Expert: Carol Schlitt - 9/5/2007

Question
QUESTION: I have a frozen chicken.  I took it out and rinsed it to start to soften it.  I saw that some of the fat on the chicken is green.  In the meantime I refroze it since it was not very defrosted.  I don't know what to do with it -- is green fat OK?
Thank you.


ANSWER: Hi Basya,

Sometimes the fat on chicken can take on a yellowish - green tinge. This is a result of the feed the chicken was fed, how the chicken breaks down his food and the breed of the chicken.

If the liver was green -- do not eat the liver. This is a sign that bile was in the liver. The rest of the chicken meat is okay to consume.

Carol

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Carol,
Thank you!  I had ordered a case of chickens at a time and this was the only green one.  Probably they were the same breed and fed the same food -- is "how the chicken breaks down his food" an individual thing?  Does that explain one chicken from a case (the other chickens have fat that is pale yellow or occasionally darker yellow, as do other chickens from this brand that I have been getting for years).

It wasn't the liver; this was a kosher chicken so the liver was no longer in it.

Thank you!
Basya

Answer
Hi again,

With this additional information (purchased a case, kosher,etc.) I think it would be the wisest thing to do to not consume the chicken. Chances are all of the chickens were the same breed and fed the same food so that this odd ball one is truly an outliner that for ultimate safety, should not be consumed.

Thanks for sending the follow-up information.  While it may be perfectly safe to consume, I would be on the safe side and discard the chicken.

Carol