This is the page I would hand anyone who asked me how to buy and cook chicken: what the labels mean, which cut to use for what, how to tell when it is done, and how to store it. Every chicken recipe on the site is at the bottom.
Buy less, buy better
I buy less meat and better meat where I can. Basic supermarket chicken is a lottery: sometimes it is fine and sometimes it is not. At work we get good and bad suppliers, and the quality changes from one delivery to the next. For roasting a bird, or breaking one down, I buy free-range or organic.
What the labels mean
These are the US terms, because they are the ones that are defined.
| On the label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fresh | Never held below 26°F (about -3°C). Frozen means 0°F or below. |
| Natural | No artificial ingredients or added colour, and minimally processed. It can still carry an added solution. |
| Up to X% retained water | Water the meat picked up while it was being chilled. |
| Containing up to X% of a solution | Water, salt, broth or phosphates added to the meat. It has to be in the product name. |
| Basted or self-basted | Bone-in poultry injected or marinated with fat, broth, stock or water and flavourings. The ingredients are listed. |
| No hormones added | Hormones are not allowed in US poultry at all, so this is true of every chicken. The label has to say that. |
| Free range | The birds had access to an outdoor area. |
| Organic | Run by a separate USDA programme, not the meat inspectors. |
| Air chilled | Cooled with cold air instead of in iced water, so it has not soaked any up. |
Air-chilled or water-chilled
Water-chilled chicken soaks up some of the iced water it is cooled in, and air-chilled chicken does not, so you are not paying for water and the skin browns more readily. It is not safer and it does not taste different. I have written it up in full here: air-chilled vs water-chilled chicken.
A whole bird or parts
A whole bird is the best value if you use all of it. I break it down into two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks and the wings, and the carcass goes into a pot for stock. My Polish braised chicken starts that way. For a soup or a braise, two poussins do the job, which is how my krupnik begins.
Which cut for which dish
| Cut | Use it for | My recipes |
|---|---|---|
| Breast, skinless | Quick cooking. I take it off at 72 to 74°C and it dries out quickly past that, so slice it into cutlets or pound it even. | Marry Me chicken pasta, katsu curry, peri peri chicken, hunters chicken, mango butter chicken |
| Boneless thighs | Curries, marinades and the grill. More forgiving than breast. | Thai yellow curry, massaman curry, chicken shawarma |
| Bone-in thighs, drumsticks and legs | Braising, long cooks and a hot oven. | Polish braised chicken, coq au vin, chilindrón, tandoori chicken |
| Whole small bird or poussin | Soup and stock. | krupnik |
My slow cooker Marry Me chicken is written for breast and has a switch on the recipe card for thighs, which changes the cooking time to suit.
When it is done
74°C (165°F) in the thickest part is the official safe line for all chicken. For breast my sweet spot is 72 to 74°C (162 to 165°F), followed by a five minute rest, and it dries out quickly past that. Thighs and drumsticks are safe at 74°C too, but I prefer them at 78 to 82°C (172 to 180°F). Leg meat carries far more connective tissue than breast and stays chewy if it is undercooked, while breast dries out first. The colour of the meat tells you nothing either way, so use a thermometer. If yours keeps coming out rubbery, my piece on rubbery chicken explains why.
| Cut | Take it off at |
|---|---|
| Breast | 72 to 74°C (162 to 165°F), then rest 5 minutes |
| Thighs, drumsticks, legs | 78 to 82°C (172 to 180°F) |
Storing and thawing
- Raw chicken keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge.
- Frozen, a whole bird keeps its quality for about a year and parts for about 9 months.
- Thaw it in the fridge, or in cold water changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave and cook it straight away.
- Cooking from frozen takes about half as long again.
- Marinate in the fridge, for up to 2 days.
- Do not wash raw chicken. It does not make it safer and it splashes whatever is on it round the sink.
Chicken FAQ
Is chicken done at 145°F or 165°F?
165°F (74°C). That is the US safe minimum for every part of the bird: breast, thighs, wings and mince. 145°F is the figure for steaks, roasts and chops of beef, lamb and pork, so if you have seen it next to chicken it was about a different meat. Breast I take off at 72 to 74°C and let it rest.
Should chicken thighs go above 165°F?
Yes, and they are better for it. 165°F is the safe line, but leg meat is full of connective tissue and is still chewy there. I take thighs to 78 to 82°C (172 to 180°F).
Is free range or organic chicken better?
They are two separate labels. Free range means the birds had continuous access to the outdoors while they were growing. Organic is a different USDA programme with its own rules. A bird can be one, both or neither. My reason for buying them is that pumped chicken, injected with water to add weight, is less common in free range and organic, so less of what I pay for ends up in the pan as water. Neither label tells you how tender the breast will be: in one study organic birds had the same breast problems as standard ones.
Is it better to buy bone-in or boneless chicken?
For a braise or a soup, bone-in, and better still a whole bird broken down at home: you get breasts, thighs and drumsticks plus a carcass for stock, and it keeps the cost down. Boneless is for quick cooking in a pan. The meat next to the bone cooks last, so bone-in pieces need a little longer, and the thermometer goes in beside the bone, not touching it.
My chicken recipes
- Polish braised chicken, a whole bird broken down and braised with paprika.
- Krupnik, Polish barley soup made on a whole poussin.
- Coq au vin, legs marinated overnight in red wine.
- Chilindrón, Spanish stew of chicken, lamb and chorizo in the slow cooker.
- Slow cooker Marry Me chicken, breast or thighs in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce.
- Marry Me chicken pasta, the quick version in a frying pan.
- Hunters chicken, bacon-wrapped breast with barbecue sauce and cheese.
- Peri peri chicken, with my own seasoning and sauce.
- Tandoori chicken, legs marinated for a day in yoghurt and spices and roasted hot.
- Japanese katsu curry, panko-crumbed cutlets with curry sauce.
- Mango butter chicken, yoghurt-marinated breast in a mango and tomato sauce.
- Thai yellow chicken curry, thighs with potatoes in coconut.
- Massaman curry, thighs with potatoes and peanuts.
- Chicken shawarma, marinated thighs with homemade laffa bread.
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