Handling Raw Chicken with Care

Although American poultry production is carefully monitored and the facilities comply with all government sanitary and safety guidelines, salmonella and other bacteria that can cause sickness in human beings may still be found in chicken. Fortunately, these bacteria are killed off if the chicken is cooked until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees for boneless, skinless breasts; 170 degrees for bone-in breasts and leg quarters; and 180 degrees for whole birds.

Here are a few guidelines for safe handling and preparation of chicken in your kitchen:


Always keep poultry refrigerated, even when in a marinade, until it's ready for cooking.


Always thaw frozen poultry in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. You can usually thaw a chicken this way overnight.


If any part of the bird has an odd or "off" odor, discard the entire chicken.


Before cooking the chicken, wash it, inside and out, with cold water and then pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the paper towels.


Thoroughly wash your hands, the utensils, and the work surface when you're done.

Grilling chicken breasts
Chicken breasts offer plenty of interesting grilling options. They can be grilled with or without their skin and bones; seasoned with any number of alluring rubs, sauces, and marinades; and sliced into thin strips or thick cubes for sizzling kebabs.

Breast meat is juicier and more flavorful if the breast is grilled with the skin intact. However, the skin contains a lot of fat that can cause dangerous flare-ups. You may want to opt for skinless breasts or pull the skin off before grilling. Skinless breast recipes grill in about 10 minutes (a great advantage of cooking without the skin and bone — it's so fast).

You can grill chicken breasts with the skin intact to add flavor and moisture to the meat, and then reduce calories by removing the skin before serving.