Frozen breaded chicken products are easy to prepare and often are one of our children's favourite meals. But they usually contain raw poultry and should be handled and prepared no differently from other raw poultry products.
So before serving chicken nuggets, strips or burgers, here are seven precautions that should be taken to protect your health and those of your loved ones.
1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after handling these products.
2. Cook them to an internal temperature of at least 74°C •165°F). Do not eat raw or undercooked frozen breaded chicken products.
3. Use a digital food thermometer — insert it through the side of the meat, all the way to the middle. Note that oven-safe thermometers that are designed for testing whole poultry and roasts during cooking are not suitable for testing nuggets, strips or burgers.
4. Always follow package cooking instructions, including food labelled “uncooked”, “cook and serve”, “ready to cook”, and “oven ready”.
5. To prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, always use a separate plate, cutting board and utensils when handling frozen raw breaded chicken products.
6. If you use the same plate, cutting board or utensils that were used for raw food, ensure that they are washed thoroughly before using them for food that is cooked. Wash your counters after handling these products as you would with raw meat.
7. Don't use a microwave for cooking frozen raw breaded poultry products, including chicken nuggets, strips or burgers. These products may cook unevenly in a microwave oven, and can leave parts of the product uncoooked.