Handling Raw Chicken Safely

Raw chicken is one of the highest-risk foods in any kitchen because it commonly carries Campylobacter and sometimes Salmonella. Handle it safely by never washing it, keeping it separate from ready-to-eat food, storing it cold at 5°C or below on the bottom shelf, and cooking it right through to a core temperature of 75°C. Confirm the exact requirements in your food safety program and with your state or territory food regulator. Key takeaways: Raw poultry is a leading source of Campylobacter and Salmonella food poisoning in Australia, so treat it as high-risk at every step.. Do not wash raw chicken — rinsing does not remove bacteria and splashes contaminated water onto surrounding surfaces.. Keep raw chicken separate from ready-to-eat food using dedicated boards, colour-coded equipment and bottom-shelf storage at 5°C or below.. Cook chicken right through to a core temperature of 75°C (or a documented equivalent) — never serve poultry pink or rely on colour alone.. Wash and sanitise hands, boards, knives and surfaces after any contact with raw chicken, and confirm specifics with your food safety program and regulator.. Raw chicken: key controls: Step, Requirement. Storage — 5°C or below (or frozen), sealed, on the bottom shelf. Thawing — In the fridge in a drip-proof container; never on the bench. Washing — Never wash or rinse raw chicken. Cooking — Core temperature of 75°C in the thickest part, away from bone. Reheating — Rapidly to 75°C. Hot holding — 60°C or above. Why raw chicken is so high-risk Raw poultry is one of the most hazardous foods handled in commercial and home kitchens because a large proportion of raw chicken carries Campylobacter, and some carries Salmonella. Both are leading causes of foodborne illness in Australia. The bacteria live on the surface and in the juices of raw meat, and only a small number of Campylobacter cells can make someone sick. Symptoms typically include diarrhoea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, fever and nausea, and can be severe for young children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system. Because you cannot see, smell or taste these bacteria, safe handling has to be built into every step from delivery to service. Campylobacter and Salmonella are commonly present on raw chicken and are invisible to the senses. Very low doses of Campylobacter can cause illness, so cross-contamination is a real risk. Vulnerable groups — children, the elderly, pregnant women, immunocompromised people — can become seriously unwell. Never wash raw chicken One of the most important messages from FSANZ and state food authorities is simple: do not wash or rinse raw chicken before cooking. Washing does not remove or kill bacteria — only thorough cooking does that. What washing actually does is splash contaminated water, and the bacteria in it, onto your hands, clothing, taps, utensils and nearby ready-to-eat food, with droplets able to spread across surrounding surfaces around the sink. This spreads Campylobacter and Salmonella around the kitchen rather than removing them. Take chicken straight from its packaging to the pan, tray or board, and clean up any drips immediately. Cooking to 75°C destroys the bacteria — rinsing does not. Washing spreads contaminated droplets across surfaces and nearby food. Pat-drying with paper towel (then binning it and washing hands) is fine; rinsing under the tap is not. Keep raw chicken separate from everything ready-to-eat Cross-contamination — bacteria moving from raw chicken to food that will not be cooked again — is the main way raw poultry causes illness. Keep raw chicken physically separated from salads, cooked food, bread, fruit and other ready-to-eat items at all times. Use dedicated, clearly identified equipment for raw poultry: in kitchens that use colour coding, red is commonly used for raw meat. Never let a board, knife, tong or plate that touched raw chicken touch cooked or ready-to-eat food without being thoroughly washed and sanitised first — a classic mistake is carrying cooked chicken back to the plate that held it raw. Use separate chopping boards and knives for raw poultry and ready-to-eat food. Never reuse the plate, tongs or marinade that held raw chicken on cooked food. Prepare ready-to-eat food first, or on a completely separate bench, before handling raw chicken. Store and transport raw chicken in sealed, leak-proof containers. Store raw chicken cold and low Raw chicken must be kept out of the temperature danger zone (5°C to 60°C), where bacteria multiply quickly. Keep it refrigerated at 5°C or below, or frozen. In the fridge, always store raw chicken on the bottom shelf in a sealed container so its juices cannot drip onto food below — this is the single most important rule of fridge organisation. Check and record fridge temperatures regularly. Use raw chicken within its use-by date and follow first-in, first-out (FIFO) stock rotation. If you receive chicken as a delivery, check it is at 5°C or below on arrival and refrigerate it promptly. Refrigerate at 5°C or below; keep frozen chicken frozen until you need it. Always place raw chicken on the bottom shelf, sealed, below ready-to-eat food. Observe use-by dates — never use poultry past its use-by date. Apply FIFO so older stock is used first, and record fridge temperatures. Thaw frozen chicken safely Frozen chicken should be thawed in a way that keeps it out of the danger zone. The safest method is in the fridge at 5°C or below, in a container on the bottom shelf to catch drips — allow enough time, as large pieces can take a day or more. Do not thaw chicken on the bench at room temperature, because the outside warms into the danger zone long before the centre defrosts. If you need to speed things up, you can thaw in a microwave and cook immediately, or under cold running water in sealed packaging where your procedures allow. Cook chicken as soon as practical after thawing and never refreeze thawed raw chicken. Thaw in the fridge (5°C or below) in a drip-proof container — the safest method. Never thaw raw chicken on the bench at room temperature. Ensure it is fully thawed before cooking so the centre reaches 75°C. Do not refreeze raw chicken once it has thawed. Cook chicken thoroughly to 75°C Cooking is the step that actually destroys Campylobacter and Salmonella, so chicken must always be cooked right through — never served pink or rare. The widely used Australian target is a core temperature of 75°C, measured with a clean, calibrated probe thermometer in the thickest part, avoiding bone. Recognised time-and-temperature combinations (for example around 70°C held for about two minutes) can achieve an equivalent result if your food safety program documents them. Colour, texture and clear juices are helpful signs but are not proof on their own — always verify with a probe for whole birds and thick pieces. Reheat cooked chicken rapidly to 75°C and hold hot food at 60°C or above. Cook to 75°C in the centre of the thickest part, away from bone. Never serve poultry pink; do not rely on colour or juices alone. Use a clean, calibrated probe thermometer (accurate to about ±1°C). Reheat leftover chicken rapidly to 75°C and hot-hold at 60°C or above. Clean up thoroughly afterwards Once you have finished with raw chicken, assume everything it touched is contaminated. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water, then dry them, before touching anything else. Clean and then sanitise all boards, knives, benches, taps and equipment that came into contact with raw chicken or its juices — cleaning removes visible soil, and sanitising then reduces bacteria to safe levels. Bin or launder any cloths and disposable towels used, and change gloves if worn. Building this clean-down into your routine after every raw-poultry task is one of the most effective controls you have. Wash and dry hands immediately after handling raw chicken. Clean then sanitise boards, knives, benches and taps that had contact. Discard or launder cloths and change gloves before other tasks. Wash reusable equipment in hot soapy water or a commercial dishwasher. Worked examples: The plate that carried bacteria back to cooked chicken: A cook carries raw chicken to the grill on a plate, then plates the cooked chicken back onto the same unwashed plate. Bacteria from the raw juices transfer straight to the cooked food. Using a clean plate for the cooked chicken, and washing and sanitising anything that touched the raw product, prevents this. Checking doneness with a probe, not colour: A thick chicken breast looks cooked and the juices run clear, but a probe in the thickest part reads below 75°C. The cook returns it to heat until the core reaches 75°C. Relying on colour or juices alone would have risked serving undercooked poultry. Checklist: Raw chicken stored at 5°C or below (or frozen), sealed, on the bottom shelf. Frozen chicken thawed in the fridge, never on the bench, and fully defrosted before cooking. Dedicated boards, knives and utensils used for raw poultry. Chicken taken straight from pack to pan — never washed or rinsed. Ready-to-eat food prepared separately, never touching raw-chicken equipment. Chicken cooked to a core temperature of 75°C, verified with a calibrated probe. Hands, boards, benches, taps and equipment cleaned and sanitised after handling. Fridge temperatures and cooking temperatures recorded for high-risk items. Common mistakes: Washing or rinsing raw chicken, which splashes Campylobacter and Salmonella around the sink and onto nearby food and surfaces. Storing raw chicken above ready-to-eat food so juices drip down and contaminate it. Using the same board, knife or plate for raw chicken and cooked or ready-to-eat food without washing and sanitising. Reusing the marinade or plate that held raw chicken on the cooked product. Judging doneness by colour or clear juices instead of probing to 75°C, and serving chicken pink. Thawing chicken on the bench at room temperature, letting the surface sit in the danger zone. Forgetting to wash hands and sanitise surfaces immediately after handling raw poultry.