You Really Can’t Be Too Careful With Chicken

In the last column, which we’ll call Chicken 101, we explained 10 terms used to classify and label commercially raised chicken.

But when you come face to face (so to speak) with chicken in the supermarket, how do you decide which is the most nutritious? And then how do you keep it from becoming a food-poisoning factory?

In terms of including chicken in a healthy diet, it may be helpful to look at some comparative fat and calorie levels of 3.5 ounces of chicken cooked without added fat:

Broiler/Fryers:

Breast with skin: 197 calories, 8 grams of fat.

Breast without skin: 165 calories, 4 grams of fat.

Leg with skin: 232 calories, 13 grams of fat.

Leg without skin: 191 calories, 8 grams of fat.

Roasters:

Dark meat without skin: 178 calories, 9 grams of fat.

Light meat without skin: 153 calories, 4 grams of fat.

Stewers:

Dark meat without skin: 258 calories, 15 grams of fat.

Light meat without skin: 213 calories, 8 grams of fat.

The above information may help you select a chicken, but the most important thing to remember is that chicken is extremely perishable.

For safety’s sake, assume that all chicken is potentially contaminated with salmonella, and handle it accordingly. It should be placed in the coldest part of the refrigerator as soon as you get home. If you’re not going right home from the grocery store, take a cooler in the back of the car.

The less you handle chicken the better. It can stay in the wrapping from the store, but you may want to over-wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

The chicken should also be put on a plate or in a container to keep any juices from getting on other foods. Fresh, raw chicken can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three days. Once cooked, it can be kept for another three to four days.

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If you buy whole chickens, take any giblets out because they will spoil before the meat will. Once you remove the giblets, rinse the chicken, dry it off with a paper towel and re-wrap it loosely in heavy plastic, aluminum foil or butcher paper.

Either throw the giblets away or store them in a separate container, and use them within one day of purchase. Before cooking the chicken, wash it in cold water and pat it dry with paper towels.

If you’re not planning to cook the chicken for several days, freeze it immediately. Remove it from its wrapping, wash it off and dry with paper towels. Then wrap it tightly so no air can get inside. If you have bought a whole bird, cut it up first so it will freeze more evenly and be easier to defrost later. Frozen chicken is good for up to a year.

Never, ever thaw a frozen chicken outside of the refrigerator. Put it on a plate to catch the drippings, and count on three to four hours of thawing time per pound of chicken.

If you are planning to cook the chicken right away, you can thaw it in the microwave.

You should probably cut away any big pieces of fat on the chicken before cooking. However, skinning it before cooking only tends to make the meat drier, but not necessarily leaner. Removing the skin after cooking takes away much of the fat but allows the meat to stay moist and tender.

Be sure to keep raw poultry away from all other foods, especially anything that will be served raw, such as salad greens or fruit. Use hot, soapy water to wash your hands and anything else that comes in contact with the chicken.

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If marinating chicken before cooking it, keep it in the refrigerator. Never marinate poultry at room temperature. In about three hours, chicken left at room temperature can spoil, and anybody who eats it is likely to become sick.

Do not use leftover marinade as a sauce without boiling it for several minutes. If using leftover marinade to baste the chicken, make sure there is plenty of cooking time left so the marinade is thoroughly heated. A better idea is to make a separate batch of marinade that has not come in contact with the raw chicken to use as a basting sauce or gravy.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, 85% of all cases of food poisoning could be avoided if people handled food properly. The department’s Meat and Poultry Hotline for advice on food safety is (800) 535-4555.

If you call Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. PST, you can talk to an expert for specific advice. The service also has a helpful Web site at https://www.fsis.usda.gov.

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Dr. Sheldon Margen is professor of public health at UC Berkeley; Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. They are the authors of several books, including “The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition.” Send questions to Dale Ogar, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, or e-mail daogar@uclink4.berkeley.edu.