what degrees does chicken have to be to be fully cooked
salmonella is still a very real concern when it comes to cooking chicken turkey and other poultry it gets knocked into our heads again and again that poultry is safe to eat only when its juices run clear when the meat is no longer pink and when it registers at least 165 in the thickest part of the thigh but of those only temperature is the real indicator of a fully cooked chicken the usda says that as long as all parts of the chicken have reached a minimum internal temperature of 165 it is safe to eat color does not indicate doneness the usda further explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices