Chicken is a healthy and delicious food you can feed your family.  However, food safety is important when it comes to chicken.  Raw chicken carries bacteria like salmonella that can make you sick if you consume it.  Part of the problem with chicken is that the juice of the raw chicken can get on your countertop, cutting board or knives and enter into other food and make you sick.  Here are a few safety tips to follow when working with chicken:

• Refrigerate or freeze the chicken as soon as you get home from the grocery store.  Cook the chicken within two days of the “sell by” date on the package.
• Use a separate cutting board and knife when cutting raw chicken.  (In fact, if it’s possible have a cutting board that you use only for poultry.)  Don’t use a wooden cutting board.  Using the same cutting board and knife for your raw chicken and salad (for example) can cause cross contamination.  The cooked chicken might be bacteria free, but your salad will have an unwelcome component.
• Don’t consume raw or undercooked chicken.  Always use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is safe to eat.  For a chicken breast the internal temperature should reach 170 degrees Fahrenheit and for the thigh it should reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Put any leftover chicken in the refrigerator within two hours of finishing your meal.  If chicken is left out at room temperature for more than two hours it can make you sick.

Use these suggestions when you cook chicken so your family can safely enjoy their chicken based meal.