Key points
Chefs, cooks, and caterers: Cook chicken liver like it's chicken (it is). Cook chicken liver to 165°F.
Always cook it all the way through
Use a food thermometer to measure temperature (you can't tell by looking).
Cook the inside of the liver to 165°F, just like you would for other chicken parts.
Looking for the infographic?
Why this is important
Bacteria inside + partial cooking = recipe for illness
You might be used to leaving the middle rare when cooking chicken liver for pâté and similar dishes.
But Campylobacter is a type of bacteria that can live inside chicken liver. If the middle isn't cooked to 165°F, bacteria can survive and cause illness.
- Most often: cramps, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever
- Less often: life-threatening illness, or even death (older people, pregnant people, and very young children are at higher risk)
What you can do
U.S. outbreaks from eating undercooked chicken liver are on the rise. Most are associated with restaurants, and proper cooking can prevent illness.
In one outbreak, the restaurant went out of business after customers ate undercooked chicken liver and got sick.
Chefs, cooks, and caterers are key to helping prevent these outbreaks.
Learn more: www.fsis.usda.gov/ChickenLiver