Is It Safe To Eat Yellow Chicken?

Buying and preparing raw chicken is daunting for some people, as it's possible to get sick from consuming undercooked food. And when shopping for chicken, you may notice that meat coloration can vary from pink to bluish-white or yellow. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed that it's not unsafe or unusual for these colors to appear in raw poultry. Coloration can be an indicator of age, breed, exercise, or diet. In America, we're used to a standard pink color, so it may be off-putting to come across other colors. But chickens slaughtered young might have less fat, which can cause an off-white color. 

In South China, meanwhile, yellow Ma-Huang broiler chickens are a popular choice. When chickens eat certain diets, too, they can develop differently. Carotenoids are the compounds produced by plants, fungi, or bacteria in food that cause yellow yolks and skin. Marigolds, the beloved snack of these birds, are full of them. In fact, some chicken-feed manufacturers go out of their way to include carotenoids precisely for the yellowing effect. So chicken in this hue is a natural occurrence you don't need to worry about.

Before you get cooking your flavorful fried chicken, though, there are some things to watch out for in raw poultry. You don't want to cook with yellow chicken if it wasn't that color when you bought it. If it turned from pink to yellow over time, that could be a sign your meat has spoiled. Chicken shouldn't look gray, either. Watch out for rotten odors, sliminess, and mold spores if you think your raw chicken has gone bad.

Raw chicken lasts one to two days in the refrigerator, but up to a year in the freezer if whole, or nine months if cut into pieces. Seal it in an air-tight container, and make sure its original packaging had no signs of tampering. 

Chowhound will keep readers up to date with any important chicken recalls, and you can check the USDA website for more important information regarding raw meat. If you're on the hunt for a golden goose (or, rather, yellow chicken), find it with a certified USDA Organic label so that you can know your poultry likely got its color from snacking on its favorite marigolds.