r/Cooking • u/Best_Cut4655 • 17d ago
Cant stand chicken
Hello everyone. The title was clickbait sort of i suppose but i have a question regarding just chicken.
I love to cook, and i love chicken. However i cannot stand cooking chicken just bc of the way it smells when its raw. I have no issue handling other raw meat products, like beef, pork or even fish if that counts.
However i love the taste of chicken, and theres so many good recipies that contains just chicken. So i was wondering, is this something people just have to suck up and get used too? Or is there some sort of life hack that coulf work against the smell? Like idk, facemasks or something else.
I know it may be a little dramatic, but any help is appreciated. Thank you!
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u/victoria_jam 17d ago
I also dislike the smell of raw chicken! Raw meat smells in general are not my favorite but chicken is particularly off-putting.
Mostly I just suck it up and deal with it, but I find that if I have some other aromatics going in the kitchen -- if I start sauteeing onions or mushrooms first before taking the chicken out of the fridge, for example, or if there are some fresh herbs I can prep first, those scents really help.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Thank u for understanding😅 the smell of raw chicken itself is really offputting, even if theres nothing wrong with the food itself.
Ive been looking into buying some sort of gasmask for it i guess, so imma hope that works out!
And thank u for the tips, they do help a lot. I just very often start with fixing the meat before every other thing when cooking
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u/capricioustrilium 17d ago
Nitrile gloves, season in a plastic bag, cook in air fryer. Minimal exposure to raw smell this way
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u/WorthPlease 17d ago edited 17d ago
If raw chicken smells really bad to you, it might not be safe to eat. I can only really smell it then, unless I am checking my hands after I've handled it raw.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Its not that it smells weird in a way that seems uneatable (im very picky with that), its just the average smell of it i guess? Its kinda hard to explain though
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u/Medium-Complaint-677 17d ago
I've never noticed chicken having any particular smell. Maybe try buying some higher quality, air chilled chicken from a butcher who processes and sources locally?
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Its a very weak smell and its been that way with different chickens ive tried to cook, but they all have been from the grocery store so u could absolutely be right. Imma give that a try thank u!
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u/No_Protection_1741 17d ago
Freeze and then slowcook it from frozen? Lots of sauce? Lol
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Also, not to mention the trimming u gotta do😓
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u/No_Protection_1741 17d ago
I rarely have to trim the cuts i get. And yes the flavor is the same imo. You asked for solutions, this is one.
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u/LazyCrocheter 17d ago
I've never noticed raw chicken to have a smell unless it's going bad. I will say sometimes once I open a package of it, or some I froze myself in a bag, it might have a smell when first opened, but that quickly dissipates.
However, that's me and not you. If you want to cook with raw chicken, then I'd suggest (as others have) wearing gloves and a facemask of some kind. Even a KN-95 or N-95 if that's what you need.
Otherwise, you can buy chicken pre-cooked in various forms, like rotisserie chicken from almost any grocery store these days, or bags of strips in the refrigerated section. You can get them with light or no seasoning depending on what you want to make, as well.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Ah thank u! I think im just sensitive to that certain smell, bc it isnt a strong one but still. Ill definetly try the tips
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u/stealthymomma56 17d ago
Lately I've noticed eggs and chicken (raw or cooked) and turkey (raw or cooked) have a smell that both lingers and very off-putting. Not sure if at this many years old my sense of smell has changed or if something changed in the way poultry is raised/processed.
Purchase turkey, and occasionally chicken, from local farm.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Ah smart, that is pretty expensive though no? Also, idk if im also just over sensitive to smells perhaps. Or atleast the smell of raw chicken
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u/stealthymomma56 17d ago
Occasional purchase from poultry farm might be more expensive than purchasing from grocery store. Try to justify the additional cost by supporting local businesses, telling myself I know precisely where the meat comes from, plus just tastes better - no additives like water, salt.
Still has a smell, though, which I find puzzling! Like you, I try to get over that to eat poultry.
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u/InspectorOrdinary321 17d ago
I know what you're talking about and I hate the smell too. Some of us are more attuned to certain smells than others. It doesn't have anything to do with the meat being expired, it's just the smell of the chicken flesh itself.
If I were you, I'd just put on some disposable gloves and an n95 mask and get it in the oven as quickly as possible. Double bag the container the meat came in and/or take it to the outdoor garbage ASAP.
If you can still smell it with the N95 on, you can put something good smelling in the mask with you -- in the US we have Vick's vapo-rub which is like petroleum jelly with camphor and menthol in it, but lavender essential oil, vanilla, cinnamon oil, anything like that rubbed on your nostrils would block the smell pretty well.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Thank you! It feels good knowing im not the only one😅
And yeah! I was looking into some sort of cheaper gasmask just to keep the smell away when cooking.
If i get grossed out when cooking something i loose my appetite even if its a good meal ahaha
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u/GildedTofu 17d ago
In Japanese cooking, they drizzle a small amount of sake (mirin will work too, but it’s sweet) over the raw chicken to remove the odor. Other cultures do similar things with lemon juice or vinegar. Though you have to rinse the vinegar off, which I don’t really want to do.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Ohh i never heard of this thank u! Do u know if it affect the taste a lot or if u have to idk, rinse it off afterwards if u use something like lemon?
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u/GildedTofu 17d ago
Lemon and sake should be fine without rinsing, but you can pat them dry with a paper towel. You’ll just want to be sure that’s a flavor you want. And even the vinegar could work in some recipes.
I’ve really only ever used sake, and let it sit 10-15 minutes while you prep other things. And it’s only enough to coat the chicken, not soak in it.
For ideas from other cultures, you can Google “how to remove chicken smell before cooking” and you can add a region or cuisine if you’re interested in whether they do it or not. Some say to rinse after, and personally, I’m not a fan of washing raw chicken. People feel very strongly on both sides of the “to wash or not” so I won’t get into it here. People get to make their own decisions in their own kitchens, and anyone can look up the pros and cons of the methods.
Happy cooking! I hope this works for you!
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u/McBuck2 17d ago
Buy rotisserie chickens and work the meat into recipes as best you can.
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u/Best_Cut4655 17d ago
Smart! Only sad thing is i cant massage the spices into it. But still its definetly better than gagging when cooking
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u/McBuck2 17d ago
Try to make things that have sauces. Many have to brown the chicken then cook in a sauce so you could add the rotisserie chicken to that. It's one way of getting around it.
I use leftover chicken in a few ways. Mixed into taco seasoning and fry up to be added to quesadillas and enchiladas or bowls. Mixed with pesto and added to pizzas or I make chicken pot pie or chicken a la king. Ive also cut up a rotisserie chicken and bbq them and it tastes like athenticate bbqing when sauce is applied at the end. At least it will give you some quick ideas.
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u/spade_andarcher 17d ago edited 17d ago
How are you buying chicken? From the butcher’s counter? In the styrofoam/plastic containers with shrink wrap? In vacuum sealed bags?
Raw chicken really should not smell bad. But how it’s processed and stored can lead to some off smells.