Stuffed Chicken
The Hotline does not recommend buying a whole, uncooked chicken stuffed
at the grocery store because of the highly perishable nature of a previously
stuffed item. Consumers should not pre-stuff whole chicken to cook at a
later time. Chicken can be stuffed immediately before cooking. Some USDAinspected
frozen stuffed whole poultry MUST be cooked from the frozen state
to ensure a safely cooked product. Follow preparation directions on the label.
To stuff a whole chicken at home, cook any raw meat, poultry, or shellfish
ingredients for the stuffing to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from
bacteria that may be found in raw ingredients. The wet ingredients for
stuffing can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. However, do not
mix wet and dry ingredients until just before spooning the stuffing mixture
into the chicken cavity. Immediately cook the stuffed, raw chicken in an oven
set no lower than 325 °F (162.8 °C).
Do not microwave a stuffed chicken. Food cooks so quickly in a microwave
oven, the stuffing might not have enough time to reach the safe minimum
internal temperature needed to destroy harmful bacteria.
Marinating
Chicken may be marinated in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Boil used
marinade before brushing it on cooked chicken. Discard any uncooked
leftover marinade.
Partial Cooking
Never brown or partially cook chicken to refrigerate and finish cooking later
because any bacteria present wouldn’t have been destroyed. It is safe to
partially pre-cook or microwave chicken immediately before transferring it to
the hot grill to finish cooking.
Color of Skin
Chicken skin color varies from cream-colored to yellow. Skin color is
a result of the type of feed eaten by the chicken, not a measure of
nutritional value, flavor, tenderness or fat content. Color preferences vary
in different sections of the country, so growers use the type of feed which
produces the desired color.
Dark Bones
Darkening around bones occurs primarily in young broiler-fryers. Since
their bones have not calcified completely, pigment from the bone marrow
can seep through the porous bones. Freezing can also contribute to
this seepage. When the chicken is cooked, the pigment turns dark. It’s
perfectly safe to eat chicken meat that turns dark during cooking.
Pink Meat
The color of cooked chicken is not a sign of its safety. Only by using a
food thermometer can one accurately determine that chicken has reached
a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) throughout.
The pink color in safely cooked chicken may be due to the hemoglobin in
tissues which can form a heat-stable color. Smoking or grilling may also
cause this reaction, which occurs more in young birds.
Storage Times
Product dates aren’t a guide for the safe use of a product or how long the
consumer can store the food and still use it at top quality. Instead, follow
these tips:
• Purchase the product before the date expires.
• Follow handling recommendations on product.
• Keep chicken in its package until using.
• Freeze chicken in its original packaging, overwrap or re-wrap it
according to directions in the above section, “How to Handle Chicken
Safely.”