Do restaurants always cook chicken to 165F throughout when frying on cast iron? I'm new to frying chicken. When I grill it, I use an instant thermometer to check the temperature and get it to an internal temp of 165.
However. When trying this on a cast iron pan it gets way too tough. I filet the chicken so it's not too thick.
If I were frying by simply looking at the chicken (as I imagine most people do) then I would take it out much sooner.
So this question is for anyone who actually has measured the internal temp as they cook, and ends up with a delicious product. Did you actually get the chicken to 165 throughout?
Serious eats has a detailed explanation of chicken cooking temperatures available https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/07/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast.html
The short answer: if you are pan frying, grilling, or roasting a chicken  to 165F, it will be guaranteed to be pasteurized to US safety standards, no matter what else you do, and entirely over cooked in the process.
Lower temperatures for longer times also meet US safety standards without overcooking, but are not as easy to measure.
I've sous vide cooked chicken to 136F infusing flavors and making it safe, then finished on an open flame for less than 30 seconds. Besides the very surface, the great bulk of the meat was never anywhere near 165F.