# Quick Question:  Should Chicken Smell Like This?



## Anau

Referring to raw chicken legs, should it smell kinda funky?  I know that raw pork smells but should chicken?  I just bought this chicken Monday and froze it immediately.  Thanks.


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## htc

Raw meat shouldn't have any funky smell to it, if it's fresh.


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## Alix

I don't know what "funky" means to you, but I would toss them to be sure. 

Have you done a lot of cooking or is food prep pretty new to you? Some people don't like the smell of raw food and might call it funky. 

Did it feel slimy or sticky to the touch?


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## Anau

Well, it felt slimy like you would expect raw meat to.  It looks perfectly fine, the flesh is pink and not cloudy.  

It actually had a little of this smell when I first bought it.  The 'sell by' date wasn't for a few days and they all had it so I thought it was fine.  Can chicken go bad as quickly as the trip home?  I stuck it in the freezer as soon as I got home.

It would be frustrating if it is bad because I threw out some chicken before for the same reason.  Maybe it is just me because my roommate said he couldn't smell anything.  Would it help if I told you it kind of smells like rubber?  Thanks.


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## pdswife

If it smells toss it.  Better safe than sorry.


Welcome to the group!!


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## KAYLINDA

It could be "just you".  I know sometimes I get a foul smell in my nose that I just can't get rid of.  However...when in doubt..throw it out!  You wouldn't be able to eat it anyway...wondering the way you are!   Also...it may not have gone bad "on the trip home"....it may have been bad when they sold it to you!


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## Alix

Try rinsing the chicken under cold water first. Then ask someone else to smell it. It could just be that you are a more sensitive nose than others.


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## Anau

pdswife said:
			
		

> If it smells toss it. Better safe than sorry.
> 
> 
> Welcome to the group!!


 
Thank you  

Alright, I'm going to go out and buy another package, and if they all smell, then I'm going to ask the grocery people about it.


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## Robo410

yup, ... rinse it, pat it dry, cook it, it should be fine.  If it smells bad while cooking or tastes funny (acrid, or rancid) after being cooked, toss it.  

You froze it immediately and only just opened it.  No contamination since leaving hte processor.  Cooking kills the bacteria.  People get sick from most food spoilage from undercooked or uncooked food.  

Much of the world eats meat that we Americans would consider "unsafe".  They stew it and flavor it with herbs and spices and all the nasty noogies are cooked off.  really.


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## GB

I find that raw chicken does have a smell to it. It is not a smell I like. From cooking for a while though I have learned which smells are good and which are bad.

You are doing the right thing by getting another package and then asking the store if it still does not smell right. Always play it safe with chicken and be on the safe side.


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## jpmcgrew

Some grocers are dishonest and will repackage and redate meats. Maybe their fridge bin temps are not low enough.I dont know.You really need to get some one who knows to smell for you.But if it smells off even when you rinse take it back to store and get your money back. Bottom line it should not smell weird same thing with seafood if it smells fishy its old.


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## Anau

OK, well I went and got some more.  I'm cooking it TODAY and it doesn't smell so I'm very sure about its freshness.  I did try washing off the other ones and it still smells.  

But I agree with you, Robo, that what might be bad by popular Western standards are really OK to eat.  You don't know how many times I go off on my grandparents about that stuff but they're always fine.    I'm getting all this chicken from HEB so I assume it good chicken.  

Thanks.


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## purrfectlydevine

When you thaw chicken, or any uncooked meat, seafood, or poultry do it in the refrigerator and place the package in a container to catch any moisture that drips off the package and thereby reduce the chance of cross-contamination.


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## purrfectlydevine

Keep your receipt.  A reputable grocery store should refund your money if you call and return suspect poultry in a timely manner.


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## Incorrect

*Not the full story*



Robo410 said:


> yup, ... rinse it, pat it dry, cook it, it should be fine.  If it smells bad while cooking or tastes funny (acrid, or rancid) after being cooked, toss it.
> 
> You froze it immediately and only just opened it.  No contamination since leaving hte processor.  Cooking kills the bacteria.  People get sick from most food spoilage from undercooked or uncooked food.
> 
> Much of the world eats meat that we Americans would consider "unsafe".  They stew it and flavor it with herbs and spices and all the nasty noogies are cooked off.  really.



I registered just to respond to you (using a nick I figured you'd like since you won't likely agreed with me)

You're not getting the full story. Harmful bacteria aren't only agents of infection but also literally of poisoning. As they multiply in meat they release toxins which aren't fully broken down using many common North American methods. In the countries you refer to, they aren't just cooking till the bacteria are dead but also till any toxins are broken down.

Translation: they cook the holy hell out of the meat. Most westerners would rarely cook that intensely. So if you want to eat like the third world, cook like them. Spice like them. Build an immune system like theirs and even still face the plethora of risks


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## Andy M.

Thanks for stopping by.  You had to go back 6 years to find what you saw as an error - not bad.


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## pacanis

Andy M. said:


> Thanks for stopping by. You had to go back 6 years to find what you saw as an error - not bad.


 
Maybe they just _happened_ to Google  *"Quick question: Should chicken smell like this?"  *and this thread came up.


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## taxlady

Incorrect said:


> I registered just to respond to you (using a nick I figured you'd like since you won't likely agreed with me)
> 
> You're not getting the full story. Harmful bacteria aren't only agents of infection but also literally of poisoning. As they multiply in meat they release toxins which aren't fully broken down using many common North American methods. In the countries you refer to, they aren't just cooking till the bacteria are dead but also till any toxins are broken down.
> 
> Translation: they cook the holy hell out of the meat. Most westerners would rarely cook that intensely. So if you want to eat like the third world, cook like them. Spice like them. Build an immune system like theirs and even still face the plethora of risks



I love this answer.

Note, we have worked really hard at not having immune systems like theirs


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## Rocklobster

Alix said:


> I don't know what "funky" means to you, but I would toss them to be sure.



I have played at a lot of outdoor concerts in my day that have smelled "funky". Is that what you mean?


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## taxlady

Rocklobster said:


> I have played at a lot of outdoor concerts in my day that have smelled "funky". Is that what you mean?


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## Bolas De Fraile

Rocklobster said:


> I have played at a lot of outdoor concerts in my day that have smelled "funky". Is that what you mean?


I tried to post a youtube of Rufus Thomas "Doing the Funky Chicken" it did not work


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## DaveSoMD

Incorrect said:


> I registered just to respond to you (using a nick I figured you'd like since you won't likely agreed with me).......



Wasn't that a sweet thing to do.


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## popeye59

Provoking Troll might have been a better screen name


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## kadirecipes

Nope i dont think so.....


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## Somebunny

Lol!  6 years later!   I'd say that chickens "pretty bad". ROFL!!!


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## Scotch

I've had food poisoning four times in my life, ended up in the infirmary for a week during college. My motto: When in doubt, throw it out!


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## popeye59

I had it once.  While in the Navy and in port at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  We had ham for dinner, they used the same ham for mid-rats (midnight snack for watch standers) and then again for breakfast.  It never got cold enough when they put it in the overcrowded fridge and they only barely warmed it when put in the breakfast omelets.  That’s one experience I’ll never forget and one I’ll never want to repeat.


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## pmeheran

Anau said:


> Referring to raw chicken legs, should it smell kinda funky?  I know that raw pork smells but should chicken?  I just bought this chicken Monday and froze it immediately.  Thanks.



In our south texas climate, food spoils amazingly fast.  Chicken parts while convenient, sometimes have been around quite a while.  When in doubt, throw it out.  If however, you think there is some hope, then bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in the chicken.  Just let it sit in the pot of hot water [burner off] and after a while [you judge]pull it out.  I generally go for the expensive free range chickens.  The difference is noticeable.


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## CWS4322

Agh--I thought there was a new app with a scrath-and-sniff option.

But no, chicken should not smell funky. Sometimes rinsing well in salt water removes odor re: poultry (kinda like when you rinse the inside of a turkey you are roasting).


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## Rocklobster

CWS4322 said:


> But no, chicken should not smell funky. QUOTE]
> 
> This is the only funky chicken you should have YouTube - ‪Rufus Thomas - The Funky Chicken‬‏


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## CraigC

Haven't you seen "Swamp People"? Dem dar alagater luvs dem funky chickins! 

Craig


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## Uey2

Some chicken has an odor to it and others don't. The sell by date still had two days to go on these thighs I bought and they had a smell to it. 

My mother used to work in a meat market and told me to stick it in a bowl of water and vinegar and then rinse it off. If it still smelled funny, she told me to toss it.

I did that and my chicken thighs were fine. No one got sick. But if you are not comfortable cooking it or serving it, then toss it. Better safe than sorry.


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## Snip 13

I wouldn't eat it if it smelled funny! I lived in Barcelona for a year and got food poisoning many times from bad chicken until I started poking a small hole in the packets at the supermarket to sniff it first...lol! If you find a packet with a hole in your meat section, it was probably me :p


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## Lukey25

Sorry to drag up an old post but I just bought some fresh chicken breasts from my local farm butcher for the first time and it has a very funky smell - I rung the farm shop who informed me that the smell is completely normal and common in fresh farm chicken as it hasn't gone through a de odour process like supermarkets use? My knowledge on this is pretty limited and I'm not one to generally chance it - hoping some one here might be informed on such a matter (that is informed on fresh farm chicken)


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## CatPat

I am from Romania, and sometimes the meat there is not quite fresh, but many people there cook it to very high heat and it does not harm them.

Meat should smell as in nothing when the package is open first. 

With love,
~Cat


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## lyndalou

I would return it to the store so that they know they may have bad chicken in the meat section.


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## lyndalou

Just realized that this thread is very old. Oops!


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## Steve Kroll

Lukey25 said:


> Sorry to drag up an old post but I just bought some fresh chicken breasts from my local farm butcher for the first time and it has a very funky smell - I rung the farm shop who informed me that the smell is completely normal and common in fresh farm chicken as it hasn't gone through a de odour process like supermarkets use? My knowledge on this is pretty limited and I'm not one to generally chance it - hoping some one here might be informed on such a matter (that is informed on fresh farm chicken)



I'm sure it's fine. I don't know what the de-odor process is that you mention, but I buy much of my chicken direct from farms and it does have a somewhat different smell to it. This might sound a little gross, but to me it has more of a "fresh blood" kind of smell that I don't get from factory chicken. Farm chickens also tend to be a little more mature than most store birds, so they are just a tad bit more gamey.

Gamey and fresh is a completely different smell than rotten, and I think most people just need to learn to recognize it. Probably a lost art in this modern day and age of refrigeration where nothing is expected to have any odor to it.


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## GotGarlic

Steve, I think you're right. It's a mineraly smell from the iron in the blood.


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## Mad Cook

Anau said:


> Well, it felt slimy like you would expect raw meat to. It looks perfectly fine, the flesh is pink and not cloudy.
> 
> It actually had a little of this smell when I first bought it. The 'sell by' date wasn't for a few days and they all had it so I thought it was fine. Can chicken go bad as quickly as the trip home? I stuck it in the freezer as soon as I got home.
> 
> It would be frustrating if it is bad because I threw out some chicken before for the same reason. Maybe it is just me because my roommate said he couldn't smell anything. Would it help if I told you it kind of smells like rubber? Thanks.


I wouldn't expect any raw meat to be slimy.

 If the chicken is slimy and smells bad it _is_ bad. Throw it away.


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## Constance

I had a high school friend who's father owned a grocery store. The chicken came in big waxed boxes, and it was her job to unpack them and bag them up to be weighed and priced. She hated the job...said they smelled awful!

My dad grew up on the farm, and he had to help singe and pluck the chickens. He hated the smell, and if he happened to come in my house when I was boiling a chicken, he turned around and went right back out the door. 

Try sprinkling lemon juice on the chicken...makes it smell better, and freshens the tastre. Actually, a little lemon juice brings out the flavor in lots of foods!


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## CatPat

I've never had a raw chicken which smelled bad. I would throw it away, to be safe.

With love,
~Cat


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## GotGarlic

Mad Cook said:


> I wouldn't expect any raw meat to be slimy.
> 
> If the chicken is slimy and smells bad it _is_ bad. Throw it away.



Some people think any raw meat *is* slimy. I'm amazed at the number of people I've met who say they can't stand to touch raw meat.


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## taxlady

GotGarlic said:


> Some people think any raw meat *is* slimy. I'm amazed at the number of people I've met who say they can't stand to touch raw meat.


Yup, that's my experience too.


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## Caslon

Has anyone noticed packaged fresh chicken legs are bigger now?  I mean...lol, they're bigger.  I guess that's a good thing, but some are approaching the size of almost small turkey drumsticks. Are chickens being grown larger before slaughter or what?

From a 5 pack I get 2 fairly normal sized drumsticks and 3 that are almost ginormous.  It's probably my imagination.


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