Chicken can be a nutritious choice, but raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria. If you eat undercooked chicken, you can get a foodborne illness, also called food poisoning.
Raw meat can carry bacteria which cause food poisoning and, accordingly, eating undercooked pork or chicken may result in food poisoning. If you experience symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, and fever after eating undercooked meat, seek a diagnosis from a medical institution immediately.
The CDC estimates that one in every 25 packages of chicken contains Salmonella, so even a small bite of undercooked chicken isn't worth the risk. If you're worried your chicken might be undercooked, it's best to just throw it back on the stove. After all, it is not safe to eat even slightly undercooked chicken.
The USDA says that as long as all parts of the chicken have reached a minimum internal temperature of 165°, 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.
A thermometer – insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken to measure its internal temperature. If it is below 165°, then the chicken is undercooked. 2. Color – uncooked chicken should be pink while cooked chicken is white or tan with no trace of pink remaining.
Chicken can be chewy but not dry if it is undercooked or if it has been overcooked but still contains moisture. Undercooked chicken has not been cooked for long enough to fully break down the connective tissue, leaving it with a rubbery, chewy texture.
Undercooked Chicken
The opposite end of the spectrum can also cause rubbery chicken. Undercooked chicken usually has a shiny appearance and a jiggly consistency. This is unsafe to eat and should be fixed before eating.
Will you definitely get sick from undercooked chicken? Well you're far more likely to get sick from an un cooked chicken than a raw egg. While only about 1 in 7000 eggs have salmonella, 1 in 4 pieces of chicken do. If the chicken was mostly cooked then that chance goes way down.
How can I make sure chicken is cooked all the way through? Pay attention to the color of the meat and of the juices coming out of the chicken. A simple rule of thumb is that cooked chicken will be white in color and undercooked or raw chicken will be pinkish or even bloody. But don't be afraid to inspect even further.
Safely cooked poultry can vary in color from white to pink to tan. For safety when cooking poultry, use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature. For a whole chicken or turkey, check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
The symptoms of food poisoning usually begin within 1 to 2 days of eating contaminated food. They can also start a few hours later or several weeks later.
"Eating chicken medium rare is likely not safe and can lead to foodborne illnesses," says Alina Jameson, MS, RD, from the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Chickens sick with salmonella will be weak, lethargic, have purplish combs and wattles, a decreased appetite and increased thirst. Plus you will see distinct white, sulfur yellow or green diarrhea. In some cases, joints might be swollen and blindness might occur from swelling in the eyes.
Check the Texture of the Chicken
On the flip side, you can also use your sense of touch to check if a chicken is undercooked. As you might already know, raw chicken feels slimy and rubbery.
Fresh raw chicken should have a pink hue to it with fat parts being white. If the color fades, it's looking yellow or gray in color, has mold or a different color tinge, it's no longer safe to eat.
Poke the meat to see if juices are red or clear
For properly cooked chicken, if you cut into it and the juices run clear, then the chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are red or have a pinkish color, your chicken may need to be cooked a bit longer.
"White striping is not a food safety issue nor does it affect the welfare of the chicken," the National Chicken Council says.
The results of chicken collected further down the food chain and closer to consumers at retail outlets was not much better: 25.8% of samples tested positive for Salmonella (1.7% of samples with quantifiable levels), and Campylobacter was detected in 89.9% of samples (again 6.4% with quantifiable levels).
The incubation period for salmonellosis is approximately 12–72 hours, but it can be longer. Salmonella gastroenteritis is characterized by the sudden onset of • diarrhea (sometime blood-tinged), • abdominal cramps • fever, and • occasionally nausea and vomiting. Illness usually lasts 4–7 days.
What are the symptoms of infection? Most people with Salmonella infection have diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last four to seven days.
Undercooked Chicken
That happens when the chicken isn't “ready” to be flipped yet. When the outside of the chicken is cooked, you should be able to easily flip it over on the grill (or on your stove). Cutting into the chicken breast shows that it is definitely not cooked. Still very pink and raw in the middle.
In addition, chicken breast has less fat and can become dry (chewy or rubbery) if cooked for too long. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.
The poultry industry has a fowl problem: an emerging phenomenon called "woody breast." While it's not harmful to humans, the condition causes chicken breasts to be tougher because of hard or woody fibers that lace the meat.
– Here's your answer: It means that you have overcooked the chicken breast. This has caused the protein fibers to lose their elasticity, resulting in a rubbery texture. The two biggest reasons for overcooking is that you either forgot your dish was on the fire or you were afraid of undercooked meat.