You can order a medium-rare steak at a restaurant, enjoy citrusy ceviche on the beach, try a bite of beef carpaccio or tartare in Paris, and eat sushi, sashimi, and poke bowls, galore. But raw chicken? Now that is always a hard, haaard pass. Although you may instinctively know this, what comes after is a bit of a mystery. Its natural to wonder, What happens if I eat raw chicken?.
The short answer? Consuming raw or undercooked chicken can lead to food poisoning, stomach pains, nausea, and/or diarrhoea (so not fun!) — thanks to bacteria often found in chicken that typically gets killed off during the cooking process (grilling, frying, or baking). So, you should always stress about cooking chicken to 100% doneness. Every. Single. Time.
The simplest way to steer clear of this gastro-nightmare is to always make sure your chicken is fully cooked through. This means using a meat thermometer to check that your chicken clocks in at the FSA-recommended safe cooking temperature of 75°C. What to Read Next.
But the tricky part is that youre not always the one doing the cooking. What happens if youre eating out or you go to a friends house? You bite into your chicken breast or thigh only to discover its undercooked (or even raw!) with a fleshy pink inside that screams dont eat me. Now what? Do you immediately spit it out across the table? (Sorry, everyone. ) Start chugging water to rinse your mouth? Take some sort of medicine? Make a beeline to A&E?!.
We caught up with gastroenterologists to get the full low-down on what to do if you ever find yourself in this scenario, having accidentally eaten raw chicken meat. Then, WH test kitchen pros weighed in with tips on how to prevent yourself from consuming a raw breast or wing in the first place.
Eating raw or undercooked chicken can be dangerous as it may contain harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. You may be wondering if you should induce vomiting after consuming raw chicken to try to get rid of the harmful bacteria before they can make you sick. However experts generally advise against trying to throw up for several reasons. Keep reading to learn more about what to do if you accidentally ate raw chicken.
Understanding the Risks of Eating Raw Chicken
Chicken is one of the foods most commonly contaminated with bacteria that can cause food poisoning, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. These bacteria are killed when chicken is cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165°F. However, in raw or undercooked chicken, the bacteria can survive.
If the raw chicken you ate was contaminated and you ingest enough of the bacteria, you may develop symptoms of food poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal cramps, and headache. For most people, food poisoning from chicken lasts a few unpleasant days before resolving on its own. But for some, especially those with weakened immune systems, severe complications like dehydration, septicemia, and reactive arthritis can occur.
What should you do if you just realized you ate raw or undercooked chicken by accident? You might want to throw up, but experts say that’s not a good idea.
Why Throwing Up Isn’t Recommended After Eating Raw Chicken
While the instinct to throw up after eating raw chicken is understandable, self-induced vomiting is not likely to help and can even be harmful:
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It may not remove the bacteria: If enough time has passed since eating the chicken, the bacteria may have already left your stomach and entered your intestines. Throwing up won’t remove the pathogens from your system once they’ve passed into the intestinal tract.
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Irritation from stomach acid The hydrochloric acid in your stomach can irritate your esophagus and mouth when you vomit This can cause painful damage to the delicate tissues,
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The risk of dehydration goes up when you vomit, which can make dehydration worse during a food poisoning episode. Dehydration can become serious very quickly.
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Aspiration risk: When you make yourself throw up, some of it can get into your lungs by accident. This can lead to pneumonia and lung infection.
So emptying the stomach doesn’t always work and comes with its own risks. Are there better options?.
What to Do Instead if You Ate Raw Chicken
Rather than trying to vomit, food safety experts recommend:
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Stop eating the chicken: If you realize your error mid-bite, immediately stop eating the undercooked poultry. The less you ingest, the lower your risk.
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Drink fluids: Staying hydrated can help flush out your system and prevent severe dehydration if you do get sick. Water, clear broths, diluted fruit juices, or oral rehydration solutions are good choices.
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Watch for symptoms: Monitor yourself closely over the next few days for any signs of food poisoning like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or abdominal cramps. Symptoms can take 12 hours to a few days to appear.
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Treat symptoms: If you develop food poisoning, focus on managing the symptoms—especially staying hydrated and resting. Over-the-counter medications may provide relief.
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Seek medical care if needed: Most cases resolve without treatment, but severe dehydration, bloody stool, high fever, or neurological issues warrant medical attention.
The key is responding quickly if symptoms develop and not trying do-it-yourself treatments like induced vomiting or drinking hydrogen peroxide, which are ineffective and potentially dangerous.
How to Avoid Food Poisoning From Chicken
Of course, prevention is the best solution. You can avoid the risks of eating raw chicken with proper food safety:
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Cook chicken to 165°F internal temperature. Use a food thermometer to verify doneness.
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Store raw chicken below 40°F. Freeze if keeping more than 2 days.
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Avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards.
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Wash hands and surfaces that touched raw chicken.
Following basic food handling guidelines can help protect you from the dangers of raw chicken. But if you do accidentally ingest some undercooked poultry, resist the urge to throw up. Instead, drink fluids, watch for symptoms, and get medical care if needed. With proper response, you can recover safely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon after eating raw chicken would I get sick?
It takes time for the bacteria to multiply and make you ill, so symptoms typically start 12 hours to 3 days after exposure. But it can be as soon as 30 minutes for some pathogens.
What if I only ate a small amount of raw chicken?
Even ingesting a small amount of contaminated raw chicken can potentially make you sick. It only takes a small dose of certain Salmonella species, for example, to cause food poisoning.
Can raw chicken juice on cooked chicken make me sick?
Yes, raw chicken juice can harbor Salmonella, Campylobacter, and other bacteria. If the cooked chicken touched raw chicken or its juices, it could potentially cause food poisoning.
Is pink chicken safe if cooked at high temperature?
No, color is not a reliable indicator of safety. Chicken can turn pink from myoglobin in the tissues but still be undercooked. Use a food thermometer to verify 165°F.
If I get diarrhea, when is it serious enough to go to the ER?
Seek emergency care if you have signs of severe dehydration like dizziness, rapid heart rate, dark urine, or are unable to keep fluids down. Bloody stool, high fever, and neurological symptoms also warrant prompt medical care.
How long after eating raw chicken will you get sick?
Lets talk timing. In the case of campylobacter, symptoms dont typically start to present themselves until two to five days after exposure, while salmonella can start wreaking havoc in as little as six hours, per the CDC. Similarly, these infections vary in length, from 24 hours (clostridium perfringens) to upwards of a week (campylobacter). The incubation time for E. coli is most commonly three to four days.
What happens if you eat raw chicken, really?
Is it safe to eat raw chicken? In short, no. You might get sick with food poisoning. And unless you’re Emily Charlton from “The Devil Wears Prada,” those two scary words are enough to make your skin crawl.
Raw chicken — as well as its juices — is often contaminated with campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with salmonella and clostridium perfringens, says Dr Jennifer L. Bonheur, a gastroenterologist. There is also a small chance you can get Escherichia coli from raw chicken, though, typically its more common to get E. coli from undercooked beef and contaminated raw fruits or veggies, says Dr Samantha Nazareth, another gastroenterologist.
All of these foodborne pathogens can cause diarrhoea usually alongside nausea and vomiting, fever, and abdominal cramps, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
And, all it may take is one or two bites.