Why Is Canned Chicken Pink, And Is It Safe To Eat Without Cooking?

Canned chicken is a great kitchen staple to have in your pantry. It can be used for a whole host of recipes from casseroles to quesadillas to a classic chicken salad. But, what happens if you open up a can of chicken and it's a bit more pink than you were expecting? Odds are, it's still safe to eat, and yes, it is fully cooked, unless the can says otherwise.

The USDA says the pink color of cooked chicken should fade to a typical tan shade after being exposed to the air for around 10-15 minutes, so just keep an eye on it once you open the can. Chemistry is cool, huh? And if the meat is darker than you were expecting, odds are, the animal was just older, because myoglobin (a protein in the tissue cells responsible for the red colors in poultry meat) increases with age. But again, it's still safe to eat.

According to the USDA, there are a few other things to look out for when preparing canned chicken. For one, you should take a close look at the color of the broth — it should be clear and golden with no visible red juices. The texture of the chicken chunks should be tender and moist, but still firm. Meanwhile, the odor of bad chicken is fairly unmistakable. Trust us, when canned meat is not safe to eat, your nose will likely be the first thing to tell you that it needs to be tossed in the trash.

And, while canned goods are super helpful to have on hand any day of the week, you should also make sure you're storing them the right way, by keeping them somewhere cool and checking the expiry dates on tins that have been there a while. Before you open a can to make a recipe, you can also clean it to avoid any germs that may have contaminated the lid (and could end up in your food) during the journey from the factory to your cabinet.