As quick as possible, the bird needs to move past the “danger zone” of 40 to 140✯ (4 to 60☌) in which bacteria thrive. The USDA recommends that you should *absolutely never* cook poultry at an oven temp lower than 325✯ (163☌). What about the oven temperature for turkey? the part of the wing closest to the center.the part of the thigh closest to the center of the bird.Sad for bacteria, great for you and the people around your Thanksgiving table.Ĭheck that the temperature has reached 165✯ (74☌) in different parts of the bird, including: This means that any nasty onboard pathogens waiting to mess with your digestive system won’t be able to survive the cook. Department of Agriculture (who happened to know their turkeys pretty well) recommends cooking poultry to an internal temperature of 165✯ (74☌).