But if you increase the temperature, it will allow the collagen to melt and make the meat tender. If you cook the thigh at a lower temperature – say 165℉(74℃) – it will result in a chewy and rubbery meat. This is due to the higher amount of connective tissues in this part of the chicken. The ideal temperature to cook the thigh of the chicken is at 175-180℉(79-82℃). Unlike the breast, the thigh (dark meat) will require a higher temperature to cook. The dark meat of the chicken refers to the thigh. This is the secret to cooking chicken breast to prevent overcooking and causing the meat to become dry. Once it reaches 162℉(72℃), it can maintain that internal heat and will continue to rise to 165℉(74℃). You must keep checking the chicken breast’s internal temperature. You need to achieve 165 degrees F of the internal temperature of the chicken breast for at least 30 seconds. The white meat like the breast will require a different temperature to be properly cooked. There are two types of meat in a chicken. You need to get the right temperature in the oven (when roasting chicken), the internal temperature of the chicken, to make sure it is cooked, and the temperature to check for the quality of the meat. In order to achieve the right temperature of the chicken meat, you have to think about many other temperature calculations. And you would not want to eat dry chicken. Getting the ideal chicken internal temp is a must because there is a tendency for most people to overcook chicken in fear of any food-borne illness. You should always check the chicken’s internal temp to make sure you have properly cooked it.Ĭhicken Internal Temp: What You Need to Know Even when the meat looks cooked, the bacteria in the meat might not be killed off yet. When it comes to food safety, using steps that are unreliable or flawed can be a huge risk. Pinkness of the meat is not just based on the temperature pH of the meat can be a factor. But when this happens, all of the proteins in the meat have squeezed out much of the water resulting in a meat that is dry. However, this is not a reliable approach when checking if the chicken is done, because it is what is inside that matters.Ī lot of people assume that when the chicken meat is firm, it’s done. A lot of people do not take the time to check the chicken’s internal temperature and only base it on physical indicators. The recommended guideline for food safety is that you need to achieve a certain temperature level to ensure that bacteria in the meat are killed. There is nothing to worry about this type of bacteria, as long as you properly cook the meat.

Therefore, it is important that you cook chicken properly to ensure that you don’t consume salmonella when eating the meat. It is not just a matter of taste or texture, but that of safety for anyone who consumes the meat.Ĭhicken, and other types of poultry, are known to contain salmonella. When it comes to cooking chicken, the number one rule is to achieve the ideal internal temp. Internal Temperature for Chicken: Roasting and Frying.Chicken Internal Temp: What You Need to Know.

Whole chicken done temp