How to Clean Chicken: 7 Safety Tips for Handling Raw Chicken

Chefs, health experts, and food safety experts like those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree that washing chicken increases the risk of foodborne illness and harmful bacteria growth. Rinsing or washing a raw chicken under the faucet causes the raw chicken juices and water to splash onto other surfaces: countertops, sponges, foods in the vicinity, your hands, your clothes, and other hard or soft surfaces around the sink. These droplets, which the naked eye cannot detect, contain bacteria that will grow and can cause illness, called campylobacter poisoning.

Additionally, cooking chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit—the proper internal temperature for fully cooked chicken set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—kills any bacteria present and eliminates the risk of foodborne illness, making it unnecessary to wash raw poultry.

To prepare a whole chicken for cooking, remove the package of organs inside the cavity of the chicken and either set them aside to roast alongside the chicken, or discard them. Tuck the wing tips underneath the whole chicken so they don’t burn during the long cooking process, and tie the legs together with kitchen twine for a more compact chicken that cooks more evenly.

Cross-contamination is the biggest food safety concern with regard to incorrectly handling raw meat. Here are several things home cooks should keep in mind when working with raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination and maintain a safe kitchen environment:

1. 1. Clean tools properly. The ideal way to clean kitchen utensils after working with raw chicken is in the dishwasher on the sanitize setting. This kills any bacteria hanging around on cutting boards, knives, etc. If that’s not an option, use hot and soapy water to clean the tools.
2. 2. Cook chicken thoroughly. The best way to combat foodborne illness is to cook chicken to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit for chicken breast, or to an even higher temperature for dark meat, like chicken wings or chicken legs. Cooking chicken to this internal temperature helps to eliminate the risk of illness. Stick a food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken (avoid hitting bone) to get an accurate reading.
3. 3. Forgo washing chicken. Avoid rinsing chicken, soaking chicken, using vinegar to clean chicken, or using soapy water to clean chicken. If you use paper towels to pat dry the meat, throw that paper towel or paper towels away immediately, then wash your hands.
4. 4. Stay away from porous surfaces. Be mindful of the cutting board or countertop under raw chicken. If it’s a butcher block, wooden cutting board, or unsealed hard surface, the tiny openings will absorb and hold onto raw chicken juices. If there is no other choice, clean the surface with hot water mixed with a little bleach and scrub it with a steel or other abrasive scrubber that gets into the cracks of the surface. Note that this cleaning method will take its toll on the material over time.
5. 5. Use a separate cutting board. When working with raw chicken, use a separate cutting board—preferably a dishwasher-safe cutting board—and not the same board you’re using for all the other ingredients. This helps to prevent any salmonella pathogens from transferring from the chicken cutting board onto another surface or ingredient. If uncooked and therefore not destroyed, salmonella pathogens can cause food poisoning or other salmonella-related illnesses.
6. 6. Wash your hands often. After touching raw chicken, immediately wash your hands before touching anything else. Raw poultry, including chicken, leaks juices frequently, even when raw. The juice can get on your hands, even if it’s not obvious. Wash your hands with hot water and plenty of soap.
7. 7. Wipe down the whole kitchen. Once the chicken is in the oven and you’ve cleaned the kitchen tools properly, wipe down the whole kitchen with a sanitizing wipe. This includes countertops, door handles and knobs, the kitchen faucet, and any other surface that may have gotten contaminated.

A chicken recipe might call for a marinade with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or buttermilk—all acidic products that can help to tenderize chicken. Acidic marinade ingredients break down meat fibers to make the chicken more tender. This also allows the marinade to penetrate the meat more deeply and impart flavor all the way throughout it.

However, leaving a piece of chicken in an acidic marinade for too long has the opposite effect and will make the chicken tough. Some acids are more likely than others to produce this effect. Fried chicken recipes, for example, usually ask that the chicken marinate overnight in seasoned buttermilk, which has acidity levels lower than those of vinegar or citrus juice.

To perfect the mother sauces and make French cuisine at home, you must master essential cooking techniques. Discover Chef Thomas Keller’s approach to setting up a home kitchen and sourcing quality ingredients like fish and clams when you sign up for the MasterClass Annual Membership.