Why Does My Chicken Taste Weird? Unraveling the Flavor Mysteries

The Science of Warmed-Over Flavor

Stopping WOF starts with understanding precisely where it comes from. Scientists and observant eaters alike agree that the flavor is most noticeable in cooked meats that have been refrigerated for 24 hours or more, then reheated. Though its especially obvious in leftover fish and poultry, discerning connoisseurs can pick out the WOF bouquet in most reheated meats. These flavors are the result of a series of chemical reactions that begins with the deterioration of specific kinds of fats known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs. (Fatty acids are the precursors to the fats that build up in an animals body, like the stuff you trim off a chicken thigh or hope to get rid of at the gym. ) PUFAs, in particular, are found in the membranes of cells.

The muscles that we consume as meat are made up of millions of microscopic cells, each of which is surrounded by a membrane of tightly organized fat molecules that behave like an oil drop in water. * That membrane serves as a barrier to enclose all the machinery that makes the cell tick. Different animals have different amounts of PUFAs in their cell membranes. Chicken and fish have a lot more PUFAs in their cells than lamb, pork, or beef, which is why they are more likely to WOF.

*Unsaturated fats tend to behave like oils; “unsaturated” refers to the fact that the carbon chains that make up their molecular structure arent all paired with hydrogen atoms. The presence of free carbon in these chains gives fats the ability to flow. In contrast, because the carbon chains in saturated fats have bonded with as many hydrogen atoms as they can, theyre stiff and waxy, like a candle—this is why foods high in saturated fats, like butter or lard, have a solid consistency. PUFAs are called “polyunsaturated” because theyre missing hydrogen atoms at many positions along the fatty-acid chain.

Eric Decker, a food science professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, has worked all his life to stop WOF. He explains that part of the challenge is that the chemistry behind WOF is so speedy. “The reaction is really fast—its probably the fastest lipid oxidation in any food,” Decker says. “Its occurring as soon as you take the meat out of the oven. its probably starting in the oven itself. “.

The process goes something like this: When youre cooking a chicken breast, the heat starts to break down the cells that make up the muscle. Each cell membrane deforms, like a stick of butter melting, and the proteins within the cells begin to lose their shape, or denature. This is bad news if youre a cell, but good news if youre about to eat a couple million of them in the form of a chicken breast—all that breakdown allows melted fat to permeate the meat and loosens up gristly connective tissues, resulting in juicier, more tender chicken.

It tastes great right out of the pan, but the process of breaking down the chicken to make it tender also makes it possible for WOF to form. When certain proteins denature, they loosen their hold on iron molecules. Free iron roams around cells and catalyzes a chemical reaction between PUFAs and oxygen. That reaction in turn creates free radicals, the cell-destroying agents that antioxidant foods and juices supposedly keep in check. These free radicals set off a chain reaction that turns the normally tasteless PUFAs into byproducts that smell and taste like soup that has been heated up. Theyre not harmful to eat, but they stink. And, unfortunately, once the reaction starts, theres nothing you can do to stop its malodorous spread.

According to Decker, because the reaction involves cell membranes rather than the visible white fat that marbles meat, buying lean cuts doesnt help reduce WOF, nor does trimming excess fat from your chicken. Dark meat, like a chicken thigh, is dark because of high concentrations of iron in its cells, making it particularly susceptible to WOF. Decker also says it probably doesnt matter how the chicken is raised—whether its organic, free-range, or raised in feedlots. “The only thing that would help would be to feed the chickens vitamin E,” he says. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that makes its way into cell membranes and protects them from degradation, but, while Decker notes that some vitamin E is generally fed to all livestock, putting an entire barnyard on a high-antioxidant diet just to control WOF wouldnt be cost-effective.

On the industrial scale, commercially produced meats, like cold cuts and precooked chicken, are processed with phosphates and vacuum-packed while still hot to minimize WOF. Vacuum-packing sucks out all the air, limiting the oxygen thats available to react with iron. Phosphate, on the other hand, pairs up with all the free iron and holds on to it, preventing it from catalyzing chemical reactions. In a vacuum with little free iron, WOF will develop more slowly.

Without the amenities of a meat-processing facility, home cooks have a more limited range of options to slow down WOF-inducing reactions. The best way, according to Decker, is to take a page from the industrial playbook and limit cooked meats exposure to oxygen as soon as feasibly possible. You dont have to take your dinner guests plates while theyre still eating, but you might pack the leftovers tightly in heat-safe containers after everyone is served. If youre especially sensitive to warmed-over flavor, you may even consider investing in a vacuum sealer of your own. “The faster you vacuum-pack it, the more effective its going to be,” Decker says.

Flavorful sauces are another potential solution, since they create a barrier to air, which will slow down WOF-forming processes—especially in soups, stews, or curries in which smaller morsels of meat are fully submerged. These may even be doubly effective if flavored with ground herbs or spices that are known to quash free radicals. “Rosemary and oregano are good antioxidants, so they could have some protection,” Decker says. As an added benefit, a punchy sauce will help mask any WOF when you reheat the leftovers the next day. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful the antioxidants in a sauce, theres no way they can suffuse an entire, intact piece of meat, like a chicken thigh. “Theres not a lot you can do,” Decker admits.

Though WOF seems like an insurmountable obstacle, I was invited by the editors of Serious Eats to try to devise workable strategies for circumventing these oxidation reactions in a home kitchen, using our understanding of the chemistry behind them. We tested out a number of different approaches.

The Testing

The goal in all our testing was to determine whether different cooking and storing methods could produce a discernible impact on WOF. To test cooking methods, we started with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and thighs, all seasoned with 1.5% kosher salt by weight. Twenty-four hours before the taste-testing commenced, we cooked a whole mess of chicken breasts sous vide at 160°F (71°C) for 1.5 hours, then rapidly chilled them in ice baths. We also cooked chicken thighs dressed in a number of different ways—marinated, herbed, coated in a variety of oils—which we roasted until an instant-read thermometer registered 160°F, then let cool naturally.

For the storage testing, we stored individual bone-in, skin-on breasts, either tightly wrapped in plastic or placed in oversize Tupperware containers; we did the same with breasts that we had deboned and skinned after cooking and cooling.

We also tested whether the method of reheating had an impact on WOF, comparing chicken breasts reheated in a microwave, in an oven, and sous vide against freshly cooked sous vide chicken breast. We then tasted rewarmed plain chicken thighs and thighs coated with different fats—peanut oil, olive oil, butter—against freshly cooked thighs, and we also tested rewarmed chicken thighs sprinkled with herbs (rosemary and tarragon, separately), as well as chicken thighs marinated in lemon juice, once more against plain, freshly cooked chicken thighs.

Finally, we tested whether some degree of Maillard browning could mitigate WOF, comparing a leftover browned chicken thigh and a leftover unbrowned but fully cooked chicken thigh against a freshly cooked (and browned) thigh.

Food Theory: Why Does EVERYTHING Taste Like Chicken?

FAQ

Why does chicken taste funny all of a sudden?

Goodness of the Chicken: If the chicken wasn’t fresh or wasn’t stored properly before cooking, it could get bad tastes. Additionally, frozen chicken that has been stored for too long might also have a change in taste.

Why does meat taste weird to me all of a sudden?

Genetic Differences: Some people have genetic differences that change their taste receptors and make them more sensitive to tastes like metal. The TAS2R gene family, responsible for bitter taste perception, can influence how different foods, including meat, are experienced.

Does chicken taste funny when off?

This is due to spoilage bacteria. It wont make you sick, but it will make the food taste different. That can’t be avoided; you have to only cook what you need for the meal.

What to do if my chicken tastes weird?

To get rid of that smell/taste, wash your chicken with vinegar. Submerge your chicken in a bowl of water and put two caps of vinegar in the water per breast. Use your hands and really massage the vinegar water into the chicken breast, and then let it sit in the vinegar water for maybe five minutes.