collects within the protein sheaths.- At 140°F: The remaining proteins within the muscle cells
coagulate, forcing all of the liquid out of the cells and into
the protein sheaths. The coagulated proteins turn the meat
firm and opaque. I like my chicken and turkey breasts
cooked to 140°F. - At 150°F: The proteins in the sheaths themselves (mainly
collagen) rapidly coagulate and contract. All the water that
was forced out of the cells and collected within the sheaths
is now squeezed out of the meat completely. Despite
government warnings to be sure to cook chicken to 165°F,
in reality, above 150°F or so, muscle fibers have become
almost completely squeezed dry. Congratulations, your
dinner is now officially cardboard.
On the other hand, leg meat must be cooked to at least
170°F. OK, that’s a bit of an overstatement. It’ll still be
perfectly edible at around 160°F (any lower than that, and
the abundant connective tissue will remain tough), but the
juices will still be pink or red and the meat will not have yet
reached optimal tenderness. Unlike breast meat, leg meat
contains plenty of collagen. Given a high-enough
temperature (say 160°F and above) and a long-enough time
(say the 10 minutes it takes the legs to get from 160° to
170°F), the collagen will begin to convert into rich gelatin,
keeping the meat moist and juicy even after the muscle
fibers have shed most of their liquid.
So, the question is, how do you cook legs to 170°F
without taking the breasts beyond 145°F? I use three
different methods, depending on the situation and the bird at