Cooked whole chicken has congealed blood around joints and bones, should I worry?
So I just roasted a whole chicken and finished carving/cleaning the carcass today. I discovered a great deal of congealed red matter surrounding many of the joints and bones. Looks like congealed blood. Normally, I wouldn't worry about it, except that there's a lot more of it than there usually is. And it's a brighter red, as opposed to the dark reddish brown I'm used to. Should I be worried? Did I undercook the chicken? Was this chicken just not as well drained as ones I've gotten previously?
Best Answer
This exact thing happened to me about a month ago - roast whole chicken, bright red leaky blood around the bones and joints.
I looked it up back then. I didn't find a truly authoritative source like the USDA, but I did find several instances of people saying that this happened even with highly overcooked chicken. I also found several links similar to this one:
The author (a Ph.D according to that page) did a number of experiments where he cooked a chicken and checked the internal temperature everywhere, ensuring that it was in fact pasteurized and thus free of any bacteria, and parts of it were still bloody on the inside.
According to him (and a few other sources I found), it's because the chickens are very young and their bones have not hardened properly; when you cook them, the marrow seeps out and ends up looking as you describe.
If you're using a meat thermometer to test the chicken for doneness, and you are certain that it got hot enough, then don't worry about the blood. It's not appetizing, but it's not harmful either.
FWIW, I ate the chicken when it happened to me, and did not get the slightest bit sick.
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Can you eat chicken with blood on the bone?
What it is: Bone marrow pigment that seeped into the meat. Eat or toss: Eat! The discoloration has nothing to do with how \u201cdone\u201d the chicken is. As long as the chicken was thoroughly cooked, you're fine.Can fully cooked chicken have blood?
It's also possible for properly cooked chicken to appear red, or even bleed, at the thigh bone. The femoral artery, which runs along the thigh bone, carries blood through the chicken's leg. Even after cooking, it might contain some dark red blood. It's unsightly, but not a food safety risk.Why is my chicken bloody after cooking?
When cooked, \u201cthe purple marrow\u2014so colored due to the presence of myoglobin, a protein responsible for storing oxygen\u2014leaks into the meat.\u201d This reaction, in effect, stains the bone; the color of the meat adjacent to it will not fade regardless of the temperature to which it's cooked.What happens if you eat bloody chicken?
Campylobacter bacteria cause a Campylobacter infection, or campylobacteriosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that Campylobacter infections affect up to 1.5 million people in the United States every year. Symptoms include: diarrhea, which may be bloody and result in dehydration.Thomas Keller's Roasted Chicken | Discover MasterClass | MasterClass
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Answer 2
In an of itself, brighter blood doesn't mean anything, so I wouldn't worry about it, unless you also noticed any of the following:
- Was the meat pink? Undercooked chicken has a distinct color, very different from cooked.
- Was the texture off? Undercooked chicken has a distinctive texture, completely different from cooked chicken
- Were the juices bloody when you pierced the meat? Clear juices indicate the meat is properly cooked
- Was the temperature too low?
Answer 3
I cooked two chicken at once and indeed had some redness around the joints in the thighs drumsticks and the breast bone i am sure i cooked it thoughly since the juices where clear and the oven temp was at 350 for 3.5 hours they where about 8 pound birds this should be long enough. the meat was not pink its was just at the bones. tasted fine and i ate it not sick yet its been over 6 hours.After letting it cool i de-boned it at frist it seemed really red but after a bit it became redish brown so i am sure it safe to eat but at frist it dose seem a little unappatizing.
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