MIAMI, FL. A state inspector walked into Chicken House #4 on NW 20th Street on October 2 and found chicken not cooked to the minimum required temperature, a violation that means live Salmonella can survive in the meat and land directly on a customer's plate.
That was one of nine high-severity violations documented that afternoon. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation is the sharpest risk at a restaurant whose entire business is poultry. Salmonella in chicken survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and the inspector documented that the facility was not reaching that threshold.
Compounding that, the inspector found food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that touch raw and cooked meat, were not properly cleaned or sanitized. That is a direct cross-contamination pathway from raw chicken to finished food.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled near food. That is not a paperwork problem. Mislabeled chemicals kept near food preparation areas are a chemical poisoning route that requires no mistake by a customer, only a moment of confusion by an employee.
An employee was found not reporting symptoms of illness. At a restaurant, that is how a single sick worker becomes dozens of sick customers.
What These Violations Mean
Undercooked poultry and Salmonella are not theoretical risks. Salmonella is the leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States, and poultry is its most common vehicle. When chicken does not reach 165 degrees internally, bacteria that would otherwise be destroyed survive and are served. At Chicken House #4, the inspector found this happening on October 2.
The handwashing violations make that worse. Two separate citations, one for inadequate facilities and one for improper technique, mean that even when employees attempted to wash their hands, the infrastructure was not there to support it and the method was wrong. Studies consistently show improper handwashing technique leaves meaningful pathogen loads on hands. At a poultry restaurant, those hands touch raw chicken and then cooked food.
The illness-reporting failure is the violation that health officials call an outbreak enabler. Norovirus and other highly contagious pathogens spread through food prepared by sick workers. A single employee who does not report symptoms can expose every customer served during an entire shift.
The time-abuse violation adds another layer. When a restaurant uses time rather than temperature to keep food safe, strict records and strict limits apply. The inspector found those controls were not properly in place, meaning food that should have been discarded after a set window was not tracked or treated accordingly.
The Longer Record
October 2 was not an anomaly. State records show Chicken House #4 has been inspected 33 times, accumulating 401 total violations across its history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The most recent prior inspection, in March 2026, found 4 high-severity and 2 intermediate violations. Go back to October 2025 and the picture sharpens: the restaurant was inspected on October 14 and found to have 11 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations, one of the worst single-inspection tallies in its record. The following day, October 15, a second inspection found 6 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations still present.
That two-day stretch in October 2025 did not result in an emergency closure. Neither did the inspection a year later.
The categories repeat. Temperature control, food handling, handwashing, and illness reporting are not new problems at this address. The August 2024 inspection found 5 high-severity violations. The February 2025 inspection found 4. The pattern across multiple years is high-severity violations documented, followed by continued operation, followed by more high-severity violations.
Still Open
Florida law gives inspectors authority to order an emergency closure when a facility presents an immediate threat to public health. Nine high-severity violations, including undercooked poultry, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, sick employees not reporting illness, and toxic chemicals stored near food, did not meet that threshold on October 2 at Chicken House #4.
The restaurant on NW 20th Street remained open after the inspection.
