On this page
- Food poisoning and frozen raw breaded chicken
- Health risks
- Unpack
- Cooling
- Preparing
- To cook
- Video to share
- Stay
Food poisoning and frozen raw breaded chicken
Most frozen breaded chicken products such as chicken nuggets, strips, burgers, chicken fries and popcorn chicken contain raw chicken. They may look pre-cooked or brown, but they are raw on the inside.
Using breaded chicken can make the meal easier. But breaded chicken can cause food poisoning if not stored, prepared or cooked properly. To protect your family, cook the breaded chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 175°F.
Follow package directions and cook the chicken properly to kill bacteria such asSalmonella. You can also prevent germs from spreading to your refrigerator, kitchen surfaces, or utensils by handling breaded chicken properly. Follow the safety tips below to protect your family.
Health risks
As of May 2017, hundreds of Canadian illnesses have been linked to breaded chickeninfected with Salmonella. For every reported laboratory-confirmed disease, there are dozens of unreported diseases.
Anyone can become ill from a Salmonella infection, but most people recover completely within a few days. However, somepeople are at greater risk of serious illnessincluded:
- children aged 5 and under
- adults aged 60 and over
- pregnant woman
- people with a weakened immune system
Some people can also become infected with the bacteria and not become ill or show any symptoms. However, they can still spread the infection to others.
Unpack
When you put away your groceries, make sure you keep the frozen breaded chicken in its original packaging.
If you want to throw away the packaging, cut out or write the cooking instructions and product codes on the box. Store this together with the product in the freezer. This information can also assist public health authorities if there is a disease or outbreak.
Cooling
Keep cold dishes cold and hot dishes warm. Try to keep your food out of the temperature danger zone, which is between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F). At these temperatures, bacteria can grow quickly and make you sick.
Keep your frozen breaded chicken safe to eat by:
- to purchase it at the end of your shopping visit
- put it in the freezer as soon as you get home
- Make sure your freezer is set to -18°C (0°F) or lower
Preparing
Use these tips when preparing frozen breaded chicken:
- Treat the frozen breaded chicken the same way you would raw chicken
- wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after touching them
- use a separate plate, cutting board and cutlery to prevent the spread of bacteria
- clean everything with a kitchen cleaner or bleach and then rinse with water
- kitchen cleaner (follow package instructions)
- bleach solution (5 ml household bleach in 750 ml water)
- Before and after cooking the frozen breaded chicken, clean the following:
- tools
- Dossier
- cutting boards
- kitchen surfaces
- wipe kitchen surfaces with paper towels or replace dishcloths daily to prevent cross-contamination
- do not use mushrooms, as they are more difficult to keep free of bacteria
To cook
Video galleries Full transcription
Follow these tips when preparing frozen breaded chicken.
Cook your chicken!
- never eat raw or undercooked chicken
- Always follow the cooking instructions on the package, especially for products labeled:
- untreated
- ovnks
- ready to cook
- cooking and serving
- cook the breaded chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 175°F (74°C).
- do this even if there are no cooking instructions on the package
- Do not use a microwave to prepare the breaded chicken
- Microwaves heat food unevenly, meaning some parts of the chicken are undercooked
Check your chicken!
- Use a digital food thermometer to ensure your chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F)
- Insert the thermometer through the side of the chicken, all the way to the center
- This may not be possible with very small pieces of chicken, so cook them according to package directions
When handling breaded chicken, don't use the same plate, cutting board or utensil as you do for other things. Also clean the plate, board or utensil thoroughly before using it again.
Stay
Use these tips to keep your leftovers safe:
- store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours to reduce the risk of bacterial growth
- make sure the cooked breaded chicken does not touch the raw meat
- Do not fill the refrigerator with too much food so that cool air can circulate effectively
- use refrigerated leftovers as soon as possible, within 2 to 4 days
- When reheating, ensure food is cooked to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).
- Do not reheat the same leftovers more than once
Related Resources
- Poultry safety
- Food Safety
- Food poisoning
- Causes of food poisoning
- Food memories
- Public health communications
- Food safety videos
