Why Does My Chicken Taste Like Fish? The Reasons and Solutions Explained
Being sickened by chicken that tastes like fish can be unpleasant and scary. Since the tastes of chicken and fish are very different, finding that your chicken tastes like fish can make you worry that something is wrong.
There are a few potential reasons that cooked chicken can take on a fishy flavor:
- The chicken has spoiled
- Contamination during storage
- Contamination during preparation
- Reusing cooking oil
- The chicken’s diet
Understanding the cause will help you figure out if your chicken is still safe to eat, and how to prevent a fishy flavor in the future. This article will break down the possible reasons and solutions for chicken that tastes like fish.
Is The Chicken Spoiled?
The most concerning reason for a fishy chicken flavor is spoilage. Chicken has naturally very little odor when raw. So if your raw chicken smelled fishy, it has likely gone bad.
Signs of spoiled raw chicken include:
- Fishy, sour, or acidic odor
- Gray, green, or yellow discoloration
- Slimy texture
Cooked chicken can spoil faster than raw. It’s not a good idea to leave cooked chicken out at room temperature for more than two hours. Refrigerated properly cooked chicken lasts 3-4 days.
If your cooked chicken smells or tastes fishy, it may mean the chicken has spoiled, and you should not eat it. Always discard rotten chicken.
Contamination During Storage
Even if your chicken is not yet spoiled, contamination during storage can lead to a fishy flavor. Raw chicken can absorb odors readily from the refrigerator or freezer. Storing chicken near fish or other strong-smelling foods may transfer scents to the chicken.
To prevent absorption of odors store chicken tightly sealed in packaging or airtight containers. You can place a layer of parchment paper around the chicken as an extra barrier. Store chicken on a shelf away from fish and fragrant foods like onions.
An unclean freezer can also make chicken taste fishy. Defrost and clean out the freezer every few months to prevent buildup of odors.
Contamination During Preparation
Using dirty tools to prepare chicken is another common way for fishy tastes to get transferred. If you don’t wash your knives, cutting boards, and other tools well enough before cutting up the chicken, you could get sick. , residues can stick and get into the chicken.
Even utensils only used for chicken can retain residue that turns fishy when chicken is cooked. Always wash and sanitize prep tools before and after handling raw chicken. Use separate designated tools for chicken whenever possible.
Reusing Cooking Oil
Using the same oil to fry chicken more than once can also give it a fishy taste. The breakdown of oil when heated repeatedly generates off tastes. Chicken skin and batter can react with oil that is breaking down and give it a fishy smell, even if the oil has been used for chicken before.
Always fry foods in fresh, clean oil. Optimal is using oil only once. If reusing oil, strain and filter it thoroughly after each use. Make sure the pot or pan doesn’t retain old oil residue either.
The Chicken’s Diet
In rarer cases, the reason chicken tastes fishy is because the chicken was fed fish or fishmeal. While not as common today, some farms use fish products in chicken feed as an inexpensive protein source.
The fish components get stored in the chicken’s fat and tissue, emerging when cooked. Buying chicken from farms that do not use fish in feed should prevent this issue. Free-range and organic chicken is less likely to be fed fishmeal.
Is Fishy Chicken Safe to Eat?
If you are certain your raw chicken was fresh, properly stored and handled, a fishy taste does not necessarily mean you need to discard cooked chicken. The off flavor can often be disguised or removed.
However, if there is any doubt about the freshness or you see other signs of spoilage, do not take risks and throw the chicken away.
How to Fix Fishy Tasting Chicken
Here are some tips for fixing up chicken that has taken on a fishy flavor during storage, prep or cooking:
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Marinate in an acidic ingredient like lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt or tomato sauce to mask the taste.
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Coat the chicken in flour, salt and spices before cooking to provide a protective layer.
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Bake or simmer the chicken in a sauce with lots of aromatics like garlic, onions, herbs and spices to overwhelm any fishiness.
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If fried, do not reuse any oil and wash the pan thoroughly to eliminate residual oil. Fry a small piece first to check if the flavor carries through before cooking the rest.
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Try switching preparation methods e.g. bake instead of fry. The fishy compounds may emerge more in certain cooking methods.
With the right techniques, you can still enjoy chicken that has picked up metallic, fishy flavors during storage or cooking. The solutions above can help mitigate the issue.
Preventing Fishy Chicken in the Future
Now that you know why your chicken tasted like fish, you can take steps to stop it happening again:
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Always inspect raw chicken carefully before cooking. If it smells or shows any signs of spoilage, throw it out.
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Store chicken properly sealed in the refrigerator or freezer, away from other fragrant foods.
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Wash prep tools and cooking pots thoroughly before and after handling chicken. Use separate utensils when possible.
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Fry chicken in fresh, unused oil in a clean pan each time.
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Consider the chicken’s source and diet as a factor. Opt for chicken raised without fish products in their feed.
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If your cooked chicken tastes fishy, try marinades, spice rubs and sauces to mask the flavor before throwing it out.
While fishy chicken can be unpleasant, in most cases it does not mean the chicken has gone bad. With care and attention during storage, preparation and cooking, you can avoid this problem in the future and still enjoy chicken that temporarily picks up metallic, fishy overtones. Follow these tips to keep your chicken tasting fresh.
Investigating Cooked Chicken
- 1 Smell the chicken. If spices and other seasonings are covering up the smell of bad chicken, it can be harder to tell if the chicken is bad or not. The smell test can be used on both raw and cooked chicken. [7] The chicken is bad if it smells like sulfur or rotten eggs.
- 2 Check for changes in color, if possible. This might not be possible if the chicken was breaded or if a glaze or marinade changed the color. It’s no longer safe to eat chicken that has turned gray after being cooked white. [8] .
- 3 Look for mold. Mold is one of the most obvious signs that chicken is bad and going bad. If the chicken starts to get green or black fuzz or any other kind of organic growth, it’s very bad and should be thrown away right away. You might get sick just from the smell of this chicken. [9] .
- 4 Taste the chicken before you swallow it. You can take a small bite of cooked chicken to see if it’s still good. If you’re not sure, don’t throw it away either. You shouldn’t just chew and swallow the chicken right away, though. You should take a moment to carefully consider the flavor. If it seems sour or tastes “off,” spit it out and throw away the rest.
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Easy Ways to Tell if Chicken is Bad
Chicken has likely gone bad if it has a strong, unpleasant odor. Another sign is a change of color; raw chicken should be pink, while cooked chicken should be white. It often turns grey when it begins to spoil. Check for mold as well, and avoid chicken that has a slimy texture.
Food Theory: Why Does EVERYTHING Taste Like Chicken?
FAQ
What does it mean if chicken has a fishy taste?
If you feed chickens fish, the fat in their meat can pick up the flavors, making the fish taste stronger. Metabolism: Chickens metabolize the nutrients and flavors from their diet. The fishy flavors can become infused in the muscle tissues, especially if the fish meal is a substantial part of their diet.
Why does meat taste like fishy to me?
A fishy taste in meat can stem from several factors, including the type of meat, how it was raised and fed, and how it was prepared. For example, grass-fed beef, especially when not properly fattened, can have a more pronounced flavor, sometimes described as fishy, due to higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
How to get rid of fishy taste in chicken?
To get rid of that smell/taste, wash your chicken with vinegar. Put two vinegar caps in a bowl of water and put your chicken breasts in the water. Really rub the vinegar water into the chicken breast with your hands. Then leave it in the vinegar water for about five minutes.
Is it safe to eat chicken that smells like fish?
My general rule of thumb with any sort of raw meat like chicken, pork, fish or beef is that if you smell anything at all that smells off or funky, or sets off any internal alarm in you, chuck it. Better safe than sorry. Fresh, raw meat like chicken shouldn’t really have any odor at all.
Why does chicken taste fishy?
When chicken meat is exposed to air, the naturally occurring fats in the meat begin to break down. This breakdown can result in a release of volatile compounds, some of which have a fishy smell and taste. This is especially likely to happen if the chicken is not fresh or has been stored improperly.
Why does chicken smell like fish?
The main reason why chicken might smell or taste like fish is because it’s spoiled. But if you’re certain that the chicken is fresh, then there’s something else behind the fishy flavor. Maybe the chicken was fed fish meal during its lifespan, or you cooked it in oil that was previously used for fish. What Causes Fishy Chicken?
Does chicken taste like fish?
No matter what seasoning you use, and how well you prepare the sauce, the meat can sometimes just taste wrong. A fishy taste is something that happens with chicken, especially if you made some mistake in storing and preparing. Luckily, there are some efficient techniques you can use to make sure that the chicken doesn’t taste like fish.
Why does raw chicken taste like fish?
This is a big problem when raw chicken is left at room temperature, as bacteria will quickly multiply, making it unfit for consumption. However, if you are 100% confident that your chicken has not gone bad, there are some other reasons why it might taste like fish.
Does frozen chicken taste fishy?
Freezing chicken can cause it to develop a slightly different flavor, but it should not taste fishy. If your frozen chicken tastes fishy, it could be an indication of spoilage or improper storage. Does washing chicken remove the fishy taste? Washing chicken before cooking will not remove the fishy taste.
Why does chicken taste so bad?
There can be many explanations behind the off-putting taste of chicken. The clearest one is fishmeal. A few ranchers feed their chickens powdered fish results. This fishmeal causes an off-putting taste in chicken and their eggs. Different reasons incorporate certain microbes, singing, and serving techniques.