Email to becky sims      

Recipe Categories: becky's HOME PAGEAPPETIZERS BakeSale BARS BBQ Beef beef BEVERAGES BREAD BreadMachine BREAKFAST BROTH CAKESandPIES CakesPiesMuffinsCupcakes Camping CANDY CASSEROLES CastIronCooking Chili COOKIES CookingwithCandyBars CookingwithKids CookingwithSoup CopyCat CountryKnowledge CountryWordMeanings CROCKPOT DeepFry Dehydrate Dessert-Frozen DESSERTS Diabetic DIABETIC Dips DRESSINGS DRYRUBS ETHNIC FathersDay FISHandSEAFOOD ForCodyKatelyn FourthofJuly FROSTINGS FRUIT Fruit gamedaysnacks GiftsinaJar Glaze GRAVIES GRILLING GROUNDBEEF Halloween HASHBROWNS HelpfulHints HillbillyCookin HillbillySayingsStories Holiday ICECREAM Leftovers LowFat LOWFAT MARINADES MEATS MemorialDayGrilling MICROWAVE Miscellaneous MothersDay OLDFASHION OldFashionRemedies OldTimeCooking OldWives39Tales OneDishRecipes PASTA PIZZA PORK POTATOES POULTRY PRESSURECOOKER Puddings PUNCH QuickandEasy recipecircuschef39srecipes RICE Rotisserie SALADandDRESSING SALADS SANDWICHES SAUCES Seasoning SIDEDISH SIDE_DISH SNACKS SopsandMops SOUPSandSTEWS Spices SpreadsSyrup Top10of2007 Top10of2008 Top10of2009 Top10recipesof2011 TopTenPecanDesserts Turkey Valentine39sDay VEGETABLES WILDGAME

Chicken Cooking Basics




Source of Recipe


Allrecipes Staff


Recipe Introduction


Chicken is a dinnertime favorite: it's highly versatile, family-friendly, and good for you.


Recipe Link: http://allrecipes.com

Chicken is a great source of protein with the added bonus of being low in fat and calories, especially if you don't eat the skin. But like all fresh meats, it is perishable. Since raw poultry can transmit illness-causing bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria, use care during handling and preparation.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep It Cold

Never leave raw or frozen chicken at room temperature. Raw chicken should be stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator and used within two days. Freeze any chicken that won't be used right away. You can freeze it in its store packaging, but if you plan on storing it for longer than two months in the freezer, you should unwrap the chicken and rewrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and a plastic freezer bag.

Frozen chicken can be stored in the freezer for up to one year without sacrificing quality.
When thawing frozen chicken, do so slowly and safely. It will take from 24 hours up to two days to thaw a whole chicken in the refrigerator, and about 2 to 9 hours for cut-up chicken parts (less for boneless pieces).
Other approved methods are thawing in a cold water bath or by using the defrost cycle of the microwave.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep It Clean

Rinse chicken with cold water, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels before preparing. To prevent cross-contamination, thoroughly clean all surfaces, utensils, cutting boards, knives and hands with hot soapy water after handling raw poultry.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get It Done

The only way to tell if a chicken is cooked properly is to use a meat thermometer--seeing if the juices run clear is not a reliable indicator of doneness. To test the internal temperature of a whole chicken, insert the thermometer into the thigh, taking care not to touch the bone. Chicken should reach 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remember that the meat will continue to cook once it's removed from the heat source, so you may pull it out of the oven or off the grill a few degrees below the target temperature--just keep the thermometer in place and check to be sure the temperature climbs to a safe heat.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More Chicken Safety Tips

Marinating or brining? Always let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator, even for a short soak of 30 minutes.
Do not baste the cooked chicken with the same marinade: either make extra marinade and set aside a portion for basting only, or boil it for two to three minutes to kill any bacteria that might be present.
Cooked chicken should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Properly handled cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for two days.