Whole Chicken - why won't the breast cook even though thighs are done?
I've been cooking a 6.5 lb. whole chicken tonight and I'm confused by the temperature readings. After about an hour and a quarter, the thickest part of the thigh is at 175 degrees but the breast is only at 140. From reading around, it sounds like the breast normally cooks faster than the thigh. So I'm confused. Most articles state to measure the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh. Do I also need to be concerned about the breast temperature? Why could there be such a variance?
The chicken was not frozen at all. I cooked on 425 convection.
Best Answer
You are probably touching the bone with the probe tip
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Why is my chicken not cooking through?
When chicken doesn't have space around it, the heat and moisture can't escape. That leaves the chicken to steam in its own juices. Also, the chicken may not cook evenly if it's sitting on top of other pieces. You risk having some pieces done while others remain raw.Does chicken breast take longer to cook than thighs?
Dark meat, such as chicken thighs or legs, will take longer to cook, because they have a higher fat content and density. Boneless thighs will take 20 to 30 minutes to cook at 350F (dependent on size).Can you cook chicken breast and thighs the same way?
Chicken thighs can be used in all the same ways that chicken breasts can. Thighs do have a little less protein and a little more fat than chicken breasts, but the differences are not very big. My favorite way to use chicken thighs are in the slow cooker.Why does my chicken cook unevenly?
Mistake: You overcrowd the pan. "What ends up happening is the meat cooks unevenly due to being overcrowded." Additionally, overcrowding can cause your chicken to steam rather than help it get that nice caramelized-brown sear.I boiled a WHOLE Chicken in 10lbs of BUTTER!
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Answer 2
Well it depends how you cook the chicken. Depending if you are going to Rotisserie or not will depend how you should prepare the chicken. If you are going to cook it in an oven or smoker then you want to fly the chicken. This involved cutting the spine out, breaking the center rib and flattening it out. When you don't fly the chicken and place it in an oven then the thighs are lower to the pan that tends to create additional heat as apposed to the breast that is higher. Since breast meat takes longer to cook the lower you can get it the better.
Rotisserie
If you decide to rotisserie it then there is no need to fly the chicken since it gets a pretty even cook all the way around
Oven/Smoker
If you are going to make it in an oven or basically anything else then you need to fly it. Here is a video to learn how to do that. Great video from some smoker guys that give a good explanation.
Wow just realized that was posted back in Feb
Answer 3
My best guess is that your chicken has brine injected into the breast. This extra moisture will keep that part of the bird at a lower temperature.
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