Below are some guidelines you should always follow when storing, handling and preparing chicken. Follow these basic rules below and you’ll enjoy a tasty, healthy meal every time. For further information on food safety and handling you can visit the Food Safety Australia and New Zealand www.fsanz.gov.au or the Australian Chicken Meat Federation at www.chicken.org.au.

COOK CHICKEN THOROUGHLY

• Always cook chicken well-done, never medium or rare, no matter how it is prepared. Whole chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 80°C, portions to 75°C. When properly cooked, all juices from the meat should run clear with no tinge of pink. Never stuff chicken until just before cooking and remove immediately afterwards.
• Wash work area, utensils and hands with hot soapy water before and after handling uncooked chicken.
• Never return cooked chicken to containers that held raw chicken unless the container has been cleaned thoroughly.
• Refrigerate or freeze cooked chicken within 2 hours after serving (within one hour on a hot day).
• Transport chicken for outings, both uncooked and cooked, in an insulated container or ice chest. Keep cooked chicken below 5°C or above 60°C.

KEEP CHICKEN REFRIGERATED OR FROZEN UNTIL READY TO USE

• Place uncooked, fresh wrapped chicken in the coldest part of the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase and use within one or two days. For longer storage, wrap in freezer paper and freeze immediately for up to 8 months.

SHOPPING TIPS

• Buy chicken from trusted sources, as responsible retailers keep their products fresh and clean and the temperature in their poultry cases are carefully monitored.
• Choose fresh chicken and turkey products, whether fully cooked or raw, that are clean, cold and sold from a refrigerated poultry case.
• Look for frozen poultry products that are clean and packaged well.
• Take along an esky or cooler to keep perishables cold when delays are necessary on a hot day.
• Place poultry products in a separate bag from unwrapped foods like fruit and vegetables that may be served raw.
• Make chicken one of the last items selected in the grocery store to minimise time out of refrigeration.

THAW CHICKEN IN THE REFRIGERATOR OR MICROWAVE

• Frozen chicken should be thawed in the refrigerator in its wrapping or in the microwave on the defrost power setting. Never thaw on the kitchen counter as bacteria multiply at room temperature. Once thawed do not refreeze without first cooking.