"Woody breast is an ongoing challenge facing the entire industry," Michelle Babin, a spokesperson for Perdue Farms, told TODAY Food. We spit out those pieces. You should cook chicken to 160 degrees internal temperature on a meat thermometer. I live in Maryland and we're having the same problem here and I hate that crunchy taste no. Of course, you don't have to eat the meat if you don't want to. This sounds somewhat familiar to the chicken breasts I had bought. Its a genetic issue with the mass producers, i.e. Pimples Or Sandpaper Shells Kathy Shea Mormino You know what we have to do.complain, because the squeaky wheel gets the oil and corporations wouldn't want to lose a dime. First time poster- all because of gross rubbery chicken! They are not frozen, they are fresh. The last time I made chicken I splurged and got organic and when it was done the texture was as most are saying rubbery but Id also like to describe it as fatty? Very unnerving and it has happened one other time to me and I Had the same reaction. Not sure how the market will respond to this unsavory tasting chicken, I know what I have done. Mostly, the breasts that I purchase are large weighing one pound plus that I often cut in half and pound, but still get the texture problem. The only option I see is to grind them/ chop them in food processor and try them as patties or chicken meatballs with other ingredients. And it has always been in those chicken breasts that look on the larger side of normal to me. I recently bought chicken breasts from Perdue. Practice looking at the chicken you eat out so that you can identify perfectly-cooked chicken every time. They tout themselves as something along the lines as Bell & Evans and they are not even close. OK here goes, It was explained to me like this from a respected butcher. I am so glad that my boyfriend and I will not be getting food poisoning! Hi, Im in the UK and I have had this twice now. And eventually they will have to go back to raising their chickens (and pigs) the way they used to . Our best tips for eating thoughtfully and living joyfully, right in your inbox. Its gross. Ugh - this is happening to me right now (which is what brought me to this thread). It tasted like it was undercooked, but it was long enough.. and the color seemed okay. when I chewed it it was like fake food and didn't taste like chicken. Interesting, I posted a few years back but still keep an eye on this conversation. I told them not to eat it and gave it to the dog. "It seemed like one out of every four breasts I was getting were affected," the food writer told TODAY. No issues since. While researchers and geneticists attempt to find the exact cause and cure here's what you need to know. Thank you for this post as I was really perplexed. When we can find smaller breasts at the store, they seem fine, but the larger breasts are rubbery and inedible. I've had the bad texture ones from Costco - the fresh organic, pack of 3. I buy my chickens and rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods or the organic ones at Costco. Big mistake! Contact your local representatives and tell them what you think and stop letting them use their typical weapons of mass distraction against you. Im living in Japan and came to food52 searching for some answers as well. Thought I was going to give us food poisoning, This is really concerning I'm in Colorado usa and I've bought chicken breasts from both walmart and safeway and cooked them to 165 internal temp (most times I go above it to make sure) either in the oven or on the grill and every pack I've bought for the past few weeks have had at least one breast that has that raw like texture. According to Owens, a woody chicken breast may have 2% less protein than a normal breast. The . Sugar Hill, GA home of A chicken wood. Apparently it is a muscle disorder that is related to genetic breeding. I have noticed it in both the individual wrapped pieces that come in the zip bags and the plastic trays. . "In other words, it's Fido's lucky day!". Tyson, just in general, should be crossed off the ole grocery list as it isits the probably the worst as far as product quality, and that's even excluding the "woody breast disease" issue. I have had issues with the taste of other meat but buying organic seems to have helped with those. Theyll semi-confess after a whistleblower goes to the media. And its disgusting. I am so turned off by all meat and poultry that I am reduced to pasta and fish. [not directed at this post] should start at the beginning of the thread, or at least skim it. This has happened to my more than once- I thought at first I had overcooked, or even cut it the wrong way (with the grain vs. against). I'm happy to learn this because putting a name to it and understanding that it may have a tell-tale sign (the white striping), may help me avoid it when selecting chicken. As long as it's not dangerous, they may remain quiet. That squeaky mouth feel sounds like brining. I would think that, given the number of complaints here alone, this situation would find its way to chicken raisersbut then as long as their sales aren't affected, they won't lift a finger. It's been hit or miss with me when cooking at home. Almost as if it was raw! When I convert my file from OBJ or FBX file to STL suddenly, the surface just have these weird cracking texture all over, along with random black block What cause this issue and how do I stop it? >.<. Either way, it's not normal. And those farmers who continue to breed these fast growing breeds so that they can get the meat to market faster will just go out of business because no one wants to be eating this crap. NAHHHHH So now Im sitting here hangry af looking at a juicy hard woody with Extreme disappointment. I bought a 4 pack of the bone-in skin on chicken breast and 1 out of the 4 had this weird texture. Remember organic does not always mean chemical free. I bought a bag of Chicken wing parts and it doesn't look like Chicken parts!!! SO glad I looked this up. We have been eating at the same restaurant for many years and noticed around the end of 2017 the grilled chicken was 'grisly' textured. I just had this experience with Trader Joe's organic chicken breasts. . I will add, I haven't had an issue since moving away from Springer chicken. We decided NOT to eat the chicken so I threw away 2 breasts, a little over a pound that I paid $12.00 for. I just had some at Applebees last night. Eating grisly chicken is just gross. There are fiberous lines running through the breast and it was tough to cut. I'm a fan of the sandwiches in the "chicken sandwich war" with Chic Filet and Popeyes being my personal favorites. I have had this problem for months and it seems totally random. So gross. Like it seems like the problem is just getting worse and worse and it might not be able to be reversed, if it is changing chickens' genetics. Same thing happened to me when I made chicken parm last week..I thought it might be the pounding or the pan, but same thing you describe.cooked but textremely is raw feeling in the mouththought I was crazy. I have the same experiences in both Supermarket purchased chicken and from a few favorite restaurants. This is most likely occurring as a result of incorrect defrosting procedures on your part. Sad. I don't know what to do. You can get around that by purchasing air dried chicken. The chicken was cut for cutlets and prepared as breaded the color and temp cook was spot on juicy and tasteful but on of the 3 breasts in the package that yielded 3 filet's was rubbery taste like chewing rubber-bands, and hard to cut. So worried its gonna make me ill lol, Yeah, been scouring the web for a bit and came to the same bit of information: woody breast. "I pay close to double what I used to pay when I was buying non-organic, but for me, its worth it.". That wont help you, as anyone who does research of the reality of slipping GMO birds into our food chain can discover. I googled this to find out if I can still serve to my family. I will try to find smaller breasts to see if that works! I don't think it was dry. Last night I made pork chops . Also, if I cut the meat at all, I can often guess that I am going to have this issue before I even cook the meat. Can't stand the texture and also because they have a weird flavor. It's all about profits. I served it to some friends for dinner and I was horrified and it really ruined the meal for me; I hope not them too. I am feeling much better about myself, not so much for our food situation. I havent had that problem anymore. Mix well. This was sporadic a few years ago, now its 4 out of 5 chicken purchases. But last night, this happened when I roasted some never frozen bone in breasts from the fridge. It will take many, many customers to make a large enough demand for the poultry farmers to take notice. BTW, 98% of the beef sold in the U.S. is cloned, and yep, their playing around with everything you eat. Time to shut off the comments. The last two pkgs of name brand, individually wrapped boneless chicken breasts that I bought taste uncooked because of a strange almost crunchy texture, even tho my instant read thermometer is at 190. I can't even fathom this heinous barbaric and outrageous slaughter is used, no not in a 3rd world country, here in the USA! . But rest assure, the quality of taste reduce considerably after 24 hours in the fridge and reheated. Springer is just a better marketed factory chicken. I spit all of that out and called for the waitress. What started out as sporadic, is now quite pervasive. Usually when this happens to me, there are some pieces of chicken that are fine, but others that are decidedly not. Why does chicken sometimes have a weird texture? Could this have something to do with how I'm cooking the meat? I've had that several times last year alone. The texture is gross, even though fully cooked, it feels like it's raw, rubbery, gummy, very odd texture very unappetizing & unappealing. I have this issue too. Others had a very odd, off putting texture. Nobody seems to notice that this is happening EVERYWHERE . Raw chicken shouldn't be slimy, sticky, or tacky and should be glossy and somewhat soft. True story check it out. I do better with Bell and Evans. If you cook chicken in a skillet, oven, or grill for an excessive amount of time, the moisture will be sucked out of the meat, leaving you with a dry, rubbery bird. Just a note in regards to your issue. They definitely are. Chicken is the only meat I eat, but do no longer because of this same inconsistent and tasteless result of chicken production. Our Government is supposed to look out for and protect all of us! I ate one small piece of chicken which was fully cooked but had this raw feeling texture. Can this make you ill though? For some reason the fried chicken is never grisly. Ive had this issue with Popeyes and more recently, storebought chicken. I switched to organic and don't have this issue anymore. That is Frankenchicken. Manager asked me to call right away if it happens again, so they can trace the provider. I asked my husband to taste it and he tasted the flowery taste too. I now save my receipts, mark it in freezer if I choose to store it there. citou 2 yr. ago. It's commonly confused with white striping, which is when fat replaces muscle tissue. Thank you for sharing this. I experienced the strange texture for the first time with Purdue boneless, skinless chicken breasts tonight. This thread was helpful, until it wasnt. It is definitely not the way the chicken is prepared and cooked because I prepare multiple pieces at the same time and only some of them have the odd texture. The poultry industry has a fowl problem: an emerging phenomenon called "woody breast." While it's not harmful to humans, the condition causes chicken breasts to be tougher because of hard or woody fibers that lace the meat. https://www.iatp.org/news/terminator-chicken. If I cook in crock pot its fine but if I bake it, it gets rubbery! So I sent them back their coupons and told them they had a BIG problem on their hands that coupons were not going to solve. However, a woody chicken breast is characterized by a tougher or, as Owens likes to say, "more complex" consistency. Its not you, its genetic altering gone wild. I'm in the UK and have come across this problem about four times now in the last four or five months. It happens probably 1 out of every 10 breast I cook, no matter how I cook it. I again panicked and asked if she could bring back a piece that they took back so I can look at it in the light. See if that helps the texture. I did some experimenting and was pleased. If your chicken breasts have been more tough than usual, you're not alone. its not about overcooked and undercooked chicken its about a texture, dubded "woody breast" and affects mass produced chicken. :(. We really eat a lot of chicken but this crunchy chicken breast issue ( which happens about 25% of the time) is turning me off to even buying breasts anymore. It's clearly a worldwide problem. The chicken is fully cooked through (I can tell based on internal temp, time in the oven, color of the chicken and juices), but the texture of the chicken is funny, almost like it hasn't been thoroughly cooked. ( stop giggling ) The farmers are either pumping them full of hormones or super rich foods to get the breasts to grow very large very fast. If you notice any texture changes, such as increased softness, sliminess, stickiness, or residue, it's likely no longer safe to eat. Im a chef, so I know how to cook and thought to myself what in the world. Everyone needs to call the USDA and voice your concern. Its not the cooking its the product for sure. Maybe not, some people I've asked think I'm crazy, others agree whole-heartedly. It seems too simple to be true, but eating or drinking something hot may temporarily cause your sense of taste to get weird. I'm not alone! Woody breasts are more common in older and bigger birds. Or do we get a special kind if chicken from the supermarket?!?! I just experienced this yesterday, I sous vide a bone in chicken breast at my normal temp and time I've been using and it was like biting into a raw chicken breast. Odd raw texture even though I was sure it was cooked. As all the commenters - I too am super confused and googling why is my chicken breast stiff like a corps??? I have tried various cooking methods and nothing tenderizes them. .wrote them several letters and they just sent me coupons . That being said I have only had this happen maybe 1 - 2% of the time of eating this meat I once loved. We had to make omelettes. I continued to "try" the pieces but the entire right half was like a chewy rubber, almost raw chewy texture, like a rubber cube. It isn't a woody texture at all, but it is dubbed just that; woody breast. You and me both. We threw away what would have been a perfectly good dinner of chicken breasts with honey mustard sauce and broccoli. A few here in Charlotte, NC and around the country. What is happening is it's all about the breasts. Glad I am not the only person this has happened to. It very could be the "woody breast".or could be the frozen breaded piece of chicken was cooked ALMOST throughleaving behind a water center? "If birds are growing really efficiently and fast, they're synthesizing muscle and that adds stress. Thank you for sharing this information. They were good about refunding me me not sure they really understood the issue. This brand of Chicken is used in many major restaurants in the US. Tough dark meat usually is indicative of old bird or a tad under cooked. Then I started tasting it in frozen chicken entrees - some pieces good, some pieces not. Stephanie , you are exactly right. . The big breasted chickens are gene edited, and all the meat we eat that is outrageously hyper-muscled (seemingly over night a decade ago) is filled dense lesions. I've been so grossed out by it that I'm ready to stop eating chicken altogether. I doubt there's any way to tell without some specific control tests. I have stoped eating chicken breasts completely because of it. Absolutely horrible here in AZ. I now only buy chicken tenders and have had no problem. I've been experiencing this issue for a couple of years also. This causes a texture that is described as "woody" when cooked. Its called lobbying folks, line the pockets of the politicians as they look the other way. I made that mistake with a dish in which the chicken was supposed to marinade for an hour in a mixture based on fresh lemon juice. Same problem year, been noticing a weird texture issue with chicken for years. At first, I thought it was a result of cooking frozen chicken that hadn't fully thawed. It looked great so I ate a couple of pieces and than BAM one piece felt raw and not cooked and rubbery and fatty and wet? That is interesting and it's clear why I have never run into Jessica's problem: I buy smaller birds. They reimbursed me and sent me a ton of coupons which I just gave away after investigating more on the other issue; the woody breast disease which is brought on by genetic changes in overbred animals. It has happened when i have sliced and stir fried boneless skinless chicken breasts and also when I have roasted bone-in skin-on chicken breasts. There's so many interesting questions with this thread (lol). This is odd yes but consistent with previous chicken breasts cooked prior and why we stopped buying boneless breasts. This weird chicken texture is very sad to me as chicken is my favorite go-to meal. I used a thermometer on one of the pieces and it read 167, although I am not positive it was the piece I ended up eating because I only measured one piece. Mainstream media doesnt even know why they all cover the exact same 6 stories everyday, like they are clones. We had to throw them away . I know this thread is a tad old. Pretty frustrating.putting it back in the oven has seemed to fix it sometimes, but more often not. With all that said, just woke me up to what is and what isn't when it comes to buying "all natural". But then the industry would have to admit to lying for profit for the last 20 years. Im in Minnesota and recently just started cooking chicken (baking it) and I go above and beyond to make sure it turns out great. In 20 years of breeding free range heritage breeds, she's seldom encountered the issue. This chicken was a boneless skinless chicken breast. While I was trimming the little bit of fat I quickly noticed that the entire top of the breast started to pull away from the breast. I only purchase breast fillets now as they tend to be thinner than the full breast and haven't had the issue since. Before anybody dumps Costco chicken.m, I only buy their organic chicken and I have never had a problem. If you think for 1 minute that they havent been playing around with everything profitable, and inserting it into the most lucrative systems, you are mistaken. Im in Japan and we also have this problem averaging about 1 in 10 purchased. I have been having this problem for about 5/6 years now ,from store bought and butcher shop chicken breast,Still can't figure it out HELP PLEASE! Chicken sucks SO BAD now. We had to cut chicken completely out of our diet. If all they have is Frackenchicken then I look for a whole small chicken and I have been lucky to date. The chicken breasts were unusually huge (850g for 2 breasts) and Ive made two different meals out of them. so I spit it out in sink and moved to the thicker pieces. Many people feel they need to wash their poultry to remove fat, feathers, and yellow surfaces of the bird. I will follow up on this but it is still happening and it is disgusting. So, maybe if a parent chicken had antibiotics/chemicals/etc but a baby chicken did not and was raised differently, it would still be affected by this disease. It's got me thinking and feeling, it's seriously not natural meat. its so strange because in a package of two breasts, one can be fine and the other inedible!