Cooked chicken breast to 165°F like a health inspector told me... dry as a bone

A health inspector at a diner in Buffalo told me I had to cook chicken to 165°F internal temp or it wasn't safe. I trusted him completely and started pulling chicken at exactly that temp every time. But after three weeks of dry, sad chicken, a buddy who used to work in a kitchen told me to pull it at 155°F and let it rest for two minutes. I tried it with a basic probe thermometer and the texture was way better, still hit safe temps during resting. Anyone else get bad advice from someone who should know better?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.gavin29d ago

Heard this same kind of thing from a building inspector once. Told me I had to put a certain type of insulation in my attic or it wouldn't pass code. Spent a lot of money on it. Later found out the code had multiple options and his advice was just his personal preference. It's like a lot of things in life. People in authority get set in their ways and pass off their opinion as the only correct way. You did the right thing checking with someone who actually works with chicken every day.

the_kevin29d ago

Yeah that "set in their ways" thing is spot on, they hate admitting there's more than one right way to do something.