Ina Garten is telling people to undercook their chicken — but is it safe?

What the cluck?

Ina Garten ignited something of a debate this week after dishing up what some considered to be half-baked advice to her fans on Instagram.

The criticism showered down like so much freshly-ground pepper after the Barefoot Contessa recommended slightly undercooking chicken, in order to avoid serving dry meat at the dinner table.

The somewhat-raw footage shows Garten pulling a pair of large, skin-on chicken breasts from the oven, looking delicious and ready to eat.

But there’s a twist — they’re not done yet.

“First, I slightly undercook it,” she tells viewers. “If you overcook chicken, it gets very dry.”

Garten takes her birds out early, covering them with aluminum foil and letting them rest for about 10 minutes.

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

Commenters weren’t afraid to express their concerns over the “Cooking for Jeffery” author’s risky recipe business.

“Undercook and chicken don’t go in the same sentence for me,” one commenter posted.

“I think that is a bit too risky,” another confessed.

“About to have all the girls with salmonella because you know they don’t listen,” someone else joked.

But it turns out, the advice may not be for the birds after all — Garten is actually recommending a professional technique known as “carryover cooking,” EatingWell reported.

Carryover cooking is a simple skill to add to your list of kitchen tricks — it happens when you cook your food until almost the right temperature, removing it from direct heat and allowing it to rest under tinfoil.

Five degrees of difference seems to be the norm among those who recommend the practice..

“I recommend pulling it when it’s five degrees lower than the target temperature (so for chicken, pull it at 160°F), tent it with foil, then let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Not only does it allow for carryover cooking, but it helps the juices redistribute in the piece of meat for juicier results every time, said EatingWell senior editor Carolyn Malcoun.

“If you want to perfect your dish, you have to account for carryover cooking.” culinary pro Martin Earl said making it clear that the task must be carried out using only “accurate, reliable temperature instruments.”

Not so fast, said Beverly Lopez, a food safety specialist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Chicken shouldn’t be removed from its heat source until it reaches 165°F,” Lopez warned, noting that a food thermometer should have the last word.

But, the experts at EatingWell say, by keeping the chicken on top of the oven and tenting it with foil, you’re allowing the cooking process to continue, just at a slower pace. The stove will give off heat, while the foil traps it. That and the flavor.

Follow these guides and you’ll have juicy, safe chicken every time, the pros promise — never mind the haters.