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.