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A 4-ounce chicken breast should be roasted at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Knowing how to properly prepare chicken can keep you safe and well-fed.
Cooking can be dangerous (especially if you’re a fan of flambé!). While the risks are relatively low when creating a meal in your kitchen, baking chicken or cooking any poultry always comes with the potential for foodborne illness.
Read on to learn how to properly cook chicken and how to be careful to avoid contamination.
Salmonella is a foodborne bacteria that’s responsible for
Salmonella is largely found in raw poultry. When poultry is cooked properly it’s safe, but if it’s undercooked or handled improperly while raw, it can lead to trouble.
All poultry in the United States is inspected for signs of disease, but this doesn’t mean it’s free of bacteria. As a matter of fact, it’s not unusual at all for raw poultry to contain many different types of bacteria.
Cooking tips
- Thaw frozen chicken slowly in your refrigerator, or thaw it faster by putting it in a leak-proof package or plastic bag and submerging in cold tap water.
- Bake a 4-oz. chicken breast at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature is 165˚F (74˚C).
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The USDA has provided this guide for how to roast, simmer, and grill chicken:
| Type of chicken | Weight | Roasting: 350°F (177˚C) | Simmering | Grilling |
| breast halves, bone-in | 6 to 8 oz. | 30 to 40 minutes | 35 to 45 minutes | 10 to 15 minutes per side |
| breast halves, boneless | 4 oz. | 20 to 30 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes | 6 to 9 minutes per side |
| legs or thighs | 4 to 8 oz. | 40 to 50 minutes | 40 to 50 minutes | 10 to 15 minutes per side |
| drumsticks | 4 oz. | 35 to 45 minutes | 40 to 50 minutes | 8 to 12 minutes per side |
| wings | 2 to 3 oz. | 20 to 40 minutes | 35 to 45 minutes | 8 to 12 minutes per side |
This guide can help you estimate how long to cook your chicken, but because ovens have slight heat differences and chicken breasts may be larger or smaller than the average, it’s important that you double-check the internal temperature of the meat.
In order to destroy any possible contagions in your poultry, you must bring the internal temperature of the meat to 165°F (74˚C).
You can check whether you’ve achieved 165°F (74˚C) by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. In this case, close is not good enough, so make sure you put it back in the oven if it hasn’t reached this threshold.
Don’t rely on how your chicken breast looks to determine if it’s ready. Pink meat doesn’t necessarily mean it’s undercooked. Similarly, white meat doesn’t necessarily mean all bacteria has been killed.
Be cautious about cross-contamination if you’re cutting into your chicken to check its appearance. When raw poultry comes in contact with work surfaces, knives, and even your hands, it can leave behind bacteria.
These bacteria can be transferred from surface to surface and end up in your salad, on your fork, and ultimately in your mouth.
Wash and thoroughly disinfect surfaces that come into contact with raw poultry. Use paper towels so they can be thrown away after picking up possible contaminants.
Preparation and storage are also important. The USDA suggests you always thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator, microwave, or a sealed bag submerged in cold water.
Chicken should always be cooked immediately after thawing. Bacteria is more likely to grow on raw meat that’s between 40˚F (4˚C) and 140˚F (60˚ C).
Cooked chicken breasts should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking. Your leftovers should remain safe for two to three days.
Cooking and cleaning
- Wash surfaces that come into contact with raw chicken.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after handling raw chicken.
- Wash utensils with hot soapy water after using them on raw meat.
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So, now that you know how to safely handle chicken breasts, what should you do with them?
Chicken breasts are extremely versatile, and your options for how to prepare them are nearly endless. For starters, you can chop them into salads, use them in sandwiches, or cook them on the grill.
For a healthy take on a classic, try this oven-fried chicken breast recipe or these flavorful herb-roasted chicken breasts.
Don’t be intimidated by cooking chicken. When you know the best handling practices, chicken breast is a lean protein that’s both tasty and safe.
