Why is boiled chicken still red?
When chicken is fully boiled, it usually turns white. However, in some cases, even after boiling for a long time, you may still see the meat and bones inside are pinkish red. Many people believe that the chicken is not fully cooked. In fact, the pinkish red color of the chicken is not due to undercooking but has another cause.
The reason why boiled chicken remains red is due to myoglobin – a protein present in chicken bones, reacting with air during the cooking process. You may encounter this phenomenon in young chickens as their bone and skin structure is not yet firm, making it easier for bone marrow blood to seep into the meat during cooking, resulting in pinkish red meat.
In addition, when boiling chicken in boiling water, the outer meat will quickly cook, causing globin to tend to shift from the outside to the inside. The thicker the meat, the more globin accumulates inside. When cut, you will see that the center of the meat is pinkish red. This is a normal phenomenon when meat encounters sudden hot water.
Tips to prevent red meat when boiling chicken
– Put the chicken into the pot when the water is still cold
When boiling chicken in hot water, the meat is prone to turning red. Therefore, you can choose to boil the chicken when the water is still cold. The meat that is gradually heated will not experience globin moving from the outside to the inside, resulting in evenly cooked and white meat.
– Remove the chicken bones
If you do not boil the whole chicken, you can consider removing the chicken bones. When separating the bones and meat, the red pigment in the bones cannot penetrate the meat during cooking, helping the meat remain white.
– Adjust the pH before boiling the chicken
You can marinate the chicken with a little vinegar or lemon juice to lower the pH on the chicken meat. This will prevent the reaction of globin and limit the situation of red chicken meat when cooked.
According to experts, using a food thermometer to check the doneness of chicken is the best way. The USDA states that you can use a thermometer to measure the temperature in the deepest part of the chicken thigh and breast. If the temperature is above 74 degrees Celsius, the chicken is safe to eat.
However, not everyone has a food thermometer at home to check the temperature like that. Usually, people will use a toothpick or chopstick to check by inserting it into the thigh or breast. If there is no pinkish liquid coming out, it means the chicken is cooked.
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