Expert explains the dangers of undercooked chicken meat

Chicken meat is one of the healthiest foods because it is low in fat (3 to 9 g per 100 g) and high in protein. In addition, unlike beef, pork, or lamb, its consumption has never been associated with an increased risk of cancer.

However, in an undercooked state, it can cause food poisoning, as it often contains the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella, or Clostridium perfringens, according to elespanol.com.

The most common campylobacter infection (campylobacteriosis) leads to general malaise, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Therefore, it is important to be especially careful when handling chicken.

"Although we see clean poultry meat in the supermarket, its journey to the refrigerated section is specific: the size, anatomy, rearing system, and slaughterhouse handling, including scalding and plucking, are different from mammals and carry increased risks," explains Beatriz Robles, nutritionist, and food safety expert.

One of the measures recommended is not to wash it before cooking, as the droplets that splatter on the meat can end up being deposited on kitchen surfaces or cutlery needed to handle the food. This causes cross-contamination and increases the risk of poisoning.

You should also use a separate cutting board for raw chicken and cook it very well. To know if it is raw, the best way is to use a food thermometer. You need to make sure that the temperature inside is around 74 °C. This way, the colonies of microorganisms that may live in it will die.

In addition, as a result of the fire and heat, the characteristic pink color will disappear, turning whitish or golden. It is then that it will be ready for consumption and the risk of poisoning will be almost zero.