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Guide
Insert a clean digital thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken without touching bone. Check more than one spot and follow Health Canada's temperature guidance for the cut you are cooking.
Use an oven-safe leave-in probe during roasting or a digital instant-read thermometer near the end. A food thermometer for chicken must be clean, readable and inserted deeply enough for its sensing area to sit in the centre of the meat.
Insert the probe sideways into the thickest part of the breast so the sensing area reaches the centre. Avoid bone, the pan and empty cavities because each can distort the reading.
For a whole bird, check the thickest breast area and the innermost thigh and wing area without touching bone. Test a second location if one side is thicker or browning faster.
Pause until the display stabilizes, then withdraw slightly and take another reading nearby. The coldest valid reading governs whether cooking should continue.
Health Canada publishes different safe internal temperatures for poultry pieces, ground poultry and whole birds. Use the current government chart for the food in front of you rather than relying on colour, juices or cooking time alone.
Wash the thermometer stem or probe in warm, soapy water before use and between readings when it has touched undercooked chicken. Keep the display and connector out of water unless the manufacturer explicitly rates them for immersion.
Common questions
Insert it from the side into the thickest part so the sensing area reaches the centre. Keep the probe away from bone and confirm the reading in a second nearby spot.
Only if the thermometer and probe are explicitly oven-safe. Remove ordinary instant-read thermometers after each check.
Check the thickest breast area and the innermost thigh and wing area, avoiding bone. The lowest valid reading must meet the current guidance for a whole bird.
Colour is not a dependable safety test. A correctly placed digital food thermometer provides the relevant internal-temperature check.