What is This White Stuff Coming Out of Chicken?
Chicken is a protein that you want to cook correctly. It has a high risk of food-borne illnesses if you do not.
Therefore, it can be concerning when you cut into your chicken and you see white liquid or residue coming out.
The good news is, is that it isn’t something that you should be worried about, it is naturally occurring.
When it comes down to the white stuff coming out of chicken, it is more related to preference than anything.
What is This White Stuff Coming Out of Chicken?
The white stuff coming out of chicken when cooking, sometimes referred to as ‘goo’, is made from a mix of the chicken’s natural protein and added water. This is the result of the protein being leached out of the chicken. If you compare it to other meats, this is what you would get when you cook off the fat, it just has a more prominent coloring.
What Is The White Stuff That Comes Out Of Chicken?
When you cook chicken there is added moisture. This is especially prevalent when you are boiling chicken or cooking it at heavy levels of fat.
Not removing it may seem contradictory, as when you have raw chicken, you can cut off the white part.
If you do not remove the white part, you will notice white stuff coming out of your chicken. It isn’t something to be worried about.
You can strain or filter it out, but if you leave it in, your chicken will still be safe to eat.
How to Tell if Chicken is Spoiled
When it comes to chicken, you want to stay on the safer side. Chicken is a meat that can transmit food-borne illnesses that can be fatal.
While it may seem like a white liquid or foam coming from your chicken is an indicator that it has spoiled, that isn’t always the case.
Chicken that has a certain smell and texture is the first indication that it has gone bad.
Even after cooking, if your chicken is spoiled, you should be able to smell it.
The white liquid or foam that comes from chicken isn’t an indicator that your chicken has spoiled.
When it comes to seeing white stuff, that is not a typical indicator that your chicken is spoiled.
The proteins in your chicken act differently when cooked.
Spoiled chicken does not usually release as much white liquid.
When you should be concerned about white liquid coming out of your chicken is when it’s raw.
When uncooked, the protein should have a clear or slightly pinkish color.
If you see the white liquid coming out of your raw chicken, you should discard it immediately.
Why the Quality of Your Chicken Matters
Because the white stuff that you notice coming out of your chicken is the protein, you can avoid it by selecting different cuts of chicken.
The quality and the cut of chicken can make a big difference.
The less fat and the better that it has been trimmed makes it less likely that you will see white liquid or foam coming from your chicken when you cook it.
How Cooking Methods Can Make a Difference
You’re more likely to see white stuff coming out of your chicken when you’re boiling it.
While it isn’t unsafe to eat, when you boil larger pieces of chicken the proline may come out in white foam.
You may notice this when it’s boiling in the water as well. If it comes out when boiling, you will notice that it makes a white foam on the surface of your water.
While chicken is a light meat, the white stuff that comes out of your chicken is fat.
For example, when you are making soups or boiling the chicken in general, you can scoop out the white stuff while you are still cooking your chicken.
Some people find that if you boil chicken, for example, and notice the foam, there might be added flavor.
Many recipes suggest that you skim the foam off the top. Like with any meat, this is more of a preference.
You also see the white protein coming out of chicken when you bake it.
Baking chicken, especially when it’s covered, keeps the moisture in and less fat is released. When baking chicken, it can actually keep your chicken moister.
Frequently Asked Questions About What Is This White Stuff Coming Out of Chicken While it is Cooking?
What is the white stuff that comes out of my chicken after I’ve cooked it?
The white stuff that comes out of your chicken when you cook it is a protein material. While this isn’t harmful, you can easily filter it out if you are cooking chicken on the stovetop. The boiled fat cooked on the surface can be fished out. If you are frying your chicken, you can use a paper towel. After removing your chicken from the pan, set it on the paper towel to remove the additional moisture.
Is the white stuff that comes out of my chicken while cooking harmful?
The protein that comes out of your chicken while cooking is predominantly made up of albumin. This is a protein that you find in egg whites. This makes it different from other fats in meats, as usually albumin is looked at as the healthier part of eggs, so as a protein goes, it’s not as unhealthy as other meats.
Is it safe to eat chicken that has white stuff coming out of it when it’s raw?
Under no circumstances should you eat raw chicken that has white stuff coming out of it. This is an indication that your chicken is well past its spoilage date. Eating raw chicken that has any liquid coming from it that isn’t a clear pinkish color is dangerous.
In Conclusion Regarding What Is This White Stuff Coming Out of Chicken While it is Cooking
If you find that there is a white substance coming out of your cooking, no matter the method, this is most likely the result of the protein reacting to the water.
While you can see this is both pan searing and baking chicken, the most common time is when you will see a white substance coming from your chicken is when you boil it.
While it’s safe to eat, many people don’t notice that there is a significant difference in taste.
There’s no need to be worried about food contamination if it touches your cooked chicken.