When you cook chicken, have you ever seen a strange, white gel-like material coming out of the meat? You are not the only one if that’s the case. This strange goo has been seen by many, causing them to wonder what it is, whether it’s safe to eat, and how to stop it from forming.
It’s good news that the white goo is completely safe and just a natural result of cooking chicken. But what is it really, and why does it show up?
Food scientists say that the white goo comes from the chicken meat being cooked and is made up of protein and water. When you heat meat, the muscle fibers get tighter, which squeezes out the liquid inside. While the protein cooks, this liquid turns into a white solid.
To put it another way, the white goo is basically just meat juices that have been compressed. Like how egg whites change color and texture when they heat up when you cook them.
The white goo seems to show up more often with some types of chicken. Why is that? The answer lies in how the meat is trimmed and kept. For example, the white goo is more likely to form in frozen chicken because the freezing process breaks down the muscle fibers, letting more liquid escape when the meat is cooked.
There are easy things you can do to make the white goo less noticeable when cooking chicken. Using a paper towel to pat dry the meat before cooking can help get rid of extra wetness. Cooking the chicken at a moderate temperature can also help reduce the amount of liquid that comes out.
Adding brine or marinade to the chicken can also help it keep its wetness and lower the amount of liquid that it loses while cooking.
Not to worry the next time you’re cooking chicken and see the white goo starting to form—it’s safe to eat and just a normal part of the cooking process. If you know how this works scientifically, you can cook chicken with faith and enjoy a tasty meal without any stress.
