Why are the Rules Stricter for Chicken Than Beef?

Short answer

Chicken isn’t dirtier than beef. The difference is where the bacteria can be. On a steak they sit on the outside. In chicken they can be all the way through, so cooking the surface isn’t enough. That’s why the rules for chicken are stricter.

Why a steak can be rare and chicken can’t

A whole steak can be served rare because the bacteria are on the outside, and searing kills them. Chicken doesn’t work that way. Salmonella and Campylobacter can be present throughout the meat, so the centre has to reach a safe temperature as well. For chicken pieces, that’s 75°C at the thickest part.

It takes very little

You don’t need much contamination to get sick. A small number of Campylobacter bacteria is enough, which is why raw chicken juices matter. They can reach boards, knives, benches, hands and other food. We cover that in [our guide to separate chopping boards](chopping boards link).

Why mince and some steaks are different too

Beef isn’t automatically safe to eat rare. Mince spreads surface bacteria through the whole product, and blade-tenderised or injected steaks push them inward. Both should be cooked through. It’s the same principle: where the bacteria are decides how the meat should be cooked.

What to do

Keep chicken cold. See [how long chicken lasts](how long chicken lasts link).
Don’t wash it. See Should you wash raw meat?
Keep raw chicken and its juices away from everything else.
Cook it to 75°C and check with a thermometer. Colour isn’t a reliable test, which we explain in Is Pink Chicken Near the Bone Undercooked?

Final thought

The rules for chicken aren’t stricter because chicken is bad. They’re stricter because the bacteria can be inside it, and it takes very few to make someone ill. Once you understand that, the rules stop feeling like fuss.

We’re not here to sell you meat. We’re here to make you better at buying it.
— The Meat Guy Hong Kong