# Chicken cross contamination question (need answer FAST!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751 "2011-03-07T04:39:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/1 "2011-03-07T04:39:49Z")
I was making a chicken pot pie recipe ([this one](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Pot-Pie-IX/Detail.aspx); please don’t comment on its quality, because that’s hardly my focus at the moment) that calls for onion to be cooked in 1/3 cup of butter until the onion is soft. The chicken is supposed to be cooked in a separate container. But since I’m so used to sauteing chicken in onion, I just mindlessly tossed the juice-dripping chicken pieces in with the onion! I removed them, but obviously the damage is done. Is the recipe such that I could just heat up the pan to cook the onion and butter to “cook out” the germs, or should I toss the onion in the garbage, wash out the pan, and go to the store to buy more onion and butter? ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/2 "2011-03-07T04:50:03Z")
Recipe says to cook the pie till the filling is bubbly. This means you are boiling the chicken and the onion. they will be equally safe. 425 for 35 minutes and make sure filling is bubbly! You’ll be fine. (Do NOT taste onion butter mixture) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/3 "2011-03-07T04:52:37Z")
D’oh. I forgot about the actual baking in the oven. 🙂 I thought I had to cook out the salmonella in the pan beforehand! So I think I may just proceed. 🙂 If anyone wants to offer a reason why I shouldn’t, please let me know! (Or even just confirm; that’s good too!) ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/4 "2011-03-07T04:56:57Z")
Confirmation here. You’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/5 "2011-03-07T04:58:50Z")
The only problem is that you did not follow ze direckshuns to ze letter, and ze food police will come to tok to you, in ze middle of ze night! ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/6 "2011-03-07T05:07:23Z")
Hey, as long as I don’t get sick. 😛 (BTW, how do you tell if the filling is bubbly without cutting the pie open? Just listen?) ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/7 "2011-03-07T05:08:33Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Hey, as long as I don’t get sick. 😛 > > (BTW, how do you tell if the filling is bubbly without cutting the pie open? Just listen?) You cut slits in the top crust before baking. It bubbles through those. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/8 "2011-03-07T05:27:56Z")
Gah. Right. See, I must be starving to forget all this stuff. 😛 (Though I don’t think I’ve ever had it bubble through the slits before… Ah, well, I can just listen…) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/9 "2011-03-07T06:20:20Z")
And in case anyone wondered, after half an hour I could hear the merry simmering, so I think it’s good. 🙂 Thanks for the info/reminders of info I should’ve remembered! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/10 "2011-03-07T07:45:27Z")
Why did the chicken cross contamination? To get salmonella! ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/11 "2011-03-07T13:56:02Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > And in case anyone wondered, after half an hour I could hear the merry simmering, so I think it’s good. 🙂 Thanks for the info/reminders of info I should’ve remembered! Ahem. You didn’t bring enough to share? You’re a food tease. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-cross-contamination-question-need-answer-fast/573751/12 "2011-03-08T05:58:53Z")
I figured I’d spare you from possible sickness just in case I/everyone was wrong! I’m only thinking of you!