How do you know when chicken breast is done on the stove?

Q: Is it OK if chicken breast is a little pink?

Yes. Its perfectly normal for the cooked chicken to still be slightly pink at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The pink color is due to myoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in the muscle tissue. Myoglobin is denatured when meat is cooked and turns pink to red.

Eating raw chicken is really dangerous, so it's extremely important to know how to tell if chicken is cooked fully. There are a multitude of ways to check your chicken, and since I know a meat thermometer isn't always accessible, I'm going to cover the ways I use when I'm without a thermometer as well as checking with one. Learning how to check your chicken without a thermometer is a lot simpler than it may sound and will come in handy when you find yourself without one

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1. Shrinking of the meat.
2. Check the color of the juices.
3. Make a small incision in the thickest part of the meat and check the color.
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How long do you cook chicken breast for on the stove?
Is it OK if chicken breast is a little pink?
How can you tell if chicken is done without a thermometer?
How do you feel when chicken breast is done?

Ariana Antonelli

Disclaimer: For best results, insert a thermometer into the thickest section of the poultry to check if your chicken is at 165ºF. Cooking chicken over a low heat will help the poultry cook throughout.

If you do not have a thermometer on hand, there are other indications of cooked piece of chicken:

1. Shrinking of the meat.

Ariana Antonelli

Once chicken is fully cooked, it will be smaller than it was when started. If your chicken looks white on the outside but is the same size, it may not be fully cooked yet.

2. Check the color of the juices.

Ariana Antonelli

When dealing with chicken, you can check to see if the juices are more clear/white to tell if it's done. This works for chicken specifically, do not apply this to other meats. If the juice coming out of the chicken is still tinted pink, then your chicken needs more time.

3. Make a small incision in the thickest part of the meat and check the color.

Ariana Antonelli

If you don't want to cut apart your chicken, then a small incision will work fine. Just pull apart the sides using a fork and a knife until you can see the color of the meat all the way through. Make sure to use this method in good lighting to make sure the meat is actually the color you see. Sometimes the meat will have some pink hues in the white, meaning that it needs to be cooked a tad bit longer. If the meat is white, then it is fully cooked.

Ariana Antonelli

With practice and time, checking your chicken will become an easier and quicker task. When in doubt, remember the temperature of 165ºF. Enjoy!

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Chicken is an appetizing, easy dish that can be paired with almost anything. Eating undercooked or raw chicken is incredibly dangerous and can make you very sick, so it’s important to know when your food is safe to eat.[1] Using a thermometer and inspecting your chicken is a sure-fire way to make sure that you are consuming safe, healthy, and delicious food.

1
Choose a meat thermometer. Buying the right thermometer can make your cooking process much easier. To get the most accurate reading, a digital meat thermometer is best, but an analog thermometer can also be used.[2][3]
2
Calibrate your thermometer by reading a freezing temperature. Fill a large pitcher with ice and cold tap water, and mix thoroughly until the ice is distributed evenly. Place your thermometer into the pitcher of ice/water mixture and wait 30 seconds, or until the temperature reading stays on one number. Adjust your thermometer reading until it stays at 32 °F (0 °C).
- No matter what kind of thermometer you are using, making sure it is calibrated correctly is essential to ensure you get an accurate temperature reading.
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3
Find the thickest part of the chicken. Testing the temperature of the thickest part of the meat ensures that your entire piece of chicken is cooked, and not just the thin portions. Identify which area of the chicken has the most meat on it, usually toward the center of the piece.
4
Insert your thermometer. Stab your thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, making sure that the end of the thermometer stays near the middle of the piece. Wait about 30 seconds, or until your thermometer reading becomes steady.
- Chicken should be cooked until it is 165 °F (74 °C).[4][5]
- If your chicken is above these temperatures, it may be overcooked. If it is under these temperatures, it needs more cooking time.

1
Test the firmness of the meat to make sure it is cooked. When cooking, chicken loses moisture and will tighten up.[6] Raw chicken feels rubbery or wobbly, while cooked chicken should feel firm and spring back from your touch.
- A good example of what cooked chicken should feel like can be felt by keeping your hand limp and pressing your middle finger to your thumb.
2
Check for white/clear juice to test whether your chicken is ready.[7] While cooking, there is often juice that collects in the pan or dish that your chicken is cooking in. Cooked chicken juice will be a white/clear color, while uncooked chicken juice will be more pink.[8]
- Checking the color of the juice to test whether meat is done is a trick that only works for chicken, and not other types of meat.
3
Determine if your chicken has shrunk in size to see if it is cooked. Uncooked chicken holds a lot of moisture which is expelled during the cooking process. Meat also tends to shrink while cooking, because the muscle fibers contract. Your cooked chicken piece will be slightly smaller than the piece of uncooked chicken that you started with.
4
Look for a white meat color to see if your chicken is cooked. Raw or undercooked chicken has a pink tone to it. By cutting open the thickest part of your chicken and looking at the color, you can identify whether your chicken needs more cook time or not. Cooked chicken will be white on the inside with no pinkish hue, and a golden brown on the outside.

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Question
How do you know if chicken is cooked without a thermometer?

JoAnna Minneci is a Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With more than 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specializes in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She has also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control.

Professional Chef
Expert Answer
Without the thermometer, you're just going to end up guessing. One thing you can do is poke the chicken. If it's firm it and the chicken is really firm.
Question
How can you tell if chicken is overcooked?

JoAnna Minneci is a Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With more than 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specializes in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She has also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control.

Professional Chef
Expert Answer
If there's a lot of liquid in the pan, it probably means that all of the moisture that would have made a tender chicken breast moist and juicy is now squeezed out because of the muscle contracting as it's been overcooked.

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References

↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.
↑ https://brobbq.com/best-digital-meat-thermometer/
↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.
↑ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/teach-others/fsis-educational-campaigns/is-it-done-yet/thermometer-placement-and-temperatures/ct_index
↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.
↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.
↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.
↑ https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/how-to-tell-if-chicken-is-cooked-fully-through

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Article SummaryX

To tell if chicken is cooked, insert the tip of a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Once the thermometer reads at least 165° F (74 °C), the chicken is done. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, look at the juice in the pan to see if it’s clear, or try cutting into the chicken and checking the color of the juices that flow out. They should be colorless if the chicken is done, not red or pink. The meat should also feel firm to the touch, not rubbery. Cut into the thickest part of the chicken and check the color of the meat as well. Breast meat should be white all the way through, while thigh meat should have a light brown color. If you notice any pink or red meat, the chicken probably needs to cook longer.

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Did this article help you?

How long do you cook chicken breast for on the stove?

How Long To Cook Chicken on Stove? This will depend on how big or thick your chicken breasts are. But generally you will want to cook them for 5-8 minutes per side or once chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You can use a meat thermometer to get the correct internal temperature.

Is it OK if chicken breast is a little pink?

Yes. It's perfectly normal for the cooked chicken to still be slightly pink at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The pink color is due to myoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in the muscle tissue. Myoglobin is denatured when meat is cooked and turns pink to red.

How can you tell if chicken is done without a thermometer?

Observe the juice To do this, simply pierce the meat at the thickest point and watch the color of the juice as it pours out of the cut. If the juice is clear, that means that the chicken meat is done. If the juice is pink, that means that the chicken still needs to cook a little more (or possibly a lot more).

How do you feel when chicken breast is done?

The meat should also feel firm to the touch, not rubbery. Cut into the thickest part of the chicken and check the color of the meat as well. Breast meat should be white all the way through, while thigh meat should have a light brown color. If you notice any pink or red meat, the chicken probably needs to cook longer.