(HealthDay News) -- Chicken is a mainstay in many American households, but it may lead to food poisoning if not cooked properly and handled with care.
Foodsafety.gov suggests how to help keep your family safe:
- Wash hands with warm soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling chicken.
- Do not wash raw chicken. Its juices can contaminate other foods, utensils and countertops during washing.
- Use a separate cutting board for raw chicken. Wash cutting board, utensils, dishes, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing chicken.
- Never place other foods on dirty plates, cutting boards, or other surfaces that held raw chicken.
- Use a food thermometer and cook chicken to the safe internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- If you are served chicken that appears undercooked, send it back for more cooking.
- Refrigerate or freeze leftover chicken within 2 hours (or within 1 hour if the temperature is higher than 90 degrees F).
