Should You Wash Raw Chicken Before Cooking It?

The Don’t Wash Your Chicken program, backed by researchers at Drexel University, is trying to demonstrate why you should not rinse raw chicken under the faucet before cooking it.

Salmonella and campylobacter bacteria can spread around your kitchen when water is added to raw chicken, increasing the risk of food poisoning, according to Drexel researchers.

They added that rinsing can make bacteria aerosolize, making pathogens airborne.

According to Don’t Wash Your Chicken, cooking chicken to a temperature of 165°F will destroy any leftover bacteria.

Salmonella in raw poultry causes 155,000 fatalities and 93 million cases of foodborne disease annually.

While you’d want to rinse off raw chicken under the tap before cooking it, a new initiative is working to explain why you shouldn’thttps://t.co/xm6zkV8nIt

— WGN Morning News (@WGNMorningNews) September 4, 2022