What Temperature Is Chicken Done?
Chicken is done at 165°F (74°C), measured with an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the meat — the USDA FSIS standard for every cut, including breasts, thighs, wings, and ground chicken. Breasts are best pulled at 160-162°F and rested, since carryover cooking raises the internal temperature about 5°F while the meat sits. Dark meat is the exception worth knowing: thighs and drumsticks are safe at 165°F but taste noticeably better at 175-185°F, once the connective tissue and collagen have broken down. Never judge by color — safely cooked chicken can still look pink, and undercooked chicken can look white.
Key Takeaways
- The 165°F standard comes from USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service testing: at that temperature, Salmonella is destroyed almost instantly, with no holding time required.
- Ground chicken must reach a full 165°F with no pull-early shortcut, since grinding distributes surface bacteria through the entire patty or meatball.
- Cooking chicken straight from frozen is safe but takes about 50% longer — see whether you should defrost meat before cooking.
Explanation
The 165°F standard comes from USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service testing: at that temperature, Salmonella is destroyed almost instantly, with no holding time required. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the cut, away from bone, fat, or gristle, which conduct heat differently and give false readings. Because grinding mixes surface bacteria throughout the meat, ground chicken — burgers, meatballs, sausage — must also hit 165°F all the way through, not just near the surface.
White and dark meat behave differently above the safety threshold. Boneless breasts turn dry and stringy much past 165°F, so many cooks pull them at 160-162°F and let resting carry them the rest of the way — carryover cooking adds roughly 5°F as heat equalizes. Thighs and drumsticks are loaded with collagen that only starts breaking down around 175°F, which is why dark meat cooked to 175-185°F comes out more tender and juicy, not less.
For a whole roasted bird, check the inner thigh near where it meets the breast, keeping the probe out of contact with bone. That area heats slowest, so if it reads 165°F, the rest of the bird is done. On birds over 5 pounds, verify the thickest part of the breast separately. Skip rinsing the raw bird beforehand — washing splashes bacteria around the sink, and only heat, not water, makes chicken safe.
Color tells you nothing reliable. Safely cooked chicken can stay pink near the bone or even throughout, especially in younger birds and smoked preparations, while undercooked chicken can look fully white. Juices running clear is equally misleading. A calibrated instant-read thermometer, which reads in 2-3 seconds and costs $10-15, is the only dependable check. Keep our cooking temperature guide handy for the safe internal temperatures of beef, pork, turkey, and fish as well.
Things to Know
- Ground chicken must reach a full 165°F with no pull-early shortcut, since grinding distributes surface bacteria through the entire patty or meatball.
- Cooking chicken straight from frozen is safe but takes about 50% longer — see whether you should defrost meat before cooking.
- In a stuffed whole bird, the center of the stuffing must also register 165°F, which often overcooks the meat — bake stuffing separately when you can.
- Reheat leftover chicken to 165°F and eat it within 3-4 days; here's how long cooked chicken lasts in the fridge.
- Sous vide chicken held at 145°F for at least 8.5 minutes is pasteurized and safe, but that time-temperature tradeoff only works with precise equipment.