Hot take: the USDA says a chicken breast only needs to hit 165F for one second, and I've been drying out tenders for 12 years because of it

Joel Wells · 2026-10-09T17:00:03.249407+00:00

Pulled up the pasteurization tables on my phone during a slow Tuesday prep shift and found out I can hold poultry at 145F for 8 and a half minutes instead, so now my grill guy thinks I've lost it but the tenders finally come off juicy, has anyone else switched to time plus temp cooking or am I out here alone on this?

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Hot take: the USDA says a chicken breast only needs to hit 165F for one second, and I've been drying out tenders for 12 years because of it | Chefs - Opinions Matter