"I just want to show Italians that as far as I'm concerned, you have nothing to fear from eating chicken," Lamberto Sposini told millions of viewers of his prime time program on Canale 5 before biting into a leg of chicken.
Italy has recorded a total 16 cases of the deadly strain of bird flu since it was first announced to have killed several wild swans two weeks ago.
Despite being detected to date only in wild birds, the discovery has led to a 70 per cent drop in poultry consumption in Italy and threatened 30,000 jobs.
Italy has asked the EU for aid for its stricken poultry industry.