Chicken legs have been boiled for a long time and still have blood

If blood still seeps out after cooking chicken legs for a long time, it is usually related to incomplete thawing, insufficient heat, or meat quality characteristics, and is not a safety issue for consumption. Residual blood vessels inside chicken, bone marrow dissolution, or myoglobin precipitation caused by freezing may all result in a red liquid resembling blood. When partially thawed chicken legs are cooked directly, although the outside is fully cooked, the central temperature does not meet the standard, and the hemoglobin in the bone marrow and muscle fibers is dissolved by heat to form a red juice. Choosing fresh frozen chicken, fully thawing at room temperature, or cutting open thick meat areas with a knife can avoid this phenomenon. Induction cookers and other constant temperature devices make it easier to heat evenly. It is recommended to simmer over low heat for more than 20 minutes after boiling. If chopsticks can easily penetrate the thickest part, it means it is fully cooked. Some free range chickens have high levels of myoglobin due to their high physical activity, and the red liquid released during cooking is more pronounced than that of broiler chickens, rather than being undercooked. This type of situation can be observed by observing the color of the liquid. True blood appears dark red and has a strong fishy smell, while myoglobin solution appears light pink and has no fishy smell. If it is confirmed that blood is seeping out, it needs to be boiled back in the pot with scallions, ginger and cooking wine to remove the fishy smell, but prolonged stewing may cause the meat to turn dry.

For daily processing of chicken, it is recommended to pack and freeze it after purchase to avoid repeated freeze-thaw damage to cell structure. Soaking in salt water before cooking helps to remove residual blood, while blanching in cold water can effectively remove impurities. If there are doubts about food safety, a food thermometer can be used to detect that the center temperature of the chicken reaches 75 degrees Celsius and maintain it for 30 seconds, which can completely inactivate common pathogenic bacteria.