How-to guide
Where to put a thermometer in chicken
Put the sensing area in the thickest meat, not against bone, a pan, a grill grate, or the cavity.
U.S. home food-safety guidance.Check the source and scope
What to do
- Breast: center of the thickest portion; enter a thin fillet from the side.
- Thigh or drumstick: thickest flesh beside, not against, the bone. Wing: the meatiest part clear of its thin bones. See chicken wing temperature and probe placement for drumettes and flats.
- Whole bird: thickest breast plus innermost thigh and wing. Ground patty: center from the side; stuffing: center of the filling.
Probe placement: correct vs incorrect
Thin breast or thin pieces
Thick meat with a bone
Schematic, not to scale. The blue band marks an illustrative sensing area. Follow your thermometer maker's sensing-area instructions. These diagrams show placement, not whether a meal is safe.
Conditions and limits
- Wait for the model’s reading to stabilize and reposition if a probe exits the meat.
- A surface-only infrared device cannot verify the center.
Source and scope
Primary reference: USDA FSIS Food Thermometers. Equipment-specific steps and quality suggestions are practical guidance; check the appliance or product instructions for your model. How this site uses sources.