There is no denying the fact that you can make enormous delicious dishes with chicken. When it is cooked properly, it can bring a great smile to your face. Have you ever experienced any awkward situation with undercooked or semi-cooked chicken?
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Undercooked or properly not cooked chicken might lead you to a humiliating situation if you are a party host. Knowing about the taste of undercooked or raw chicken is quite necessary to escape many unexpected and awkward moments.
What does undercooked chicken taste like? When it comes to raw chicken, it is mostly flavorless. On the other hand, undercooked or partially cooked chicken might give you some flavor. You might get a taste that is somewhat like cooked chicken, but it will be still bland. In many cases, undercooked meat would be like chewing.
The taste and flavor of any cooked food are determined by the Maillard reaction. This chemical reaction is started when you heat food above 140 degrees F. If the chicken is undercooked with a temperature below this standard, this reaction will not start and the chicken will be tasteless. But, in partial cooking, if anyhow the Maillard reaction starts, then you might get some tastes.
Still confused? In this article, I will discuss every aspect of uncooked chicken for your better understanding. Without further ado, let’s begin.
What Does Undercooked Chicken Taste Like?
When it comes to raw chicken, you will not find any flavor in it. If you notice carefully, within a few seconds, you will be able to know whether it is not cooked properly. From my personal experience, I can tell you that, when meat is undercooked, you will feel like chewing the meat if you try to eat it.
According to some experts, when you cook meat, due to the Maillard reaction, it gets flavor. This chemical reaction will create color and flavor in the meat. This reaction will only occur if you heat meat at least above 140 degrees F. The reaction starts when sugar and an amino acid get combined inside the flesh. The taste of the meat is determined based on the amino acid that participated in the reaction.
If the meat is undercooked, a Maillard reaction will not occur and the chicken will taste bland. That is why raw chicken doesn’t have flavor. However, partially cooked or undercooked chicken might have some tastes if the Maillard reaction already started.
Can you Eat Undercooked Chicken?
Undercooked chicken should not be consumed for several reasons. Because there are many safety hazards of consuming raw or partially cooked chicken. There can be harmful bacterial strains that may cause serious diseases in your body such as food poisoning. So, you should never eat undercooked chicken.
However, in some countries chicken sashimi is served. In this dish, chicken is not completely cooked. But, it is a wise decision to cook the chicken completely to remain safe. Typically, Salmonella bacteria can be found in chicken.
Tons of infections can be caused by the Salmonella bacteria including food poisoning, diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, etc. When you cook the chicken completely, this type of harmful germs will be destroyed. That’s why you should avoid the consumption of undercooked chicken.
How to Fix Undercooked Chicken?
As you already know that undercooked chicken is quite dangerous, and you should avoid it under all circumstances. Because it may contain many harmful bacteria. The good thing is when you cook an undercooked chicken completely, the bacteria will be eliminated. So, if you have identified that your chicken is undercooked, you can fix it easily. Following these easy steps will get the job done conveniently.
- Make small slices of the undercooked chicken
- Take a roasting pan and apply oil to it carefully. Put the chicken slices on the pan.
- Drizzle it with some water or sauces.
- Use aluminum foil for covering the pan. Bake at the temperature of 400°f. For a couple of minutes,
- After that time, check the internal temperature of the chicken by using your meat thermometer.
- When the internal temperature reaches 165°f, you can eat those chicken slices.
How to tell if Chicken is undercooked-5 Tests!
Testing a chicken to see whether it is undercooked is not quite tough. You can easily know its status. You can perform some quick tests to determine it. Typically, the undercooked chicken will appear pinkish, smell fresh, and not shrink in size,
Explore 5 easy tests which will tell you if the chicken is undercooked or not.
Moisture Test:
By doing a quick moisture test, you can easily determine whether a chicken is undercooked or not. In a general sense, you will find a dense texture in raw or slightly cooked chicken. The uncooked chicken will be quite shiny and watery. However, eating undercooked chicken sometimes might give you the feel of eating rubber.
On the contrary, when chicken turns drier during cooking, you can consider it cooked. However, everyone doesn’t have the necessary expertise to do this moisture test. With little experience and cooking skills, you can identify undercooked chicken by checking the moisture and texture.
Color Test:
Doing a color test is pretty simple. After completing the cooking process, you should examine the color and appearance of the chicken. If it is undercooked, the chicken will be pinkish. On the other hand, a well-cooked chicken will turn white. So, take a thick slice from your chicken and check the color.
Furthermore, you should also observe the color of the juices from the chicken. You can use a fork to press the chicken for checking the juices. If the juice is bloody or dark, it is undercooked. You will get clear broth when the meat is properly cooked.
Sometimes, you may experience that the outer layer of the chicken is brown, but the broth is not clear. It can happen if the inside of the chicken is not cooked properly.
Time Test:
There is a standard cooking time for a particular temperature, For instance, at 350°F temperature, it will take approximately 30-40 minutes to cook bone-in chicken. However, the required time will be less for boneless chicken. When it comes to boneless chicken, you should allow at least 25 to 30 minutes for allowing heating.
On the other hand, if you change the temperature, the cooking time will be changed. Keep in mind that you should always consider the minimum required time for a particular temperature. Otherwise, you might end up having undercooked chicken. That said, if you allow too much time instead, the chicken will be overcooked. So, be careful always!
Size Test:
During the cooking of the chicken, all of the liquids and fats of its muscle tissue are usually eliminated. As a result, the overall texture of the meat will be changed and the size of the chicken will be reduced.
You can perform a quick size test to determine whether the chicken is undercooked or not. After cooking the chicken, if you notice any shrinkage in its size, it is properly cooked. If the size of the chicken is not changed, you can consider it uncooked.
Thermometer Test:
If you are confused about the above-mentioned ways, you can go for the thermometer test straightway. After a certain cooking duration, generally, the internal temperature of the meet will increase. This temperature may vary based on the type of meat. For instance, if a chicken is properly cooked, its internal temperature will become 165°F.
If the temperature is below 165°F, the meat is still undercooked and you should allow some more cooking time to get the job done. To measure the internal temperature of the chicken, you should use a meat thermometer. Just insert it into the thick portion of the chicken and check the readings.
To know about how to check the internal temperatures of meat using a thermometer, you can check this video out.
To get a better result, always use a good quality meat thermometer. Don’t fall into the trap of buying a poor-quality thermometer that can’t give you the correct readings. Instead, try to invest some money in good products for better results.
After using a couple of thermometers from several brands, finally, I came to know about Meater Plus which met almost all of my expectations. This 100% wire-free thermometer comes with a built-in Bluetooth repeater which will extend the wireless range up to 165 ft. To monitor the internal meat temperature, you will find 2 sensors and 1 probe in it. Here is a link to check the price of my favorite Meater Plus meat thermometer.
What Does Undercooked Chicken Look Like?
It is not a tough job to determine whether a chicken is undercooked by noticing its external appearance. The undercooked chicken will be quite thicker if you compare it with well-cooked chicken. When a chicken is being cooked at a low temperature, you will notice that its skin is glowing.
If you do a quick finger test, you will get more assurance. An undercooked chicken will be floppy and hard if you push it by using your fingers after cooking. Besides, the appearance of uncooked chicken will be pinkish. On the other hand, when it comes to the perfectly cooked chicken, you will notice a white color in its meat.
Can Chicken be undercooked if it’s White?
Yes, chicken can be undercooked even if it’s white in some particular cases. I mentioned earlier that the white color indicates that the chicken is properly cooked. On the contrary, the pink color indicates that the chicken is undercooked.
However, in some situations, the white color doesn’t mean that the chicken is properly cooked everywhere. To be specific, when you cook chicken in very high heat for a couple of minutes, its external skin will be properly cooked and become white. Nonetheless, the inside of the chicken may remain uncooked and the color may still be pink.
To solve this problem, you should cook the chicken slowly for a particular time. Also, try to maintain the perfect temperature as I mentioned above in this article. If you do so, the chicken will be cooked both from the outside and inside perfectly.
To test the situation, after cooking, you can cut a simple slice of the meat and check its color. If the inside of the chicken becomes white, it is properly cooked. But, if you find the light pink color, then it can be assumed that it is undercooked from the inside.
Is it always Pink Chicken Means as Undercooked?
Although, you can conduct the color test and confirm whether the chicken is cooked or undercooked based on the color indication. If you get white color in the color test, it indicates that the chicken is properly cooked. However, if you see pink color in the color test for the chicken, you can assume that the meat is undercooked.
That said, the thermometer test is the most reliable one which will determine whether a chicken is properly cooked or undercooked. If you find the inner temperature of the cooked chicken at least 165° F, the chicken is cooked properly. Any temperature below 165° F will indicate the chicken is undercooked.
Typically, pink chicken means the meat is undercooked. But, there are some exceptions as well. If the inner temperature of a pink chicken is at least 165° F, it will be considered as properly cooked and you can eat it.
How Can You Ensure That Chicken is Fully Cooked and Safe to Eat?
When it comes to being assured about whether the chicken is fully cooked or safe to eat, you should use a meat thermometer. Because it will; tell you about the internal temperature of the chicken correctly. Besides, you can check the color and texture of the chicken for further assurance. However, a good quality meat thermometer will assure you about the accuracy and reliability of a chicken’s actual taste.
Using a meat thermometer is quite easy. You can insert the probe into the chicken’s thickest part and then take the reading carefully. The temperature of the chicken should be at least 165 degrees F so that you can consume it safely. If you find the reading a bit lower, you should cook it further to reach the required temperature.
Besides, the meat color will help you in the judgment of the cooked chicken’s quality. It should be white and brown which indicates the chicken is properly cooked. If you find pinkish color in the chicken, it can be assumed that the chicken is undercooked.
Furthermore, you should be able to cut the chicken conveniently with a knife. If the chicken is undercooked, it will be compressed and wobble under the knife. The texture will be rubbery as well. If you wonder whether the rubbery chicken ok to eat, it is unsafe when undercooking is the main reason behind this. An undercooked chicken will also be stringy if you bite into it.
The juices that come out from the chicken will also tell you about the quality of the cooked chicken. The broth should be clear. If you find the juices pink, it indicates, that the chicken should be cooked more. If the juice becomes clear, it can be assumed that the chicken is properly cooked.
Most chefs use these methods in combination to determine the state of the cooked chicken. But, using a meat thermometer will tell you the truth accurately. So, if you don’t have much experience in cooking, simply use a meat thermometer and the rest will be assured.
Wrapping Up!
It is important to know whether a chicken is undercooked or not. There are several methods to identify whether a chicken is properly cooked. But, what does undercooked chicken taste like? As in most cases, in undercooked chicken Maillard reaction doesn’t start, it will be tasteless. If the chemical reaction starts somehow, you will get a minimal level of flavor in the undercooked chicken.
Continue reading with some perfect chicken recipes:
