How do you know if the chicken is undercooked? This will be our wetting this time. Chicken is a food that many enjoy because of its good nutritional content, especially this protein content. The protein in chicken is better than that in other meats such as beef or meat from larger animals. That is why many are looking for chicken meat as a source of family protein.
Chicken also includes meat that is easy to cook and only by maintaining a stable temperature can we cook it well. But often beginners can’t cook chicken perfectly, so this time we will explain how to cook chicken properly and how to recognize if the chicken is undercooked.
To be able to get chicken meat that is perfectly cooked and not burnt we must know how to cook it. So, cook the meat with the right level of doneness, either from the taste or from the texture. So, it is very important for us to know that the chicken is not yet cooked so that the cooking process can be continued until it reaches the right doneness.
An important question, how to tell if chicken is undercooked? There are many parameters that can be used as information to know that the chicken meat is not fully cooked. We can see from the color of the meat, texture, and tenderness of the chicken. In general, if the internal temperature is 165 F or higher, then you can say the meat is cooked and you can safely consume it.
(Also see: 7 Best Substitutes of Capers in Your Cooking)
About the signs of immature chicken meat, we will discuss further below. Knowing the maturity of the meat is very important so that we can get a good source of nutrition, free from bacteria and not a source of disease. Ok, keep reading our review below about how you know the chicken is undercooked and how to cook the chicken properly.
How to Tell If Chicken is Undercooked
There are several parameters that you should know, the following is a clear explanation.
Chicken Cooking Time
There are several reasons why chicken meat is very easy to process compared to beef, buffalo or other larger animal meat. Among them are: Chicken meat is smaller, less meat fiber, responds to heat well, and can be cooked without the need for tenderizer.
All over the world, chicken meat has been very popular as a food menu, its nutrition is very important for fitness and those who are undergoing gym sports. Chicken meat has even become fast food to sandwiches, fillets and others, this makes chicken a meat that is very much consumed throughout the world.
Although meat is easy to process, for a chef there are several things to remember and pay attention to when forcing the chicken so that the chicken is really cooked to perfection.
Why must be observant in cooking chicken, because every part of the chicken meat is not cooked at the same time. There is a certain time to cook each part of the chicken meat so that it is cooked to perfection.
1. Neck
Chicken neck is usually made as a broth material and is usually cut in parts that are almost close to the body.
Neck
The best way to cook chicken necks is to fry them or boil them. To cook chicken necks, the ideal time is 12 minutes if using 160 F.
Cooking time of 12 minutes will kill all bacteria and make the chicken tasty and crunchy. If you use a lower temperature, of course you can cook longer. This is usually done if the goal is to extract nutrients from chicken bones or to make chicken stock.
The chicken neck is a very easy part to cook because there is very little meat.
(Also see: Recipe for Opor Ayam (Chicken Curry))
2. Breast
How to cook chicken breast differs by cooking the neck because the breast contains a lot of meat. To avoid undercooked chicken or chicken breasts, a cook must know how to cook chicken breasts properly.
Before cooking the chicken breast, cut the breast into two parts and you can open it. Chicken breast is the most consumed part of chicken in the world. The reason is because chicken breast is the most protein-rich part. This is a very healthy part because it has less carbohydrates and less fat, as well as an abundance of protein.
Because the chicken breast has a lot of meat, the cooking time is also longer than cooking the chicken neck. Clean the breast and dry it well, then you can cut it in half to get more fillets.
If you want to prepare steak, you can also cut the chicken breast into small pieces.
In preparing this chicken breast you have to pay close attention. If you want to cook or fry chicken breast in small pieces, you can cook it for only 12 minutes. But if you cook whole chicken breast, you have to pay attention to the steps.
Well, if you don’t pay attention to these steps, it is feared that you will not be able to cook the chicken breast perfectly, and most likely the chicken breast will not be undercooked. Follow these steps to cook the whole chicken breast so that it cooks perfectly.
First thing to do: hammer the chicken breasts evenly so they are all the same thickness. If you skip this, then your chicken breast will not cook properly, even if you hammer some parts of the chicken breast it will also cook longer. So this is very important to pay attention to!
If you’ve got chicken breasts with the same thickness, now you can cook them well and can get the perfect doneness.
3. Wings
Chicken wings have a delicacy that is loved everywhere. Chicken wings have many fans and it is no exception for those who are focused on fitness.
This is meat that sticks to the wings, even though the meat is not as thick as the breast, but we also need time to cook it perfectly.
Chicken wings are enough to cook for a duration of 10-11 minutes at 160 F, or can be seen until the outside is browned or golden yellow.
On the wings, there is chicken meat which is more tender than chicken breast, and it is tastier even if there is a lot of fat. The muscle fiber is looser, so it feels softer, but with more fat content, it feels less healthy if consumed in large quantities.
Cooking chicken wings can be done in various ways: It can be fried, grilled, depending on how your recipe is. For the most part, this method of cooking chicken wings can take 10-12 minutes at 160-165 F.
4. Legs
Chicken feet are also the most delicious part and many children like, it consists of tender meat and bones and fat. You can get not only the legs when you cook the legs, but you also get the thighs, the chicken thighs have more meat and are very tasty. (More: 10 Health Benefits of Chicken Feet)
So, the chicken leg is not only the leg, but also the thigh you get, and this must be cooked properly for perfect results.
The way to know if the chicken thighs are cooked or not is to check the texture, it should be white, not red or mixed with blood.
How to identify it can be done by inserting a fork into the chicken thigh and check for doneness. Pay attention to whether the fork is easy to penetrate into or not. If there are obstacles or difficulty for the fork to penetrate the meat, continue cooking until done.
How to Tell If Chicken is Undercooked?
There are several ways to check the undercokeed of the chicken meat and it is no longer raw. So, here we have collected important factors that you can hold as a guide to know that the chicken is cooked.
Here are some important parameters that you should pay attention to to find out whether the chicken is undercooked or not.
1. Pay attention to color
One early way is to look at the color of the chicken. The chicken part is no longer pink in the top layer.
The chicken meat should be whitish in color, homogeneous on each side of the meat, if any part of the chicken meat is pink, this indicates that the chicken must be cooked again.
2. Pay attention to the texture
The next way to find out if the chicken is undercooked is to look at the texture. The texture of the chicken is very distinctive, chewy, firm, and slippery. If you still find a texture like this, it indicates the chicken is still undercooked.
You need to pay attention, if you find the texture of chicken meat that is slimy, smells bad, this means that the chicken meat has been damaged and should no longer be used or consumed. Fresh raw chicken, no foul smell, or slimy.
If the chicken is cooked, then the texture of the meat is no longer chewy, but hard and tender, if it is pierced with a fork it will easily enter, the inside of the meat is no longer pink, but white. If you find the chicken meat is still chewy, and when pierced with a fork it still feels firm, and not translucent, this indicates that the chicken is undercooked and should be cooked again until done.
However, if the fork that you stick into the chicken meat can go in easily and can come out easily, this indicates the chicken is cooked perfectly. The temperature of cooked chicken when removed from the kitchen should be 160-165 F.
(Also interesting: Featherless Chicken, Funny and Ready to Cook)
3. Pay attention to tenderness
By checking the tenderness of chicken meat, we know easily if the meat is cooked or not. How: Take a piece of chicken, and cut it in half and check for doneness.
Cooked chicken should be easier to slice, the internal color is slightly grayish white, the outside is white, so this is great for beginners to get a perfectly cooked chicken.
Tips To Keep In Mind
When you take the chicken out of the kitchen and find that your chicken is undercooked, what should you do? Are you going to reinstall it or throw it away?
Well, this is important for you as a beginner, of course the chicken that is not perfectly cooked can be cooked again until you get perfectly cooked meat. You don’t need to throw it away because this meat is still fresh and good, except sometimes you’ve stored it for a long time (undercooked), if it smells, you can throw it away.
The important thing that must also be noted is that the chicken before frying must be at room temperature. If you just took it out of the freezer, then wait until it thaws. Do not fry frozen chicken, this will make the meat cook unevenly, the outside will be cooked and the inside will be difficult to cook properly and in turn the chicken will taste bad.
Related Questions
After we discuss how to cook chicken perfectly or how to tell if the chicken is undercooked, now we will explain some questions related to the discussion.
What happens if I eat undercooked chicken?
Consuming raw chicken is harmful to health, as is eating undercooked chicken. Chicken that is not cooked perfectly can be contaminated with bacteria, and these bacteria are destroyed when the chicken is cooked to perfection.
Maybe you have accidentally eaten raw and harmless chicken. But know, if you eat a lot of it, then consuming raw chicken can cause several diseases.
Should I throw away the raw chicken?
If your chicken is still undercooked, you can cook it again until it is cooked. Just use the same method as when you first cooked it.
Try cooking the chicken for 5 minutes over medium to high heat or until you find the texture of the chicken is soft and tender. Stick a fork into the chicken to check for doneness. If your chicken is cooked, the fork will penetrate easily, but if the chicken is undercooked, then the fork will have a hard time penetrating the chicken, feels tough, and the meat is still a bit slippery.
