Salmonella disease is a severe concern when eating chicken. Therefore, you should cook it correctly when you do. You run a significant risk of becoming sick from eating undercooked chicken. This risk can be avoided by cooking your chicken all the way through. What happens then if you cook your chicken too quickly? Can you Recook Undercooked Chicken? 

But that’s not what this article is all about. The key thing here is: is it safe to recook undercooked chicken? I’ll cover all you need to know about recooking undercooked chicken in this article, along with tips on properly recooking it. 

Let’s begin, then.

Is It Safe to Recook Undercooked Chicken?

In America, chicken is the most popular meat to eat. While eating raw chicken may be a healthy choice, it can also be contaminated with the pathogens Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, and Campylobacter. So, is it safe to recook undercooked chicken?

No, you should never brown or partially cook chicken so that you can store it and continue cooking it later since any bacteria would still be there. To continue cooking, it is okay to microwave or partially pre-cook chicken right away before transferring it to a hot grill. 

Reheating uncooked chicken is possible, but there is a catch. As soon as you remove the chicken from the oven, if it seems underdone, you can return it to the oven to finish cooking. If you find undercooked chicken stored in the refrigerator or left out, you should toss it.

How To Cook Chicken

Chicken is challenging meat since it needs to achieve a specific temperature. There are levels for many other sorts of meat, such as rare or well-done. 

Well-done is essentially the only option when it comes to chicken. Salmonella is a common carrier in chicken. You risk contracting this foodborne illness if you undercook your chicken. Ensure that the chicken you are cooking, fresh or frozen, reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F. You can also inspect the coloration of your chicken. 

The flesh should not be pink; it should be white. You should keep cooking it if you notice pink. However, if you examine the coloring, you might see that your chicken has a dark red or purplish tint. White does not mean your chicken is undercooked, though. If the chicken you bought wasn’t adequately prepared, the remaining blood vessels might have caused discoloration.

Why Does Time Matter When Recooking Undercooked Chicken?

The most crucial element in properly reheating uncooked chicken is time. 

Even after being refrigerated, undercooked chicken begins to grow bacteria. Within two hours, bacteria start to grow. While you might believe that having it half-cooked or refrigerated will prevent the formation of bacteria, this is inaccurate. 

A refrigerator is one of the many environments where bacteria can develop. If your chicken is undercooked even after cooking it for several hours, throw it away. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to chicken. The same holds for delivery. 

You shouldn’t cook the chicken again if you order it and it shows up at your house undercooked. The problem is that you don’t know when the chicken was prepared, and bacteria will have begun to increase even while it was in transit.

What is the Best Way to Recook Undercooked Chicken?

Certain cooking techniques work better than others when it comes to undercooked chicken. 

The oven is the greatest place to cook chicken again. You may still encounter problems where the inside of the chicken is undercooked, depending on whether you are cooking frozen or fresh chicken. You have a consistent supply of heat when cooking chicken in the oven. Because of the uniform heat distribution, your chicken will cook thoroughly from the inside out. 

Undercooked chicken can be detected in the middle of the chicken. You ca resolve that problem by cooking it again in the oven. You can microwave cooked chicken like that used to reheat the center. Food is prepared using a microwave oven from the inside out. It is an efficient way to finish cooking your undercooked chicken. 

It’s crucial to remember that this is a technique where efficiency is key. If chicken has been sitting out for a long period, not even microwave cooking can eliminate the bacteria it has been exposed to. 

A meat thermometer is essential if you decide to pan or deep fry your chicken to finish cooking it. Even though you should always use a meat thermometer when cooking chicken, it can be challenging to see what color the chicken is when it is breaded or fried. Using a meat thermometer, you can ensure that your chicken has heated to a safe level.

How Can I Tell If Chicken is Undercooked?

Some people appear to have trouble distinguishing between fully cooked and undercooked chickens. So how precisely can you tell if the chicken is cooked correctly?

You can determine whether the chicken is overcooked or undercooked by looking at its color. Despite the differences between white meat and dark meat chicken, both can be cooked to different degrees using color. The color of properly cooked chicken is whiter than undercooked or raw flesh. 

You could check if the chicken is cooked by finding its thickest area and cutting the meat. Even though the majority of cooked chicken meat is pale, a thoroughly cooked chicken will occasionally have a hint of pink inside. But eating it is perfectly fine and secure. 

Your chicken includes water before it is placed on the skillet or cooking pot. The chicken meat typically becomes smaller after cooking. As a result, you can gauge the chicken’s doneness by looking at its size. 

In contrast to undercooked chickens, perfectly cooked chickens will weigh less when finished. Half-cooked or nearly-cooked chicken seems larger than its counterparts because the water or blood inside hasn’t been completely squeezed out.

What Are Some Harmful Effects Of Eating Undercooked Chicken?

Many individuals know that eating raw chicken flesh can result in mild to severe food poisoning symptoms. 

The most prevalent effect is diarrhea. Loose or watery bowel motions are considered diarrhea. You are at risk when diarrhea occurs more than three times per day. Dehydration from these symptoms can be hazardous for young and elderly adults with compromised immune systems. When the symptoms worsen, ensure you know how to get to the closest hospital. 

Stomach pain, often known as abdominal pain, is one of the symptoms of food poisoning after consuming uncooked chicken meat between 8 to 72 hours. Abdominal pain is brought on by the bacteria that inhabit partially cooked meat. They could give you abdominal pain and make your stomach hurt. 

Fever is one of the clear indicators that you have eaten chicken that has been partially cooked. You could get a little fatigue after eating chicken meat tainted with bacteria. 

Your body temperature rises until it hits 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, you might catch various infections like a cough or sore throat.

Best Thermometer When Recooking Undercooked Chicken

1. ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Meat Thermometer with Dual Meat Probe

This wireless meat thermometer is the solution if you want to enjoy the party without having to spend the entire evening operating the grill or oven. A tool like this is necessary for multitaskers in the kitchen to keep everything cooking at the proper rate and degree of doneness. The dual-probe can work on your oven, grill, or smoker up to 300 feet away and simultaneously track two different types of food. According to USDA standards, barbecue settings exist for nine different types of meat and five “tastes” ranging from rare to well done. 

The display includes a timer that can count down or up, the temperature of the food and the outside temperature. You won’t have to worry about the probe wires touching the sides or grates of the oven or grill because they can withstand temperatures of up to 716°F. The receiver includes a belt clip and a rubber sleeve to protect it from drops, while the transmitter has a wire hook or can sit on a stand. The screen also features a backlight, making grilling and smoking at night simple.

Pros:

• It can monitor two foods at once.
• It has presets for several types of meat and poultry.

Cons:

• The receiver is large and not quite pocket-size.

Conclusion on Can you Recook Undercooked Chicken

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking chicken at least 165°, some people assert that 145° is a safe temperature to eat. But I think it’s okay to try to determine for yourself when your poultry is done because every temperature in between is possible. 

If you’ve ever had undercooked chicken, perhaps because you didn’t have the patience to wait for it to finish, you may have heard that you can still eat it if you put it in the refrigerator and cook it again the next day. It is untrue, though, as harmful bacteria can develop in the chicken while it is refrigerated. Re-cooking it is the best option.