Many people worry when they thoroughly boil chicken, yet upon carving, they still find the bones or meat near the bones appear reddish-pink, questioning if this means the meat is still raw. In reality, red chicken bones do not always mean the meat is undercooked. Several factors can cause chicken bones to remain red even after the meat is fully cooked.

The most common reason is that the chicken is young. In young chickens, bone structures are not fully developed, and the marrow contains many blood pigments. During boiling, pigments like hemoglobin and myoglobin can seep through the porous bone, causing the bones and surrounding meat to appear red or pink. This phenomenon is common in young broiler chickens sold commercially, but can also occur in some free-range chicken varieties.

Additionally, if chicken has been frozen and then thawed, ice crystals can rupture small capillaries in the bone marrow. When cooked, pigments from the marrow can more easily seep out, causing the bones or meat near the bones to appear red. This is a common occurrence in frozen poultry and does not indicate spoilage.

Another reason is that natural pigments around the bone may not have fully decomposed. Even if the meat is thoroughly cooked, these pigments might remain intact, causing the bone to retain a red or pink color. Therefore, bone color alone is not a reliable criterion for assessing whether meat is fully cooked.

If the bones are only slightly red but the meat is firm, the broth is clear, and there is no unusual odor, the chicken is generally safe to consume if cooked properly. Conversely, continue cooking if you observe signs such as meat near the bone being soft and dark pink, resembling raw meat, or if red or pink juices emerge when piercing the thigh. Furthermore, if the chicken has a foul odor, is slimy, or shows any signs of spoilage before preparation, it should not be consumed, regardless of the bone color.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Thuy, former head doctor for the National and U23 Vietnam Teams.