°C) or higher will quash any bacterial uprising and ensure your food is safe to eat. The longer food is heated above 165°F, the more bacteria you'll kill.
Simply insert your food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken (for a whole chicken, that would be the breast). You know your chicken is cooked when the thermometer reads 180°F (82°C) for a whole chicken, or 165°F (74°C) for chicken cuts.