Boiled chicken: coloured parts of the meat?
When I try to make chicken soup I usually find parts of the meat don't seemed to be cooked properly: red, purple, or brown bits which I think should be white. Sometimes some pieces come out white while other are white on the outside but inside they are coloured. I use a standard method: I cut 1kg chicken into 4-8 pieces, add 2 litres water, add salt, bring to boil, then simmer for 1 hour. On occasions I have managed to cook it all white but this is the exception not the rule.
Does the size of pieces make a difference as to how well it cooks? Does size make a difference as to how I should cook it? e.g. should large pieces be cooked slowly while smaller pieces be cooked fast?
Does the speed at which I bring to a boil affect the cooking? Should I bring it to a boil slowly or is it ok to do it fast so long as I lower the heat once it's boiling?
Sometimes I notice some chicken bits start ripping, e.g. skin opens, tears. My guess is this is due to boiling or staying on the lower surface centre of the pot. What causes this, and is it a problem?
How long are soups meant to be cooked for? Mine is usually 1 hour 15 minutes. Sometimes I add more time but it doesn't still cook the insides properly.
Could it be the temperature? Even if I don't go above a simmer, it still doesn't cook properly.
Does stirring make a difference? I have tried this, but it doesn't seem to.
Do you have any idea why I cannot get it right or what I may be doing wrong? Is there a sure procedure to cook chicken soup to make sure it cooks fully every time?
Best Answer
Your chicken is fully cooked after simmering for an hour. The red bits are from the bone marrow and don't indicate that it's undercooked. You'll see the same thing if you roast a chicken, and you'll notice that the red bits are always in the meat surrounding bone joints.
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Quick Answer about "Boiled chicken: coloured parts of the meat?"
The USDA further explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices. Hemoglobin in the muscles can react with air during cooking to give the meat a pinkish colour even after cooking. Even knowing this, it's startling to cut into a chicken and see pink.What is the white stuff that comes out when you boil chicken?
The white goo is primarily water and protein. Protein from poultry meat is easily digested, which means it's denatured quickly through the cooking process, so it leaches out water, bringing out soluble protein.What color should boiled chicken be?
Cooked chicken should be white, with no pink pieces of flesh. Pink flesh is a sign of undercooked chicken.Why does my chicken look brown after cooking?
It's likely the brown you are noticing is the blood seeping from the bones during the cooking process, and then turning brown after being exposed to heat. There is no blood in properly slaughtered chicken. It is drained off as part of the process.What is the red stuff in cooked chicken?
Particularly in poultry cuts or whole birds that are frozen quickly after processing, the bone marrow pigment can seep out into the meat next to the bone during thawing and cooking. Bone marrow is a deep red color, which can change during cooking to a brown.Here's How To Tell If Chicken Has Gone Bad
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