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Home > Preparation
> Cooking Tips
Poultry Cooking Tips
The popularity of chicken for dinner is undisputable, almost every
member of the family likes it, especially since you can prepare
it so many delicious ways. Follow these useful tips and get ready
for the fanfare at dinner!
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Guide to Critical Temperatures
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Degrees Fahrenheit
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325º
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The lowest oven setting for cooking meat and poultry
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180º
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Dark meat cooked through
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170º
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White meat cooked through
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165º
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Ground chicken and turkey cooked through; stuffing cooked
through
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140º to 165º
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Foods held warm to serve
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40º to 140º
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Danger zone (bacteria grow rapidly)
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40º
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Refrigerator setting for fresh poultry
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0º
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Freezer setting for poultry storage
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When baking chicken, it is wise to add a protective coating, such
as bread crumbs, to keep it from drying out.
Regardless of how chicken is cooked, the test for doneness is the
same. Cook until the juices run clear, not pink. Test for doneness
with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 160ºF
for boneless and 180ºF for whole chicken.
For properly cooked poultry, your meat thermometer readings should
be 170ºF in the breast meat and 180ºF in the thigh.
In a 375ºF oven, 1 ½ - 3 ½ pound chickens will
cook in 45 minutes to an hour and a half. For turkeys roasted under
a foil tent in a 325ºF oven allow 30 minutes per pound for
small birds (6-8 lbs.), 25 minutes per pound for medium birds (8-16
lbs.) and 20 minutes per pound for large birds (16-24 lbs.). Oven
temperatures may vary.
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