KitchenSafe cooking temperatures for chicken, meat, fish and eggs
Source and date. The temperatures and times on this page are those published by the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA FSIS) on its pages "Leftovers and Food Safety" (last updated 31 July 2020) and "Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart" (last updated 14 April 2025), read on 11 November 2026. Celsius figures are our conversion of the published Fahrenheit figures. In India, follow the advice of FSSAI and the instructions on food packets. This is general information, not medical advice. People who are pregnant, elderly, very young or unwell should take extra care.
Colour is a poor guide to whether meat is cooked. Chicken can stay pink near the bone when it is done, and keema can turn brown before it is. The reliable test is the temperature at the centre of the food. These are the minimum internal temperatures published by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.
| Food | Minimum inside temperature | Rest time | Everyday examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken and all other poultry, whole, pieces or minced | 165 °F (74 °C) | None stated | Chicken curry, tikka, roast chicken, chicken keema |
| Minced meat (keema) of mutton, lamb, beef or pork | 160 °F (71 °C) | None stated | Keema, kebabs, koftas, burger patties |
| Whole cuts of mutton, lamb, beef, pork: steaks, chops, roasts | 145 °F (63 °C) | Rest for at least 3 minutes | Roast leg, chops |
| Fish and shellfish | 145 °F (63 °C) | None stated | Fried, grilled or baked fish, prawns |
| Eggs | 160 °F (71 °C) | None stated | Egg dishes |
| Leftovers and casseroles | 165 °F (74 °C) | None stated | Any cooked food being reheated |
Temperatures are measured with a food thermometer before the food is taken off the heat. The source notes that people may choose to cook to higher temperatures for reasons of personal preference.
What "rest time" means
For whole cuts of red meat, the chart adds a rest of at least three minutes after the meat leaves the heat. During the rest the temperature inside stays steady or keeps rising, which finishes the job. The rest is part of the cooking, so do not cut the meat immediately.
Why minced meat needs more heat than a whole piece
The chart sets a higher temperature for minced meat (160 °F) than for whole cuts (145 °F with a rest). Mincing mixes the outside of the meat, where germs mostly sit, all through the batch. A kebab or kofta therefore has to be cooked right to the centre, while a whole chop is mainly a matter of its surface. Poultry needs 165 °F in every form.
How this fits Indian cooking
Most Indian meat dishes are simmered or pressure cooked far beyond these minimums. A chicken curry bubbling for twenty minutes, or mutton cooked until tender, is well past the chart. The dishes that deserve a check are the quick, dry-heat ones:
- Tandoori chicken, tikka and grilled leg pieces. The outside chars quickly while the meat next to the bone lags behind. Check the thickest part.
- Seekh kebabs, shami kebabs, koftas and burger patties. Minced meat, so the centre matters.
- Shallow-fried or grilled fish and prawns. Thick fillets and steaks can be raw in the middle when the outside is done.
- Whole roast chicken or a large roast. Check the innermost part of the thigh and the thickest part of the breast.
- Barbecues and picnics, where cooking is hurried and light is poor.
Using a food thermometer
- A simple digital probe thermometer is inexpensive and reads in a few seconds.
- Push the probe into the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and the pan. Bone and metal give false readings.
- For thin food such as a patty or a fish fillet, slide the probe in from the side.
- Check more than one piece, especially on a grill where heat is uneven.
- Wash the probe with soap and water after each use, and between checking raw and cooked food.
Without a thermometer
A thermometer is the only way to know the temperature. If you do not have one, cook quick-cooked meat for longer rather than shorter, cut into the thickest piece and look for signs that it is cooked through: poultry juices that run clear, fish that turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork, minced meat with no soft raw-looking centre. Treat these as supporting signs, not as proof.
The four habits around the temperature
The same USDA page sets the temperature chart inside four simple rules:
- Clean: wash hands and surfaces often.
- Separate: keep raw meat apart from other foods. Use a separate board and knife, and never put cooked kebabs back on the plate that held them raw.
- Cook: to the right temperature.
- Chill: refrigerate food promptly.
Eggs
The chart lists eggs at 160 °F. In everyday terms, that is an egg cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm, and egg dishes cooked until set all the way through. Dishes made with raw or barely cooked egg carry more risk, particularly for small children, older people, pregnant women and anyone who is unwell.
Reheated food
Leftovers and casseroles are listed at 165 °F, the same as poultry. The full routine for cooling, storing, thawing and reheating is on our page about reheating leftovers, and fridge and freezer times are on the food storage page.
Fahrenheit and Celsius
The source gives its chart in Fahrenheit. The three figures to remember are 145 °F (63 °C), 160 °F (71 °C) and 165 °F (74 °C). Oven settings are a different matter: an oven set to 180 °C is far hotter than any of these, because the oven heats the outside of the food while the centre catches up. Oven conversions are on the oven temperatures page.
Questions people ask
What temperature should chicken be cooked to?
165 °F, about 74 °C, at the thickest part, according to the USDA chart. This applies to whole birds, pieces and minced chicken.
What temperature is safe for keema and kebabs?
160 °F, about 71 °C, for minced mutton, lamb, beef or pork, and 165 °F for minced chicken.
What temperature should fish be cooked to?
145 °F, about 63 °C, according to the USDA chart.
Where do I put the thermometer?
In the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and the pan.
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