Needing your help with cooked chicken

[Imknackeredzzz]

Bought a cooked chicken from Ocado, it says on the package to reheat for 55 mins, if this necessary? As it’s pre booked can we not just heat until it’s warm? You can eat it cold so I presume this would be ok?

Is this just a recommendation for heating through or is there a safety aspect?

Thanks wise mumsnet!

As it's pre-cooked it is ready to eat, but if you want it hot, then follow packet instructions - it needs a certain amount of 'heat' to be safe if eating hot

It needs to be hot, not warm, unless you all want food poisoning!! Or eat it cold, but it will take the 55 minutes to make sure it’s piping hot.

You can eat medium rare chicken

Properly hot or properly chilled and never medium rare!

I think it might depend on how it was stored after it was cooked. If it has not been chilled in the fridge but has sat about on the worktop all day then heat it for a long time as the warm temp might encourage bacteria.
But I often reheat cooked chicken in pies or in white sauce or make curry and I don't faff about for 55 mins as it would be dried up, but after the roasted chicken has cooled I stick it straight in the fridge.
I think they are just doing overkill so no one can accuse them of selling bad food.

Bacteria problematical to humans often breed most rapidly at a temperature around human blood heat. If you heat it to just warm, then during the heating process there's going to be a lot of meat that is around blood heat, with optimum breeding conditions for bacteria. So you need to take it past warm and to a temperature high enough to destroy any bacteria.

If it's OK for eating cold, that will be because it's been kept chilled and any bacteria will have been breeding very slowly, so there won't be enough of them to cause you any problems.

Microwave it for a couple of minutes. Job done.
You won't get food poisoning unless you leave it sitting around for days on end.

Reheating a whole chicken would take 55 minutes to get it piping hot throughout

If you break it up to use in pies etc then it will be quicker, just like chicken pieces cook quicker than a whole chicken

If you just warm it up you’re asking for food poisoning. Chicken needs to be reheated until piping hot throughout

You can’t eat medium rare chicken!! Ffs!

I would carve it up and heat in the microwave. Much quicker.

Are you taking the (dangerous) piss @HoopaLoop?

No, no you really, really can't!!!!!!

That was @Hoopaloop

Have a look at this for this guidance.

You can eat medium rare chicken Hahaha. No.