# Grilling Chicken | Times & Temperatures



## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I was just reading this article on the ThermoWorks blog about cooking chicken, and while I was familiar with the benefits of brining, pounding, etc., what really caught my attention was the section on USDA times and temperatures for killing salmonella. We hear all about 165F being the magic temperature for chicken, but in reality it's a function of both temperature _and_ time. To summarize, the chicken only has to hold at 165F for a few seconds to mitigate the salmonella risk, but you can accomplish the same thing by holding at say 157F for 34 seconds. When you factor in carryover cooking, I'm probably cooking my chicken a little too long. It's a good read if you have time. :thumbup:


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

good info - Look up Spatchcock Chicken - basically butterflying a whole chicken - cooked two the other night with a chili-lime seasoning that was the best chicken I have ever eaten!!


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## GrassDaddy (Mar 21, 2017)

Good to know! I live in a family over over protective worry warts. So we tend to eat a lot of over cooked chicken. I will have to make this into a poster haha


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## j4c11 (Apr 30, 2017)

Some of the best chicken I've ever had was made using the Anova sous-vide @ 146.


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## Sidney (Jun 12, 2017)

MrMeaner said:


> good info - Look up Spatchcock Chicken - basically butterflying a whole chicken - cooked two the other night with a chili-lime seasoning that was the best chicken I have ever eaten!!


There is a Mexican grocery store here in Columbia that does this kind of chicken every Saturday. Split the whole chicken and grill it. I think it's less than $10.00. Very tender and tasty.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

It's a simple log 10 reduction of bacteria.

This is how people can sous vide chicken at something very low like 135, and it'll be safe to eat after temp and time.

Now... that's when chicken gets fun as the texture is of a rare steak!

I normally cook out chicken breast to 158-159 and carry over takes it to safe temp. If you plan and adjust you can usually narrow it down.

With that said- invest in a quality thermometer. I use thermapens anytime I cook or smoke/grill and it's a must have for quality cooks and safe cooks.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

So, it is really interesting how we tolerate a 16% of the chicken meat to have salmonella. Europeans have far better regulations. They test chickens at the farm and kill the entire flock of it is contaminated not to spread it. We hardly ever test it.

If someone wants to read more about it. http://civileats.com/2015/12/07/10-things-to-know-before-you-eat-your-next-chicken-dinner-salmonella/


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