# Anyone else not like really moist chicken? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012 "2013-11-03T23:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/1 "2013-11-03T23:35:13Z")
Most times when I cook individual chicken breasts, I cook them long to get slightly dry. Some people think I’m crazy for that. I just baked a whole chicken that came out really, really moist. Too moist! I actually had a temp in the high 180s in the thigh and 170 in the breast, so it was cooked to a healthy temp. But blech! The meat was just too moist. I think chicken should have some moisture, but should a also be firm to cut. I especially like when the edges are dry. Maybe I’m a freak. Really moist chicken is just nasty. Anyone agree? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/2 "2013-11-04T01:38:03Z")
You won’t get an argument from me. Not because I agree with you, but because I’ll never eat your chicken. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/3 "2013-11-04T02:18:38Z")
Growing up, my mother always made fairly dry turkey. So nowadays I find very moist turkey a bit too slimy for my taste. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/4 "2013-11-04T02:20:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > You won’t get an argument from me. Not because I agree with you, but because I’ll never eat your chicken. That’s not very nice. To think, I already plopped some in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/5 "2013-11-04T02:25:43Z")
I like a nice char on the outside, but moisture on the inside is a must. I think the sad thing about chicken is a lot of people are convinced that if you don’t cook the chicken until it’s burnt to a crisp, you’re going to get sick. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/6 "2013-11-04T02:29:06Z")
So I’d take it you probably don’t like chicken in soups? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/7 "2013-11-04T03:13:26Z")
if you want moist chicken then it should be in soup. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/8 "2013-11-04T03:36:23Z")
Chicken wings at restaurants everywhere are almost always under cooked and are far too wet. If you can see chicken fat underneath the skin they need to sit in there longer. I do take my chicken off the grill moist if I’m going to reheat it in the microwave later though, same when cooking cardboard pizzas. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/9 "2013-11-04T04:39:02Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Chicken wings at restaurants everywhere are almost always under cooked and are far too wet. If you can see chicken fat underneath the skin they need to sit in there longer. I’ll agree on this point. Wings are one part of the bird that really do benefit from having the shit cooked out of them. You get crispy crunchy skin and the fat renders to baste the meat in flavorful stickiness. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/10 "2013-11-04T04:45:35Z")
When it comes to chicken, the moister the better. There may be a point when chicken can be too moist, but if so, I haven’t found it yet. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/11 "2013-11-04T05:16:26Z")
Chicken breast texture sucks compared to chicken thigh texture and flavor. The thigh is the Prime Rib of chicken, but I’ll buy the boneless skinless breasts on sale. What I hate is how most of the big chains (Kroger, Target, Walmart) only sell chicken bloated with “up to 15% of a solution” which must be salt water. That means that one and a half pounds out of every ten you buy isn’t even chicken, AND it increases the sodium content by two or three hundred percent. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/12 "2013-11-04T05:33:31Z")
I don’t like anything described as “moist”. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/13 "2013-11-04T06:45:40Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I don’t like anything described as “moist”. Killjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/14 "2013-11-04T13:46:53Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > I just baked a whole chicken that came out really, really moist. Too moist! I actually had a temp in the high 180s in the thigh and 170 in the breast, so it was cooked to a healthy temp. But blech! The meat was just too moist. Wow. You must REALLY like a dry chicken. 170 in the breast? That’s dry as a bone in my world. I go for 145 in the breast, 160ish in the thigh. Overdone chicken is the blech. But to each his/her own. I’ll make a point not to cook chicken if I have you over, **sparky**. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/15 "2013-11-04T14:17:10Z")
Chicken is done when the pink disappears but you can still taste it. It’s a short interval and all too few kitchens get it right. It should be juicy and firm, and easy to swallow (enough natural oils left to make chewing a pleasure rather than a chore.) And yes, thigh is the best, next to crispy skin, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/16 "2013-11-04T14:19:22Z")
Don’t care for greasy chicken, or overly damp. I tend to prefer my chicken and turkey rather dry. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/17 "2013-11-04T15:56:58Z")
I like it moist, but cooked through (white) on the inside. Just when the juices begin to run clear. When you cut through, the breast is juicy and still slightly loose, not completely constricted. I don’t think it’s as low as 145, but probably around 160-ish. I don’t generally probe chicken for temp, so I don’t know what it is exactly. The main thing I avoid is that mealy texture of overcooked chicken. Yuck. Thigh I’m happy to cook well done. I _really_ dislike what is undercooked thigh to me. So that I take probably to 170 ish. If I take it over, it doesn’t really suffer much at all. If I undershoot, blech. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/18 "2013-11-04T16:17:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I like it moist, but cooked through (white) on the inside. Just when the juices begin to run clear. When you cut through, the breast is juicy and still slightly loose, not completely constricted. I don’t think it’s as low as 145, but probably around 160-ish. The juices run clear at 145; I agree, you don’t want them pink especially at the breast! 160 on the breast, for me, is starting to get overcooked. For reference, if you scroll down to the second pic on [this page](http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/sous-vide-basics-low-temperature-chicken.html), it shows chicken breast cooked sous-vide to 140 degrees; you can see there’s still some pink there. To me, that’s underdone; I want it white all the way through, but still moist & tender. 145 does that. > [@](#): > > Thigh I’m happy to cook well done. I really dislike what is undercooked thigh to me. So that I take probably to 170 ish. If I take it over, it doesn’t really suffer much at all. If I undershoot, blech. I don’t think 170 for the thigh is overdone at all! I shoot for 165, but 170 is fine. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/19 "2013-11-04T16:51:49Z")
Depends entirely on your plans for the hen. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012/20 "2013-11-04T18:46:32Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > The juices run clear at 145; I agree, you don’t want them pink especially at the breast! > > 160 on the breast, for me, is starting to get overcooked. > > For reference, if you scroll down to the second pic on [this page](http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/sous-vide-basics-low-temperature-chicken.html), it shows chicken breast cooked sous-vide to 140 degrees Interesting. If that’s 145, then my chicken breast preference looks like it would be maybe 5 degrees or so more done than that. I’ve never probed a chicken breast before, so I’m a bit surprised that 145 is that done. I would’ve guessed the chicken in the photo was at around 155-160. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-like-really-moist-chicken/673012.md?page=2)