Have you ever roasted a chicken and found that there is some weird white jelly-like substance coming out? Don t panic, your dinner is not spoiled and your chicken is not vomiting. This goo is a totally natural by-product of cooking chicken, particularly lean cuts such as boneless, skinless breasts, and it is as unappetizing as it appears. The white substance is merely a combination of water and protein, which is released when the meat is cooked in high temperatures. It may be a turn-off, but it is normal and safe to consume.
You take your perfectly seasoned chicken breast out of the oven and you are expecting golden-brown, juicy perfection, but instead you are greeted with blobs of slimy white goo pooling on the surface. It is not what you want to see, but it is not unusual. This cooking quirk may be familiar to you whether you are a novice in the kitchen or a long-time home cook because it can occur whenever you roast, bake, or pan-sear chicken, particularly when you are using lean meat. According to personal chef and cooking instructor Drew Curlett, as he told Reader Digest, the white stuff is not pretty but it is normal.
What then is this mysterious substance? It is a mixture of protein and water, which comes out when cooking, particularly when using high temperatures. Chicken breasts especially are rich in protein and low in fat. When heated, those proteins denature, or change structure, in the same way that egg whites do when they are cooked. The proteins expel moisture as they stiffen. When these proteins and water that are expelled are subjected to high heat, they coagulate and become the white, slightly sticky goo that may appear somewhat like jelly or foam.
This is more likely to occur in some cooking habits. The most frequent offenders are boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which are very high in protein and low in fat. High, dry cooking techniques, such as baking, roasting, or pan-searing also have this effect. When chicken is cooked fast at high temperature, the proteins shrink fast releasing more liquid and leading to the formation of the white goo. The chance is also increased by cooking partially frozen chicken or meat that has not been thawed completely. This is due to the fact that ice crystals that are formed during freezing destroy the muscle fibers and when the chicken is cooked, more moisture and protein are lost as a consequence.
The goo may not be pretty, but there is nothing wrong with consuming it. This does not imply that your chicken is half cooked or rotten and definitely does not have any effect on the flavor. It is simply cooked protein and water-it is harmless. With that said, however, when your chicken has a weird smell, a slimy feel prior to cooking, or any discoloration, then it is quite possible that it is spoiled and the white goo is the least of your problems. Then, it is better to discard it.
In case you want to reduce the amount of goo as much as possible, whether it is due to presentation or texture, there are a couple of things you can do. It helps to cook chicken at a lower temperature. The lower temperature of 350 o F (175 o C) compared to 400 o F (205 o C) slows down the process of denaturing the proteins and minimizes the leakage. A 30-minute to an hour of brining your chicken in a simple saltwater solution can help keep moisture and limit protein loss.
The other way is to brown the chicken in a hot pan then complete it in the oven, this will seal the juices. You should also allow your chicken to rest at room temperature 1520 minutes before cooking. Chicken that is cold or partly frozen is more prone to leakage. Finally, your chicken quality counts- factory-farmed or water-injected chicken is more likely to excrete this goo. It can be reduced by selecting air-chilled or organic chicken.
Finally, although you can minimize the manifestation of the goo, some of it is normal. It is simply the response of protein and water to heat. It is not the most beautiful thing you will ever see on a plate, but it is completely safe and completely natural. Your chicken is still good-goo and all.