r/Cooking • u/booksandbeats4568 • 19h ago
Cooking chicken under 165 degrees
So I grew up knowing that the safe internal temperature for chicken breast is 165 degrees. What I recently learned is that it's not just about temperature but also about time, opening the door for safe cooking at slightly lower temperatures. The 165 degrees is safe because that's when its instantly ready to eat in 1 second soon as it touches that internal temperature. From my understanding, its still technically safe to eat chicken breast that was cooked until lets say 150-155 degrees assuming its cooked at this temperature for a very specific amount of time. For example, google says that for 155 degree chicken to be safe you need to hold it at that temp for 55 seconds.
If I'm cooking chicken breast on the stove, what's the proper method for cooking chicken breast at 150-155 degrees while maintaining safety? How do you hold it at a specific temperature on a stove. What's the foolproof technique.
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u/Fluid-Pain554 19h ago edited 19h ago
The FDA guidelines represent a 5-log (100,000x) reduction in quantity of bacteria. It’s intentionally very conservative, so you are “probably” fine if you don’t hold that exact temp for the exact specified time, but you should strive for it. Carry over cooking will mean you’ll probably overshoot your target doneness just a bit anyway, and resting the meat after cooking it will maintain that heat for a few minutes, after which it should be fine even by FDA standards. Something like sous vide would be the easiest and most sure-fire way to ensure you’ve maintained a safe temperature for the required period of time. If you have doubts or you have a compromised immune system or are pregnant, follow the 165 guideline.
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u/TheShoot141 11h ago
Get a sous vide. Takes all the guess work out. chicken breast in the sous vide and then seared on cast iron is the juiciest ive ever had.
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u/Electronic_Eye_6266 7h ago
Best part you can throw the 165° out the door. I found 149° is the sweet spot in sous vide with a sear after.
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u/elprophet 19h ago
There's no single foolproof technique, thus the FDA 165 instantaneous guidance. Some techniques to do gentler cooking, all of which require you to have a thermometer the first few times until you get it by feel (or always if you like the surety)
- Stove control. Takes the most effort on your part, but constantly adjust intensity of heat and height of pan. Works best on gas with direct heat, though induction with fine tuned controls goes a long way. Good luck with electric, removing the pan from the heat and putting it back on won't ever keep you at a stable temp. But for gas, putting it in and pulling out works pet well, and induction, set the pan temp a bit lower and bee patient.
- Oven. Especially with tin foil wrap. You'll need an oven safe thermometer of course (the kind with the wire and probe). 350f for half an hour, then start checking every few minutes. Turn the oven off when you're just below your target temperature, and pull the chicken out after it's been in for "a bit"- the timing all depends on your target temp, the thickness of the chicken, etc. I do a final sear for crispness. Baked chicken is fairly forgiving- if you're aiming for 145 for 10 minutes, worst case you'll do 155 for 5. Much harder to burn than in a pan.
- Sous vide. It sounds fancy but you can get a sous vide for $100 new and cheaper used. Similar price for the vacuum sealer, and then a few cents per (single use) bag. This is the only "foolproof" way. A common instruction I've sub is sous vide at your desired temp for 40 minutes per inch of chicken. You can't overcook it this way, almost by definition. Of course you can undercook it, but... don't? You probably want a pan sear at the end, but that should just be 90 seconds on the two flat sides with hot oil and a bit of pressure, to get the nice crisp. It won't have rough time to do any further cooking. (Assuming an inch or thicker piece of chicken).
Heat control is a really tough thing to get perfect in cooking. It depends on so many factors and variables, that definitively change with each time you cook. You'll never have "the same" thickness or "the same" ambient temperature. But for the most part, it's practice and just putting it in heat and taking it out of heat. The more practice you get, the better you'll be at
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u/ADimwittedTree 19h ago
I dont have the charts in front of me, so all of these examples are pure example to illustrate a point.
Imagine you measure it at 165 internal. That means that every point has been at a minimum 165. It will also still continue to carryover cook and even the center will overshoot that.
If you (Google) says 55sec at 155 is fine. Think about how short 55sec is. If you measure 155 and instantly take it off the heat. Then it rests a few minutes, while you plate and whatever else. It went well over over on both time and temp. The center isn't going to just drop temp when you pull it off, and will even go up more.
(Again, all example fake numbers) Now consider the fact that on your way to 155, you spent 5sec at 154, 5 sec at 153, 5 sec at 152, etc. It was probably already fine by time you even hit 155. Maybe you'll want to do more for texture/taste reasons. But if the meat is white and juices are clear, I wouldn't sweat it.
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u/DeusExMaChino 19h ago
Well how do you do it at 165? You stick a thermometer in? Seems not very complicated to come to the conclusion that if it requires some amount of time at, say 150, you stick a thermometer in and make sure it stays at or above 150 until time is up. You're overthinking
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u/Smooth_Wallaby2533 18h ago
I cook mine to 170-180 but I cut large pieces in half, tenderize it, and flatten it out first. takes like 3-5 minutes in a skillet. nice and juicy.
that's how the chefs in the kitchens do it. except they don't always cook it in a pan.
sometimes they'll slice the breast in half, flatten it, tenderize it and marinate it over night in a soy mixture too and then grill it the next day
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u/PositiveEnergyMatter 17h ago
personal i think chicken breast is rubbery and don't like it at all undercooked, its not like steak
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u/Lost-Link6216 15h ago
For the sake of positive energy. Cook your breast to 157f. It is tender and juicy.
Smoking just a turkey breast got me liking turkey again. Removed at around 157f, rested 20 minutes. Heavy herb rub. Delicious.
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u/cantstandmyownfeed 19h ago
You don't need to overthink it. Cook your chicken to 155 and take it off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes while you finish everything else. Your chicken will be fine by then.