Breast.
Lean white meat. 165 F is both the safety minimum and the practical ceiling; past it, it dries.
Chicken breast cooks to the doneness you like, at or above the USDA minimum of 165 F. It is not a low-and-slow cut.
Where it comes from
FSIS lists breast halves bone-in (6 to 8 oz) and boneless (4 oz) with grilling planning times of 10 to 15 and 6 to 8 minutes per side. Brining or a marinade in the refrigerator helps a lean breast survive the smoker. Higher pit temperatures (325 F and up) keep the skin from going rubbery.
USDA FSIS primal: breasts. Six regions, matching master chicken-B (whose diagram labels all six correctly; chicken-A omits the thigh callout on the bird).
- Best methods:
- grill, smoke at high pit temp, roast, spatchcock (whole bird)
- Slice:
- Across the grain for slices.
- Rest:
- USDA requires none. 5 to 10 minutes helps juiciness.
Scores are Pit Log editorial, anchored to FSIS tenderness notes.
What you will see at the counter
| Cut | Methods | Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone-in, skin-on breast | smoke, grill | 165 F (USDA) | FSIS planning: 10 to 15 minutes per side on a grill. Thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone. |
| Boneless, skinless breast | grill, sear | 165 F (USDA) | FSIS planning: 6 to 8 minutes per side. Thin end cooks first; probe through the side. |
| Ground chicken | grill, pan | 165 F (USDA) | 165 F like every other chicken product. |
Safe. Then done.
165 F (73.9 C)
Breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets and stuffing. For a whole bird, check the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
FSIS planning times above; a whole bird 60 to 75 minutes indirect. Approximate.
chicken dark meat preference
Thighs, drumsticks and whole legs. Culinary preference, barbecue convention.
| Doneness | Internal temp | Vs. USDA 165 F |
|---|---|---|
| Safe minimum (all chicken) | 165 F | At or above the minimum. |
| Dark meat, rendered and tender | 175 to 185 F | At or above the minimum. |
| Pulled or shredded | 190 to 205 F | At or above the minimum. |
Carryover: A whole bird rises several degrees during a 10 minute rest; the rest is for juiciness, USDA requires none.
More on the chicken temperature page and the full chart.
Smoke
- Apple: Sweet, fruity, gentle. Builds slowly; forgiving on poultry and pork.
- Cherry: Fruity, mild, and it colours the meat a deep mahogany. Pairs with almost everything.
- Pecan: Nutty, warm, slightly sweet. A softer relative of hickory.
- Maple: Soft, sweet, subtle. Good with pork, poultry, ham and vegetables.
What ruins it
- 01Pulling at 160 F to 'let carryover finish it'. The safety rule is a 165 F reading; carryover is not a safety mechanism.
- 02Judging by colour; FSIS: pink can persist at 165 F.
- 03Washing the raw bird (FSIS: it spreads bacteria).
Cook it
No Pit Log recipe for this region yet.
- Instant-read thermometerThe single tool FSIS says is the only reliable way to know food is safe. Appears on every cut page.
- Leave-in probe / wireless thermometerFSIS: use two thermometers, one for the pit air and one for the food. Every low-and-slow page.
As an Amazon Associate, Pit Log earns from qualifying purchases. We pick these by name and type, checked against Amazon’s own records. Not by what pays best. We show no prices. A price on a page goes stale fast. Checked 2026-09-03.
Then write down what happened
Pit temp, wood, wrap, final temp, rest, result. The chart says what usually works. Your log says what worked for you.