Why You Can Sometimes Eat Pink Chicken After Cooking
You slice a fully cooked chicken and see a pink color. Panic time? Throw it back in the oven? Not necessary.
Kitchn reminds us that when all parts of the chicken have reached an internal temperature of at least 165 ° F, they can be eaten regardless of color:
The USDA also explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes appear pinkish in meats and juices. This is especially true of young chickens, whose bones and skin are still very permeable. The pigment in the bone marrow can stain the surrounding tissue and make the bones themselves very dark. The hemoglobin in muscles can also react with air during cooking, giving the meat a pinkish color even after cooking. Chicken feed and whether or not it has been frozen can also affect the final color.
All of us were probably warned to stay away from pink poultry for fears of salmonella, but the best guide is the thermometer, not the eyes. However, unless you cook or measure the temperature of the meat yourself, it is probably best to avoid pinkish poultry.
Is the chicken still pink after cooking? Don’t panic | Kitchen