Grilled chicken
Poultry needs to reach 165F before all the harmful bacteria are killed, says Jeff Nelken, food safety consultant. Eyeballing the colour isnt enoughto be safe, you need to use a thermometer, he says. Because chicken needs to reach a higher temp than, say, ground beef (which the FDA says only has to reach 160F), keep them in separate areas of your grill and use a different tool for each. If you throw on a raw chicken breast and it gets on the hamburger, there will be cross-contamination, Nelken says. He recommends sectioning off your grill based on the type of meat, then moving fully cooked meat to a holding area of 135F to stay warm. So if you’re looking to avoid food poisoning, this is how long cooked chicken stays fresh in the fridge.
