America’s favorite bird can be a nuisance in the kitchen.
Americans adore chicken. The average American consumes more than 90 pounds of the bird each year.
Popular cuts include boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pre-sliced cutlets and tenders, and boneless, skinless chicken thighs. In addition, less expensive poultry options, such as chicken thighs and drumsticks, continue to be popular in dishes ranging from fried chicken to baked casseroles.
However, many home cooks may be unaware of the simple but potentially dangerous mistakes they make with raw chicken regularly. If not handled properly, you may cause stomach upset in yourself and your family.
Here, 10 mistakes even experienced home cooks make with raw chicken.
1. Storing Chicken Improperly
The tiny drawing of a turkey on your refrigerator shelf may appear to be a helpful hint for deciding where to store your cellophane-wrapped poultry packages. However, this is not always the best indicator.
Because chicken juices tend to leak and drip from packages, storing them on a shelf above ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables could contaminate a large portion of the food in your fridge.
Solution: Place the chicken packages on a plate or in a casserole dish and store them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The dish will catch any leaking juices, protecting everything you have stored.
2. Thawing Chicken Incorrectly
We don’t want to sound like food safety cops, but this is one of the most dangerous — and common — mistakes you can make with raw chicken. Bacteria in these birds multiply quickly at room temperature. Salmonella is especially abundant in these warmer temperatures. So if you leave the chicken out on the counter for too long, such as when thawing it for tonight’s dinner, bacteria can colonize and cause foodborne illness.
Solution: Never thaw frozen chicken on the counter or in the sink. While the chicken’s center is ice cold, the outer portions can become too warm to prevent bacterial growth. Instead, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator for up to two days before you cook it. This will allow the thickest parts of the chicken to de-ice while keeping the outside portions chilled — and, more importantly, safe. If you forget or need to thaw frozen chicken quickly, use this hot water bath method.
3. Not Letting Chicken Warm Up a Bit
This may seem counterintuitive after the previous raw chicken error, but hear us out: You don’t want to leave the chicken out for too long, but you also don’t want to cook it straight from the fridge.
A 15-minute rest at room temperature will help the chicken cook more evenly, avoiding a brown exterior with a raw, undercooked interior.
Solution: While assembling the ingredients for dinner, take the chicken (in the plate or dish it is stored) out of the fridge. Allow it to sit for no more than 15 minutes.
4. Rinsing Chicken Before You Cook It
It’s time to call it quits if you give your birds a bath before baking them. Raw chicken does not need to be rinsed before cooking and should not be. You may believe you are rinsing bacteria away — salmonella is a major concern with chicken — but you may actually be spreading it. In fact, studies show that rinsing poultry can spread bacteria up to three feet from the sink.
Solution: Forego the bath. Cooking chicken directly from the package eliminates the need for a trip to the sink, reducing the possibility of contamination in your kitchen.
5. Not Drying Your Chicken
Didn’t we just say not to wash the chicken? We did. However, you should definitely dry your chicken before cooking it.
This is because fluids from processing and packaging — for example, chicken is frequently washed in a saline solution to keep it looking moist on the shelf — can make your chicken soggy when you put it directly into the pan. A dry bird browns more beautifully and sears more crisply.
Solution: Before putting the chicken in the pan or on the grill, dab it with paper towels. Allow the chicken to air-dry in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then, place the chicken on a tray or platter and place it in the refrigerator, uncovered. The air will wick moisture away from the chicken’s skin, leaving it nice and dry for crisp searing.
6. Marinating Your Chicken the Wrong Way
Marinating is a great way to add flavor with little effort. Simply combine your chicken pieces with your homemade marinade and set it aside for several hours before cooking.
However, if you leave your chicken on the counter to marinate while you prepare the rest of your meal, you’re making a big mistake. You could, once again, put yourself at risk of foodborne illness.
Solution: Once you’ve made your marinade, pour it into a sealable zip-top bag or container. (A lidded container is acceptable if the lid is tight and will not fly off.) Then add the chicken. Toss the chicken gently in the marinade and immediately place it in the fridge. Toss or flip the chicken a few more times while it marinates to ensure that all pieces are evenly coated.
When you finish the marinade, toss the bag in the trash or empty the container down the sink. Even if you boil it, marinade that has come into contact with raw chicken is not reusable. It’s simply too dangerous. So instead, save some of the marinades before combining it with the chicken and brush it on just before serving.
7. Raw Chicken Comes Into Contact With Other Foods
If you have a small kitchen, you may be tempted to reuse surfaces (such as cutting boards) to avoid dirtying up extra dishes. Do not attempt it. This one-way ticket to cross-contamination has the potential to be disastrous.
Solution: Separate raw chicken from other ingredients you may be slicing or mincing for your meal. If you chop kale on the same cutting board that you slice chicken on, the leafy greens may become contaminated with the bird’s juices. Yes, even after wiping the board down with a sanitizing towel, that is possible. Bacteria are too difficult to remove from a porous or slightly textured surface with a simple wipe down; a high-temperature wash, such as that found in a dishwasher, is required.
8. Reusing Kitchen Tools Without Washing
If you use the same tongs to flip raw chicken and toss your side salad, you risk cross-contaminating your raw ingredients with bacteria from the raw chicken. This increases your chances of contracting foodborne illnesses and getting food poisoning.
Solution: Keep all utensils that come into contact with raw meat separate, and do not use them for other foods. Then, after each use, thoroughly wash them to prevent the spread of poultry juices.
9. Not Washing Your Hands After Handling Raw Chicken
Your hands are the most versatile tool in your kitchen. They’re also the ones who are most likely to spread bacteria.
Indeed, using dirty hands to handle chicken, turn on a sink, grab a fork from the drawer, and open the refrigerator can easily cross-contaminate your entire kitchen. Every surface you come into contact with now has the potential to harbor dangerous bacteria.
Solution: After handling raw chicken, pay close attention to what and where you touch. Even better, “save” one hand for non-chicken tasks. For example, use your non-chicken hand to turn on the faucet at the sink and pump some soap as soon as you’ve flipped the chicken or placed it in the bag for marinating. Hands should be thoroughly washed and dried with a clean towel. If you use a towel that has been used to wipe down surfaces in your kitchen, you may pick up any bacteria that are hiding on the towel.
10. Tearing Skin Off the Meat With Your Hands
If you’ve ever tried to remove the skin from chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks before cooking them, you know how slick those pieces can be. With just one stuck-on piece of sinew, your main course could be sent flying to the floor.
It’s also a good idea to leave the skin on cuts like thighs and drumsticks because the fat can infuse flavor into the meat during cooking. If you prefer, simply remove the skin before serving.
Solution: Put down your grippers and replace them with a sharp paring knife. The short knives are easy to hold and quickly cut through the tough tissue. They may also be easier to handle, lowering the possibility of losing valuable meat during trimming.
Learn more: Why You Shouldn’t Store Nuts In the Pantry