PREVRA Chicken Temperature Chart: Safe Core Temperatures for Every Cut of Chicken
A clear reference chart covering FSA-mandated safe cooking temperatures for whole chickens, portions, and minced poultry. Required for HACCP compliance in all UK food businesses handling raw chicken.
Why chicken is the highest-risk protein in every UK commercial kitchen
Campylobacter is present in approximately 50% of raw chicken sold in the UK. It takes as few as 500 organisms to cause infection — a fraction of what you would need for salmonella. Chicken that looks cooked through but has not reached safe core temperature is the single biggest cause of food poisoning traced back to commercial kitchens.
The FSA is unequivocal: poultry must reach a core temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes, or 75°C instant reading, or an equivalent time-temperature combination. There is no rare chicken. There is no "chef's judgement" alternative to probing. Your EHO will ask to see your chicken cooking temperature logs and will check that probe thermometers are calibrated.
One counter-intuitive fact: washing raw chicken does not remove campylobacter — it spreads it. The FSA has actively campaigned against this practice since 2014 because splashing aerosolises bacteria up to 80 cm from the sink.
Using the chicken temperature chart in your daily kitchen operations
Post this chart at every section that handles raw chicken. Probe every whole bird in the thickest part of the breast and the inner thigh — both must meet the target. For portions, probe the thickest part. For minced products like chicken burgers, probe the centre of the thickest patty in the batch.
Calibrate probe thermometers weekly using ice water and boiling water, and log the calibration checks. A probe reading 2°C out could mean the difference between safe and unsafe. Replace probes that drift beyond 0.5°C tolerance.
Digital SFBB allows your team to log chicken cooking temperatures from any device, with the system automatically flagging readings that fall below safe limits and prompting immediate corrective action. For related content, see our Chicken Pasteurization Chart and Beef Temperature Chart.
Pitfalls to avoid when cooking chicken in a commercial kitchen
The most dangerous mistake: relying on visual cues. Clear juices and white flesh are not reliable indicators of safe temperature — only a probe gives certainty. A chicken breast can appear fully cooked at 60°C, well below the safe threshold.
Another common error: probing too shallow. The probe tip must be in the thermal centre — the thickest part, not near a bone (which conducts heat and gives a falsely high reading) and not near the surface (which reads low). For whole birds, probe multiple sites.
Cross-contamination during probing is also a risk. Sanitise the probe between readings if you are checking multiple items, or use a probe wipe after every insertion into raw or part-cooked chicken.
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