Mumsnet classic roast chicken question, urgent!

[ontheplace]

I cooked a roast chicken last night (you know, to feed the family for the next fortnight) and let it cool on the side overnight.

I've just carved off the lovely, juicy (fully cooked) breasts and then hit blood when I cut into the leg. Aaaagh.

Can I chop it up and whack the raw bits back in the oven for 20m?

Why risk it? I definitely wouldn't. I wouldn't enjoy eating it AT ALL.

Yes o works but probably for longer than 20mins. It would have to be piping hot. Or more likely I’d use the legs in something like a curry and cook then thoroughly.

Some people can’t afford to through a perfectly good chicken away.

I would, I did the same with the turkey at Xmas as don't often cook one! I couldn't waste it, although I hope your kitchen is as cold as a fridge if the chicken has been out all night.

We did exactly this yesterday although it was only out on the worktop before we carved into it and realised it wasn't fully cooked. Put it back in the oven for half an hour and it was fine. Ate some for dinner - all good.

I'm not sure I'd leave a chicken out of the fridge all night though.

How hot was the chicken if it needed all night to cool? I wouldn’t eat a chicken that’s been left out at all nevermind the leg. It should of been in the fridge.

Unless you live in an igloo...

Is it actually raw.....look at the meat. Or is it just a red vein, or the chicken juice?

(To be honest I would be a little more worried you left it out all night than thinking you hadn't cooked it properly.....that would worry me.)

I wouldn’t no

If it had just been cooked then yes put it back in the oven, but if you’ve left it out overnight and it’s still partly uncooked then I wouldn’t risk eating it. Why have you left it out overnight? This seems like a basic food hygiene fail to me, unless you live in a very cold house?

I wouldn’t, because it’s been left out overnight. So unless your kitchen is an icebox I’d chuck it.

Chop or shred it and cook it again in a curry/casserole - it'll be fine if you cook it properly

If it was liquid blood then I wouldn't risk if. If the juices were clear but there is a red tinge on the meat I'd lob it in a casserole or curry so that it gets thoroughly cooked.

This is all assuming your kitchen has been under around 8 degrees all night which I'd say is unlikely!

How long did you cook it for? And why leave it out overnight? On balance I would say no.

Yes it's fine to do that. Just wrap them in foil and put them back in til they're done.

Oops hang on, I didn't read properly...thought you'd just cooked it! Just chop the leg meat and use in a curry or something.

If it was fresh out of the oven then yes I’d put it back in. Not after it’s been cooking all night though.

*cooling

Thanks!

Due to [vague gesture at everything] it didn't come out the oven until a little after midnight.

In my brain, it's risky to put warm food in the fridge...?

I've put it back in. If I never post again, please assume it was a terrible decision and tell my kids I love them.

In normal circumstances it would be fine to pop back in oven to finish cooking-I'd cover with foil.

However-leaving a cooked chicken out for more than 2 hours creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and I would throw it away. Not worth the risk.
And I am pretty relaxed about these things but no.

I've put it back in.

Considering the majority of people told you this was a bad idea, I salute your foolhardiness bravery. Good luck!

In my brain, it's risky to put warm food in the fridge...?

It is. It's also risky to leave it out overnight. Probably best to avoid late night chicken roasting.

Don't OP, you are right about not putting it in the fridge but you can't leave it out all night (sorry). Perfect breeding ground for bacteria (which will have multiplied overnight as the not quite cooked parts sat out on the side in a lovely warm joint). This is why you have to get the joint to a sufficiently high temperature for long enough, and why you can't reheat it more than once (but you can't today because yours wasn't piping hot inside first time). Also, if you are doing a true Mumsnet chicken then you might be thinking about reheating as you use it in further meals. I'm sorry if it's wasted you money.

It’s fine to leave it out overnight. You’re right not to put warm food straight into the fridge. As others have said, if you think any of it isn’t properly cooked, use in a curry or something.

Cooked food should be refrigerated in 1-2 hours. Leaving chicken out overnight is not a good idea, I would not eat it.

Get a temp probe ready for next time. Meat near the thigh bone can be pink while still cooked. Obviously I don't know whether that's the case this time- it may be undercooked.

How are you going to eat it? I mean, it's a funny time of day. I'd have stripped it and casseroled it thoroughly near a meal time.

Don't give that meat to anyone vulnerable, OP.

In the unlikely event I'd be cooking a chicken at that hour, I'd have put it inside something fox/cat-proof and put it outside overnight, it being January and pretty cold. I wouldn't leave it out overnight in the house.