Chicken with yellow skin is an undervalued food. It tastes great, has a solid source of protein, and is just as healthy compared to some other more expensive foods. After reading this article you will hopefully be able to know how to tell if raw chicken breast is bad! Chicken skin is a tasty and popular food for us. We can eat it cooked or raw, as in the case of sashimi. Chicken skin is almost everyone favorite part of the chicken, …
Most owners of chickens know about the many health benefits which chicken can bring. This might include feeling good and having a healthier immune system, but there’s more to it than that. Here are the top six health benefits of eating chicken.
Chicken With Yellow Skin
Yellow or white, chicken is not always the same; it often happens to find a breast of a more pink and white color next to a darker and yellow one. What does this color difference depend on? Do different colors also mean different flavors or qualities? Does it depend on whether the chicken is free-range or not? Here is a small guide to understand more clearly.
Fried, baked, with curry or in a delicious sandwich; you can do almost anything with chicken and be sure it will always be good. Low in calories and high in protein, chicken is probably among the most consumed foods in the world, appreciated for its delicate flavor and excellent versatility in the kitchen. On supermarket counters we often find two different types of chicken, one whiter and more pink and another more yellowish; what is the reason for this difference? Do yellow chicken and white chicken have different organoleptic characteristics and flavors? Are they qualitatively different? Let’s find out together.
Differences between yellow chicken and white chicken
The difference in the color of the chicken, and in particular of the chicken breast, derives from a series of factors; in particular the breed and genetics of the animal, breeding and above all nutrition. Specifically, the color of the breast derives from the type of cereal with which the chicken is fed; if the chickens are fed with sorghum and wheat, then we will have a white chicken tending to pink, if instead the chickens are fed with corn then the breast will be more tending to yellow.
We tend to mistakenly think that yellow chicken is qualitatively inferior to white chicken, but this is not the case at all; certainly the different feeding of the chicken instead affects the flavor, more delicate in the case of white chicken, more decisive and with more hard meat the yellow one. Which one to choose? The only ones who can decide are you; let yourself be guided by your taste, but be careful not to be fooled; yellow chicken and free-range chicken are not the same thing.
What does free-range chicken mean
The free-range chicken is an animal that has been raised in the open air with traditional methods and therefore also fed only with quality grains, such as corn and/or wheat; therefore, nutrition is not enough, but there are a whole series of rules to follow to define a “free-range” chicken. For example free-range chickens have to spend their days scratching in search of food, in order to eat mixed food. Thanks to the continuous physical activity to search for food, the meat of the free-range chicken is firmer, while the mixed feeding, which brings together high quality grains and animals that the chicken finds alone in the earth, gives the meat intense and particular flavors and aromas. It goes without saying that, from the point of view of benefits but also of flavor, this type of chicken is preferable to all the others.
Recipes with chicken
Whether it is white or yellow, cooking chicken is always a great idea; easy to cook, suitable for any type of preparation and with an unmistakable flavor. If you are looking for a simple and genuine recipe and you have little time to cook, you can prepare a creamy chicken with orange, a fragrant and delicious dinner-saving dish. Do you want to experiment with new flavors and put yourself to the test? Chicken in teriyaki sauce is the thing for you; a dish of Japanese cuisine perfect for bringing a juicy and fragrant chicken breast to the table. Do you want some great classics? Stuffed chicken or baked chicken with potatoes if you want to show off a Sunday recipe, Mediterranean chicken or Caprese chicken if you prefer to stay light, but don’t want to give up a mouth-watering dish.
Why Is Chicken Skin Yellow ? Two Reasons Not To Panic
Chicken seems to be the meat of choice for a lot of people. It’s light, compared to beef, it please most people, and it makes the best damn soup. Most of the time you get chicken meat with the bones and skin already removed, especially if it’s chicken breast.
Sometimes though, you buy a whole chicken, or skin-on chicken. And in those cases you can sometimes find yellow-skinned chicken. At times the fat and meat are yellow tinted too. Why is chicken skin yellow ? We’re taking about the overall skin, and the skin on the knee and leg of the chicken.
Why is chicken skin yellow ?
Chicken skin can be yellow because of two important factors, its genetic makeup and the food it gets everyday. Chickens that have genes from the grey jungle fowl will always have yellowish tinge to their skin and sometimes the flesh itself.
And chickens fed with corn, marigold, paprika, and similar carotene-heavy foods will eventually bring that pigment into their skin.
One thing is for certain: yellow skin is not a bad sign for chicken meat, as long as it does not smell like rotting meat or too much blood. Now let’s take a closer look at those two factors that decide whether a chicken will end up with a yellow tinge in its skin.
1. Chicken feed may contain corn and grass
The biggest factor is the food the chicken gets everyday. Many chickens are fed a diet made up of corn, fishmeal, and grains. This gives them plenty of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and minerals so they can grow healthy and lay healthy eggs.
One effect of corn, aside from fattening the chickens, is to bring a yellow pigment into the egg yolk. The yellower the yolk, the better the egg is perceived by customers. Some even add in a bit of paprika to get their yolks closer to an orange color.
Back to the skin, a corn-heavy diet can impact the color of the chicken skin, and even the flesh a bit. The more corn a chicken will eat, the more likely it is to have a yellow skin. Chickens fed exclusively corn (or mostly corn) have the most yellow skin.
You should usually find a label on the chicken meat packet, stating whether this was a corn-fed chicken or not. The yellow tinge can even affect the fat, making it look an unsettling shade of yellow. If the skin on your chicken ahs a distinct yellow color, don’t worry about it. It will fry or roast just the same as any other chicken.
Why chicken are fed corn
As for why the chicken are fed corn, it has to do with what consumers expect and practicality. We’ll get to consumer expectations later in this post, first we’ll cover why corn is convenient.
The corn industry, at least in America, is subsidized by the government. This makes it very cheap for farmers who want to feed their livestock, chickens included. Chickens usually get the corn kernels, while cattle get the stalks and husks. So, it’s cheap feed and it gets the job done. Now let’s take a look at the second reason your chicken may have yellow skin.
2. Genes from the grey junglefowl
All chickens are descended from junglefowl. Yes, wild chickens are a real thing and there are several distinct varieties that most chickens can trace their heritage from. Two are the most prominent, like the red junglefowl, native to Southeast Asia, and the grey junglefowl, native to India specifically.
These two birds make up most of the genetic history of current chicken population. And the grey junglefowl is distinctly yellow under all those feathers, especially on the legs.
Each breed of chicken currently available has more or less of the grey gene. Those who do have this fowl as an ancestor will have a higher chance of developing a yellow skin.
Couple this with a diet with plenty of corn, and you get an especially yellow skinned chicken. You won’t notice the color under the feathers, but when the chicken is slaughtered, it is clearly noticeable.
Farm-raised, healthy chickens had a yellow tinge to their skin
Now we come to consumer expectation. Back in the day chickens were farm animals that roamed the farmstead and ate whatever they could find. Corn, grass, insects, worms, what have you. This was a chicken that had plenty of exercise and saw the sun and the sky. And it was always yellow-tinged.
Now, whether this was true or not, we’re not completely sure. It’s true that farm-raised chickens do tend to have a yellowish skin, but it’s also true that they’re not slaughtered as young as they are in a commercial farm.
But people associate a yellow skinned chicken with a farm, good feed, and exercise for the chickens. Not everyone does, but enough people do that the thought still exists. You may be wondering why doesn’t everyone just feed their chicken corn all the time, then.
Well, it has a lot to do with what each producer deems worth the hassle. In truth corn feed is fairly cheap, but more importantly it fattens the chickens fast. They grow faster, and arguably better from a consumer standpoint. Not all producers are alright with that idea, and not all corn is cheap.
Yellow skin on the knees can be easily removed
We’ve discussed all that yellow skin without touching on a specific issue: yellow skin on chicken legs or knees, despite the skin being white. This happens sometimes, as the slaughterhouse doesn’t always cut the chicken exactly perfect. So sometimes bits of knee are left towards the end of the chicken drums.
That yellow skin can easily be stripped off with your fingers. Underneath that layer, the skin should be about the same color of the rest of the chicken. Usually, if you notice yellow skin on the knees you may also find some leftover small feathers so be sure to strip those too.
And that’s pretty much it about yellow skins on chickens. It’s not all chickens, and even when you find it it’s not harmful. SO don’t worry about it and prep your meal as usual.
How To Tell If Raw Chicken Breast Is Bad
Suffering from food poisoning can happen to anybody if we are not careful with our food, and this includes chicken. Taking the time to prepare an entire chicken only to find out that raw chicken has gone bad when we are done cooking it is terrible. It means that a lot of food will simply go to waste. Luckily for us, there are many simple ways we can tell if our chicken is still good to eat or not. These include looking for gray spots, paying attention to funky smells, feeling for slimy meat, and remembering when we bought the chicken.
Look for Gray and Yellow Spots
One of the best ways to tell if raw chicken has gone bad is by looking at it and paying attention to the color of the meat. When raw chicken meat is good for consumption, it should be of a light pink color, with the fat parts being white. If we notice that the meat looks gray and the fatty parts display yellow spots, this isn’t good. This coloring means that the chicken is bad, so we should throw it away immediately.
Pay Attention to Funky Smells
When we try to figure out if our food is still good, we need to use our senses to our advantage. Another way to tell if raw chicken has gone bad is by paying attention to the way it smells. If we notice any odors or smells that are out of the ordinary, our meat is probably bad. Pay attention to diluted smells that are slightly sweet, but closer to that of rotten eggs. If this is the case, we need to get rid of our chicken as soon as possible.
Feel for Slimy Meat
The way chicken meat feels to our fingers is another way to tell whether the meat has gone bad or not. If we don’t notice any change of colors or any unusual smells, we need to feel the meat. Raw chicken should always feel moist, and slimy meat means that is no longer good for eating. Even after washing it, if it feels kind of sticky, that chicken has gone bad.
Remember When You Bought It
Last but not least, it is important to remember exactly when we bought the chicken. This is a very simple way to tell if raw chicken has gone bad. Remember that we can leave chicken meat in the fridge for no more than 4 days. Also, we can keep chicken in our freezer for 4 months. If we’ve had the chicken for longer than this, we should throw it away. This will allow us to avoid getting an upset stomach or even food poisoning.
Health Benefits Of Eating Chicken
Ask any non-vegetarian how much he craves for chicken? Ask any chicken lover who loves to have chicken tikka and butter chicken at the best restaurant in Dubai? Ask any gym-goer who wants to intake proteins in the form of butter chicken? Well, they all will be able to tell you how much they depend on chicken. The most common type of poultry is quite famous for its obvious reasons.
Chicken is called the food of champions for nonvegetarians. When you hear and taste the crunch of chicken dishes, a pure vegetarian won’t be able to understand this immense bonding of chicken foodie. You might be wondering, is having chicken really worth it? Do they really have any health benefits? Do they impact our body in a true and positive sense? Well the answer to all your questions lie here in this article: Here we have jotted a few health benefits of eating chicken that too at an Indian restaurant in Dubai:
- Building muscles: The most prominent benefit of eating chicken is that it helps to build muscles in the human body. Because chicken is a rich source of proteins. There is a common saying that lies in the context of eating chicken: the more you take proteins, the less you gain fats. You must be surprised to know that even 31 grams of protein intake will help to bulk up your muscles and keep your body fit and healthy. If you are a fitness freak or gym-goer, then you should definitely have chicken dishes in your meal.
2. Relieving Stress: Chicken also acts as a stress buster for humans. Candidly speaking, chicken contains two different forms of proteins namely tryptophan and Vitamin B5 which play the role of reducing stress in your hormones and we feel relaxed and composed. After being stressed and hectic, if you eat chicken items in your diet then you will be energetic for a longer period of time. If you remain energetic, then how can you avoid happiness and calmness? Surely, it is an excellent homemade option to live a stress-free life.
3. Healthy bones: The most important aspect of eating chicken is that in one way or the other it definitely gives some advantage. Chicken has various minerals like calcium and phosphorus which act as anchors for our bones and keep our bones in mint and firm till our old age. There are a lot of different diseases like arthritis which can be easily avoided through the intake of chicken flavors because it also has selenium in it.
4. Lessens PMS Symptoms: PMS problems are common in women. Women eat healthy foods to stay away from these bodily problems. What if we would say that consuming chicken lessens their problems to a large extent? Yes, the magnesium present in the chicken reduces the symptoms of PMS problems and helps in fighting the various mood swings of women during menstruation or periods.
5. Bolsters Immunity: In this covid era, immunity has a significant role to play. Of course, you would have known by now. More often than not, we tend to ignore the basic needs of our bodies. We do not know what our body wants. Sooner or later, we tend to consume immunity-boosting products from the market. So it’s better to eat homemade cooked chicken to avoid unnecessary problems in the future. Chicken soup is a great remedy for increasing immunity. Our immunity prevents inflammation during the common cold and other virals. Better to have healthy chicken with your loved ones.
6. Healthy Heart: There is an old cliche saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Well, in this hectic life, we try to eat all apples in a single day which might have adverse effects on our body and our heart. Being a rich source of Vitamin B6, chicken can be your best bet on improving heart health. It reduces cholesterol, homocysteine in our heart and makes it cool and healthy.
Hope you will take care of your health and soul and consume the chicken dishes to gain positive effects on your body.