Do some breeds of chicken have particularly red meat when cooked?
Tonight, my friend and I ordered a fried chicken special at a restaurant with a local food theme. It was a great dish.
Both of us got very pink chicken. I am pretty sure that my plate had three drumsticks. Upon noticing the color, my colleague returned the dish to be more thoroughly cooked. I did not return mine, since last week I read the USDA fact sheet on poultry preparation. It says that temperature and not color should be used to test for safety, and that cooked poultry can be pink - especially when young. As I kept eating, I came across meat that was quite dark red - this was probably the pinkest chicken I have ever eaten. Other than the color, the texture and color of the meat did not seem raw.
I have a few questions:
- Might the exceptional color be due in part to the breed (e.g. are there heritage breeds that have exceptionally red meat)?
- Should I have been concerned (since I did not have a thermometer) (and should I have sent my chicken back?)
- Is undercooked (pink) chicken more likely to be unsafe than undercooked (pink) beef? (Answers to previous questions seem to provide give conflicting answers: "no" as discussed in Why isn't it safe to eat raw chicken?; "yes" as discussed in Is it safe to prepare Chicken Tartare?)
Best Answer
Puffin meat is bright red. Duck meat can be rather red as well.
I have seen some cooking process that can make chicken red or pink, Jidori chickens for example cooked at low temperatures for long periods of time.
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What chicken has red meat?
Dark meat chicken contains around 50% red fibers and is found in chicken legs, which are more flavorful and juicy, and can be cooked longer.Why is some chicken red when cooked?
So where is the pink coming from? The bones are to blame. 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.Do chickens have red meat?
Chicken today is technically classified as both a type of red meat and white meat. To simplify it, some sections of the chicken like the thigh and drumsticks are classified as red meat, while chicken breasts are classified as white meat.Should cooked chicken be red?
The USDA says that as long as all parts of the chicken have reached a minimum internal temperature of 165\xb0, it is safe to eat. Color does not indicate doneness. The USDA further explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices.Do Chickens Eat Meat?
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Answer 2
You did not mention whether the restaurant was committed to serving meat from free-range chickens. The living conditions can have a major effect on the meat produced.
I raise my own chickens, and I discovered that there is almost no "white meat" on a very active chicken. White meat is a product of inactivity. The more the muscles are used, the more blood flow is needed, so the more blood vessel development is needed, and thus, the darker the meat is.
I have not encountered chicken with pink or dark red meat when cooked among my own, but I have seen it in chickens that were not properly hung and "bled out" after slaughter. If I ever do encounter pink or red in chicken meat, I recook it if possible or discard it if not.
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