Checking Steamed Chicken: Signs Of Doneness

Steamed chicken is a popular dish in Southeast Asian countries, often served with chicken rice. It is easy to make and delicious. However, it is important to ensure that the chicken is properly cooked to avoid food poisoning. The best way to check if chicken is cooked is to use a meat thermometer – the thickest part of the chicken should be at least 165 °F (74 °C). If you don't have a thermometer, there are other ways to tell if your chicken is cooked. You can check if the juices run clear, rather than pink, and that the meat is white or very light pink, rather than shiny pink. The chicken will also be about 25% smaller than its raw state.

Characteristics of a fully cooked steamed chicken

Check the juices are clear

Checking that the juices of your steamed chicken are clear is a great way to ensure that your chicken is cooked and safe to eat. This is a simple and effective method to guarantee that your chicken is cooked through without having to use a meat thermometer.

Firstly, pierce the thickest part of the chicken fillet or cutlet with a knife or fork. If the juices are pink, the chicken is not cooked and needs to be returned to the steamer. If the juices are clear, the chicken is ready to eat.

Checking the colour of the juices is a great way to double-check that your chicken has reached a safe internal temperature for eating. This method is unique to chicken and cannot be used to test the doneness of other types of meat.

However, it is important to note that this method does cause the chicken to lose some of its juices, which keep the meat moist. Therefore, it is recommended to use a meat thermometer as your primary method of checking, and only cut into the chicken if you are unsure.

If you are cooking a whole chicken, you can also check if it is cooked by pulling the leg away from the body and piercing the skin and meat to release the juices. If the juices are clear, the chicken is cooked.

Check the meat is white/opaque

Checking that the meat is white or opaque is a good way to tell if your steamed chicken is cooked. The colour of the meat is a good indicator of whether it is cooked or not. If the chicken is white, it is cooked, but if it is pink, it needs more time. This method is only advised for white meat chicken, as cooked leg meat will generally be more fawn-coloured.

Checking the colour of the meat is a good way to double-check that your thermometer has given you an accurate reading. However, it is not always a good indicator, as the difference in colour between cooked and uncooked chicken can be subtle and hard to distinguish. It is also not a good method if you are cooking chicken in large pieces, as cutting into the chicken to check the colour will cause a loss of moisture.

Check the meat has shrunk

Checking if your chicken has shrunk in size is a great way to tell if it's cooked. Uncooked chicken holds a lot of moisture, which evaporates during the cooking process, and the meat tends to shrink as the muscle fibres contract when heated. When your chicken is fully cooked, it will be about 25% smaller than it was when it was raw.

The exact amount of shrinkage depends on how fatty or juicy the raw chicken is. Extra fatty or juicy pieces of chicken will shrink more compared to lean cuts.

If your chicken fillet or cutlet looks seared and golden on the outside but is still the same size as when it was raw, it needs more time. If the chicken has shrunk, check the colour of the juices before removing it from the heat.

However, this method should be used in conjunction with other tests, such as checking the internal temperature or the colour of the juices, as it is not always accurate. For example, if you are cooking your chicken on a grill, the exterior may look charred, but the inside could still be cold.

Check the meat is firm

Checking that the meat is firm is a good way to tell if your steamed chicken is cooked. You can do this by poking the chicken with your finger. As it cooks, chicken loses moisture and tightens up. Raw chicken feels rubbery or wobbly, while cooked chicken feels firmer and springs back from your touch. Poke the chicken in a thick spot without a bone underneath to see if it has a firm, cooked texture.

Undercooked chicken will feel quite dense or give a "snap" when you bite into it. Cooked chicken feels and looks more fibrous or almost stringy. To get an idea of what cooked chicken feels like, keep your hand limp and press your middle finger to your thumb.

If your chicken has bones in it, the meat will fall off fairly easily if it's fully cooked.

Check the meat's internal temperature

Checking the internal temperature of the chicken is the best way to know if it is cooked. White meat chicken should be cooked to 165 °F (73–74 °C) and dark meat should reach 175 °F (79 °C). Insert the tip of a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, ensuring that it is not touching any bone. If you are using a digital thermometer, the temperature will read in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius. Analog thermometers will have a red arrow that points to the accurate temperature in both degrees.

If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can check the internal colour of the chicken meat by making a small incision in the thickest part of the meat with a sharp knife. If you see pink meat, it is not ready; if the meat is white or opaque, it is cooked.

You can also check the juices that come out of the chicken. If they are clear or white, the chicken is cooked; if they are pink, it needs more time.

Frequently asked questions