Posted by Amelia Kermis, MPH CHES, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service in Health and Safety
Jan 27, 2015
The star of most Super Bowl parties is the chicken wing, crispy and covered in a delicious sauce. If you are going to make wings for your Super Bowl party, follow these steps to make sure your dinner’s star player is safe to eat. You don’t want to get a penalty for giving your guests food poisoning.
Baking Your Wings
To start baking wings, preheat your oven to 400 °F. Meanwhile, place your wings in a rimmed baking sheet. To ensure maximum crispiness, do not crowd the wings and place them in a single layer.
After 30 minutes of cooking take out the pan, flip the wings and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes. This will ensure both sides of the wings are crispy. Read on to learn how to properly take the internal temperature of a sample of your wings before your serve them. Taking the internal temperature is the only way to know if the wings are fully cooked and ready to eat.
Frying Your Wings
If you want to fry your wings, and are using a skillet, fill oil no more than 2 inches from the top of the skillet to allow space for the oil to rise. It is best if you have a candy or deep frying thermometer to ensure the oil reaches and stays at 375 °F. When your oil reaches that temperature you’re ready to cook.
Before frying, remove the chicken wings from the refrigerator and pat dry the wings to prevent oil splatter.
Make sure not to overcrowd the chicken wings as you place them in the fryer. If crowded, wings can turn out undercooked and increase the chances of giving your guests food poisoning.
While it is important to test the internal temperature of the chicken wings to ensure they are cooked, DO NOT test the temperature while the wings are submerged in oil. This will lead to an inaccurate temperature reading. To take the temperature of your wings, place them on a clean plate covered with paper towels.
Taking the Temperature
Whether you are frying or baking your wings, it’s important to take the internal temperature of multiple wings with a clean food thermometer. For an accurate reading, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest area of the wing being careful to avoid the bone.
If the wings are below the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 °F, return to the oven or submerge again in the hot oil.
After Cooking
Coat your delicious wings with a sauce of your choosing and remember to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Cooked food left out longer than 2 hours can rapidly grow bacteria making it unsafe to eat.
Category/Topic: Health and Safety
