When you are planning a soup with chicken and pork as an easy dinner, it will be time taking to cook both types of meat separately. Can you cook chicken and pork together? This may be your search bar typing when you meet this kinda situation. 

Dishes containing several portions of meat add a difference to your usual meals. Chicken and pork adobo, one pot chicken and pork braise, chicken and pork apritada, pork and chicken puchero are some famous recipes that are extra delicious with the combination of these two addicting flavors. When there is a barbecue in your backyard, you will grill chicken and pork together if you have a crowd. 

Can you Cook Chicken and Pork Together?

There are so many dishes that contain chicken and pork. But the real problem appears when you cook those. Can you cook chicken and pork together? This is an area you need to have a proper read about, especially if you are going to do it for the first time. 

Chicken needs a temperature of about 165°F to complete the perfect cook. But the temperature which the pork needs to make its delicious texture is a bit lower than that. It will be ideal if you cook pork by maintaining a temperature of around 145°F – 160°F. Now it is clear to you that if you put both types of meats together in one pan and start cooking at 165°F, pork will be overcooked when the chicken becomes fully cooked. If this happens, pork moisture will be significantly lost, and it will be hard in texture.

On the contrary, if you keep the temperature at 145°F and cook both slices of meat, then the chicken will remain half cooked at the time you switch off the stove. Partially cooked chicken is a health risk factor as it presents bacteria that did not destroy. And also, it will ruin the taste of the whole dish. If you intend to reduce the time spent on cooking, it will end in failure making more losses. 

When you take the average time to cook the chicken thoroughly, the chicken breast should keep on the stove for about 35-45 minutes. If there are bones in the chicken breast, it could take 40-50 minutes. Pork will consume less time to take the perfect tinder texture; usually, it will be around 30-35 minutes if you take one kilo. As the cooking time varies, the pork pieces will burn when kept together with chicken in a pan. 

If you need to combine chicken and pork in a recipe, cook those separately. Then you can add the cooked meat together to prepare the dish. It would be the ideal way to protect the flavors and achieve the taste you are willing. 

It is also not recommended to season or thaw chicken and pork in one container. Chicken may contain salmonella, and pork will also be contaminated when kept together in seasoning. If all the contaminated salmonella bacteria are not killed in the low heat and less time cooking pork, it will cause health issues. This is a rare incident, but it is important to be aware and avoid both marinating together. 

Should I Throw Up If I ate Raw Chicken?

If you unknowingly eat undercooked chicken, it is not advised to vomit forcefully. This is because your gut organs would be injured when you try to vomit. What you have to do is, wait! If you got the symptoms of food poisoning, then you must contact medical assistance immediately. 

What Temperature Kills Salmonella in Pork?

If salmonella is present in pork, you will need a temperature of around 165°F to kill those bacteria in pork, beef, or lamb. When it comes to poultry, you will need to cook it at a temperature of 165°F. Use a food thermometer to check and maintain the appropriate temperatures.

How to Cook Chicken and Pork Together in One Pan?

If the recipe you are going to try contains both chicken and pork, then do follow these guidelines to avoid any food poisoning. 

  • Cut the chicken into small pieces. Cut pork in the same size. 
  • Marinate the two portions of meat separately with spices or herbs according to the recipe.
  • Put the pork in the cooking pan first and cook it to the appropriate temperature. You can use a food thermometer to check the temperature of the pork pieces. Use a spacious pan. 
  • Then take out the pork. 
  • Now you can add chicken. Cook it to the relevant temperature, as we mentioned earlier.
  • Then keep chicken pieces aside. 
  • Later on, you can cook other items from the recipe, like vegetables, mushrooms, etc.
  • Finally, you can complete the recipe by mixing all the things together. 

What are the Ways to Prevent Cross-Contamination in the Kitchen?

Cross-contamination means the contact of bacteria from one food to another. As we explained, this scenario could occur when foods are kept together, especially meats.

  • Use separate containers to keep the cooking ingredients.
  • Do not touch another surface, vegetable, or other meat after you touch one kind of meat without washing your hands. 
  • After working with raw ingredients, wash your hands when you need to touch cooked food.
  • Do not wash raw meat. 
  • When storing different meats, you bought, use different bags or containers.  
  • Ensure the raw meat containers are sealed before storing them in the fridge. 
  • When keeping cooked food in the fridge, cover it safely. 

 

Can you Put Raw Chicken and Raw Beef Together?

This question also gets a huge “No.” Raw chicken sometimes presents salmonella bacteria. There is a risk of possessing E. coli bacteria in raw beef. If kept, marinated, thawed, or cooked together, there is a chance for cross-contamination. 

If you consume such food, you will fall ill. Therefore, always remember, when cooking and handling raw meat, first comes hygiene. 

Conclusion

If you are planning to save time by cooking chicken and pork at the same time, we suggest you read this article first and follow the guidelines here. It will protect you from any foodborne illness. 

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Author

Healthy food is one of the ultimate factor for healthy long-lasting life. As a Food scientist who completed BSc (Hons) Degree on Food Science and Technology, I like to use my knowledge in food science to help people. I'm interested in each and every topic related with modern food related health problems because it is the leading factor for most of the health problems today. So I would like to direct my efforts in educating people to lead a healthy life with healthy meals.

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