Ina Garten’s advice to ‘undercook your chicken’ sparks fierce debate over whether or not it is safe

Ina Garten wants everyone to trust the process after sharing the controversial secret to juicy chicken is undercooking.

The celebrity chef, 76, sparked debate this week after showing off her unconventional chicken tips to fans on Instagram.

While many people accidentally dry out their chicken in an attempt to cook it thoroughly and avoid contracting salmonella, Ina advises people to let their poultry ‘rest’ after removing it from the oven.

“First of all, I slightly overcook it,” The Barefoot Contessa tells viewers. “If you overcook chicken, it will be very dry.”

While many people accidentally dry out their chicken to avoid contracting salmonella, Ina advises people to let their poultry ‘rest’ after taking it out of the oven

Ina takes her chicken out early so that it is still slightly pink in the center, covers the meat with aluminum foil and lets it rest for about 10 minutes.

“You won’t believe what a difference it makes,” she emphasizes.

But viewers remained bitterly divided over her advice.

‘Undercooked and chicken don’t go in the same sentence for me. I eat my chicken dry every day,” one user stated.

‘Ina, I’ll be with you if it’s okay! But undercooked chicken?? There are other ways to make juicy chicken, girl!” commented another shocked chicken lover.

‘These reactions do not pass the vibe check. Undercooking something doesn’t mean it’s still raw and clucking. Ina is SUPER careful with food temperatures. She knows what she’s talking about,” another argued.

Resting meat should be loosely covered with aluminum foil so that the temperature of the meat does not drop too quickly, resulting in less juice redistribution or less carry-over cooking than expected.

Although it seems like Ina is recommending a wild technique, it’s actually called carryover cooking, which is recommended by many chefs.

Ina takes her chicken out early so that they are still a little pink in the middle, covers them with aluminum foil and lets them rest for about 10 minutes

The USDA recommends cooking whole poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165F, as measured with a food thermometer (stock image)

Viewers were divided over her advice and left comments on her video challenging her advice

Carryover cooking occurs when you cook your food to almost the right temperature, remove it from direct heat, and let it rest under aluminum foil.

According to Recipe Tips, the length of the rest time depends on how hot the meat is cooked.

“Resting meat should be loosely covered with aluminum foil so that the temperature of the meat does not drop too quickly, resulting in less juice redistributed or less Carryover Cooking than expected,” the website says.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends cooking whole poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165F, as measured with a food thermometer.

When cooking cuts, breasts, drumsticks, thighs and wings should be cooked until they reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165F.