Chicken breast internal temperature.

Where the thermometer goes

Push the probe through the side into the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone. The thin end cooks first, so read the thick end. On a whole bird, check the breast, the innermost thigh and the wing.

Time:

FSIS planning times above; a whole bird 60 to 75 minutes indirect. Approximate.

Rest:

USDA requires none. 5 to 10 minutes helps juiciness.

Slice:

Across the grain for slices.

• The danger zone. Bacteria grow fastest between 40 F and 140 F, doubling in as little as 20 minutes. Never leave food out of refrigeration more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when the air is above 90 F. Hold hot food at or above 140 F and cold food at or below 40 F.
• Where the probe goes. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the food, not touching bone, fat or gristle. For thin foods insert through the side. Check large or irregular pieces in several places. For a whole bird check the innermost thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
• Colour is not doneness. Appearance and colour are not reliable indicators of safety or doneness. A burger can be brown and unsafe or pink and safe. Pork at 145 F can be pink. Smoked chicken can stay pink at the bone at 165 F.
• The 3 minute rest is part of the 145 F rule. For whole-muscle beef, pork, lamb, goat and veal the safety rule is 145 F AND a rest of at least 3 minutes before carving or eating. The rest is not optional and it is not the same thing as the long barbecue rest.

• 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).