When you want to cook chicken and take it out of the refrigerator, and you find that the chicken smells like eggs, you must be very confused about why it is like this. Does this smell indicate spoilage or is this just because it has just been stored in the refrigerator? But this is really unpleasant, if you find your chicken smells like this what should you do.
We must first know what bad chicken smells like, and what the word “bad” means here. We will share everything about the chicken smell like eggs here. Why does this happen and what should you do with the chicken?
We will look at the review below, while we answer some questions that people generally ask about egg-smelling chicken meat.
We will look at the review below, while we answer some questions that people generally ask about chicken smell eggs or like meat.
Chicken Smells Like Eggs, Why Is That?
In general, the smell of chicken meat is strange because it is mixed with blood and fat. So, is a chicken smelling like eggs a sign of danger? Not necessarily, unless you find the chicken meat smells like rotten food or tastes stale.
So, where does this unpleasant smell or Chicken Smells Like Eggs come from? As I said earlier, the blood in the meat and the smell of chicken fat causes it to smell strange or sometimes like the smell of eggs. So, the smell of blood mixed with the meat here doesn’t mean it’s rotten and the chicken is rotten too. This means that there is blood contamination that has been damaged, and when you want to cook chicken, you have to wash it thoroughly until the egg-like smell or the unpleasant smell of fat disappears which sometimes resembles a fishy smell.
If you find that the smell doesn’t disappear by washing it, even when you add lime juice, then you should consider whether the chicken meat has been contaminated with bacteria and is causing a bad smell.
However, before you throw it away, let’s look at other possibilities for Chicken Smells Like Eggs.
– Spoilage Bacteria
Raw chicken often smells bad even before the expiration date, sometimes it smells like sulfur and this happens because of the presence of salmonella enterica bacteria. If you find this, it can have a bad impact on chicken meat and this bacteria can even infect chicken eggs. However, if you cook it at a temperature above 165 C then it will no longer be dangerous.
– Vacuum-Packed Chicken
The sealed packaging with chicken meat inside, when opened, will definitely emit an unpleasant smell because it has been vacuumed for a long time. If the chicken meat is vacuum packed, when it is opened the oxygen inside is forced out, then this unpleasant egg-like smell appears. This also causes the vacuum-packed chicken meat to be quite dark in color, when there is no air, the sealed chicken meat will change color to pink or slightly bluish and dark.
Check the Chicken to See if it has Rotted?
When you find an unpleasant odor in the chicken, check your chicken meat to determine whether it has rotted or vice versa. Here are several types of chicken meat and how to check whether it is rotten or not.
1. Raw Chicken
Fresh raw chicken will be pink and fleshy. This color will fade over time, dull as the chicken heads towards its destruction. If the gray color overpowers the pink color or is more dominant then you should not choose it or buy it in a shop.
The smell of rotting raw chicken will taste like chicken and be strong. You can even touch the chicken meat, whether it is still fresh or no longer suitable for consumption. Chicken meat always has a layer on top of the meat that feels like mucus, what happens after washing it. After washing it, you can make sure that this layer of mucus disappears, but if it doesn’t disappear and is always there, then it is certain that your chicken meat has gone bad.
2. Frozen Chicken
How to check if your chicken is frozen. Check whether there is a thick layer of ice around the chicken or whether freezer burn occurs. These freezer sores are white, rough, and have a slight rash or scar.
The color of chicken that has been frozen will certainly look faded, or slightly gray, and the fat will turn yellow. If the color is darker, then don’t hesitate to throw it away.
3. Cooked Chicken
What about cooked chicken, if you find that cooked chicken smells like eggs, then just throw it away because this shows that your chicken has rotted.
In terms of color, it is quite difficult to determine if the chicken is rotten if it is cooked. This is because the color change is influenced by the cooking spices. However, if you find that the reap chicken is gray, throw it away and make sure it has rotted.
Cooked chicken is easier to determine its freshness or rottenness by its smell. If the smell is stale or rotten and the texture is slimy and bubbly, then the chicken has gone bad.
Review Your Chicken Storage Process
– Sell By Date.
We can not trust the date of sale of chickens because it is the date that was made when the chicken was sold, sometimes you buy it several days after the written date. But you can use it as a guide to know that the chicken has been slaughtered and sold for several days.
The best way to keep chicken fresh is to buy fresh or live chicken, then ask the seller to cut it in front of you. Take the fresh chicken and immediately freeze it when you get home if you don’t want to use it straight away.
Storing chicken in the freezer can last up to 9 months if you store it properly. So how to freeze chicken properly. Let’s look at the points below.
– Proper Storage
Proper storage or freezing of chicken is to first put the chicken in a freezer bag or you can use an airtight container (the best is one that doesn’t hold air). You can also use aluminum foil. Before putting it in the bag, divide the chicken into several portions, I assume each portion is for one use.
The final step is to write a label containing the type of food and the first date you froze it.
FAQs about Chicken Smells Like Eggs
What Is Bad Chicken Smell Like?
If the chicken meat is rotten, of course the smell will also be rotten and strong or not liked by human instincts. Light rot or decay at a mild level is to smell like ammonia or like the smell of rotten eggs. If the chicken is still raw, the color can also identify spoilage. Usually a faded or dark color is a sign that the meat has been broke.
What you need to know is that fresh chicken does not emit a bad smell. When it is fresh, the flesh is pink, the texture is firm and not slimy.
However, not all smells like eggs are a sign of spoilage, because in the case of chicken meat packaged in vacuum packaging. When you open it the smell will smell a bit strange, like the smell of sulfur. But this is still normal as long as you see no other signs of decay.
Is It Safe to Eat Chicken Smells Like Eggs?
The causes of Smelly chicken meat may be by salmonella bacteria or spoilage bacteria. This bacteria will disappear when cooked at temperatures above 165 C. Sometimes it also smells like boiled eggs and usually in meat that is packaged using a vacuum system (removing all the air in a plastic container), when you open the package, the chicken will smell like sulfur and strange. In both cases, you can eat chicken as long as it is cook properly.
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Conclusion: Chicken Smells Like Eggs
If you notice the chicken smells like boiled eggs, then consider it a sign of spoilage. Because this smell does not necessarily indicate decay. If you find signs of spoilage such as a bad smell, a slippery texture, and the color of the chicken has turned pale, slightly dark in color, then don’t hesitate to throw it away.
If you want chicken meat to last a long time, then when buying, look for live chickens and ask for chicken bones to cut them. Then when you get home, clean the chicken and freeze it properly. We have explained the correct way to freeze chicken above, please refer there. Chicken that is freeze properly can last up to 9 months in the freezer.