Handling chicken safely is very important. All meats are perishable and you should try to handle them carefully. This helps prevent bacterial infections from happening when others eat your food. When you go shopping, do not go to the grocery store until last. It and other perishable items should never be left in a hot car.
Get it in the refrigerator as fast as possible when you get home. Leaving it on the countertop at room temperature will cause it to quickly become unsafe. Always set your chicken at the bottom of your refrigerator where it is coldest. It will keep in the fridge for two days. If you will not use it in that amount of time, freeze it. You can keep it safely in the freezer for up to a year.
The refrigerator is the safest place to thaw your meat. A whole four pound bird will thaw in about 24 hours there. Cut up it can thaw in about 3 to 9 hours. You can also thaw it in a sink of cold water. Keep the chicken inside its packaging or put it into a plastic bag that is water tight. This will thaw a whole bird in a couple of hours. You can also thaw it in a microwave. Thawing times will vary depending on your microwave and the amount of it you are attempting to thaw.
Always remember to wash your hands, countertops, knives, cutting boards and anything else that came into contact with your raw chicken with hot, soapy water. Cross-contamination can occur if other foods are prepared with these things before they are washed. You can also use a mild bleach solution to clean up.
Always cook your chicken until it is well done. The internal temperature should reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit for a whole bird; 170 degrees Fahrenheit for bone-in parts and 160 degrees Fahrenheit for boneless pieces. Use a proper meat thermometer to measure this temperature. Visually, check for clear juices, not pink when you poke the meat with a fork. If you see pink juices, keep cooking until they run clear.
When grilling it, keep it refrigerated until the moment you want to put it on the grill. Once it is done, use a clean platter to bring the meat in. Unless you have washed the platter you used to bring the meat out to the grill on in hot soapy water, do not use the same one.
Always follow these steps no matter if you are cooking pieces or a whole bird. For moist boneless chicken breast, you can still follow all these safety rules. Your meat will not only be delicious, it will be safe for your family to eat.
After cooking, do not let it sit out for more than two hours at room temperature. It will keep in the refrigerator for two days. Whole birds will keep three days. Reheating leftovers should be done with a cover to keep as much moisture in the meat as possible. If you are heating up gravy, bring it to a full boil before serving.
Looking for something special for dinner try our chicken Marsala with mushrooms recipe just one of the many chicken recipes on our site.