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So Your Costco Rotisserie Chicken Is Green Inside — Now What?
Food & Wine ^ | April 15, 2024 | Jelisa Castrodale

Posted on 04/15/2024 2:34:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway

There's no reason to panic.

The r/Costco subreddit is one of Reddit’s most active, with over 620,000 subscribers who post about their favorite products, most exciting finds, and can’t-miss deals at the warehouse chain — and there’s a lot of love for the food court hot dogs too.

Some of last week’s most popular posts included one from a shopper who bought two Thomasville sectionals and turned them into one mega-couch, another about finding two bottles of cologne for half the price as other retailers, and one from a concerned customer who saw something completely unexpected when they served their rotisserie chicken.

“Is this normal,” a Reddit user named u/flytiger18 asked. “We cut into our chicken for dinner and it’s green. I have no idea what it could be.”

Costco Is Currently Selling One of the World's Rarest Wines for a Relative Bargain The accompanying photo of the chicken showed exactly what the Redditor described: Part of the chicken breast had a distinct (and unappetizing) green hue. Although several of the comments were variations on “NO THANK YOU” — and there were several Dr. Seuss “green eggs and ham” jokes — several Redditors suggested that the chicken in question could’ve had a condition called green muscle disease.

Green muscle disease — which is also called ischemic myopathy, deep pectoral myopathy, or green breast — is a condition that develops in larger chickens or turkeys when their pectoral muscles are overdeveloped, becoming too large for the blood supply to reach that region. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), when birds use those muscles to repeatedly flap their wings, the exertion causes the muscles to swell, further restricting the blood supply to that area. Without adequate circulation, those muscles die, turning green in the process.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service explains that reports of the condition have increased as broiler chickens grow to “a heavy body weight.” It says that birds that flap their wings excessively in the days before they are processed (to put it euphemistically) are more likely to demonstrate the characteristics of deep pectoral myopathy. “However, green [breast] tenders have no appeal to the consuming public and are, therefore, removed from the food supply when the birds are processed,” the University wrote.

Yes, the Rumors Are True, Sushi Is About to Come to a Costco Near You If a chicken with green muscle disease does make it to supermarket shelves — or to Costco’s rotisserie chicken section — the USDA emphasizes that it does not present any food safety hazard to customers. That doesn’t mean that you want to eat that section of the bird, but if you ingested this particular kind of green chicken, you don’t need to frantically consult Dr. Google.

If you have purchased a chicken with green muscle disease, whether from Costco or another retailer, the best plan of action may be to return it to the point of purchase. “I would maybe take a photo with the receipt and try to ask for a refund,” one Redditor suggested, which is excellent advice.

Just don’t forget to delete that picture, because although green chicken may not be harmful, it’s definitely not photogenic.


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS: greenchicken; pectoralmyopathy
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1 posted on 04/15/2024 2:34:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

2 posted on 04/15/2024 2:48:03 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
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To: nickcarraway

“Green muscle disease — which is also called ischemic myopathy, deep pectoral myopathy, or green breast — is a condition that develops in larger chickens or turkeys when their pectoral muscles are overdeveloped, becoming too large for the blood supply to reach that region”

I keep telling my wife that these chicken breasts are from mutant chickens. I always by the smaller , local ones from the butcher.


3 posted on 04/15/2024 2:49:28 PM PDT by dljordan (What do you think?)
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To: nickcarraway

“So your chicken sprouted nanomechanical legs and assimilated your family into the Borg collective. This is normal!”


4 posted on 04/15/2024 2:55:51 PM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same. )
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To: nickcarraway

Jealous chickens.


5 posted on 04/15/2024 2:56:06 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Brandon's pronouns: Xi/Hur)
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To: nickcarraway

My only recent complaint is that they started putting them in a cruddy plastic bag rather than the plastic tray at my local Costco (nationwide as well?). The bag is rather stiff and isn’t very convenient. Getting the bird out was cumbersome and extra messy.


6 posted on 04/15/2024 2:57:21 PM PDT by The Unknown Republican
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To: Responsibility2nd

Erin go bragh!


7 posted on 04/15/2024 2:57:24 PM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (When I say "We" I speak of, -not for-, "We the People")
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To: Responsibility2nd

8 posted on 04/15/2024 2:57:47 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Brandon's pronouns: Xi/Hur)
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To: The Unknown Republican

Do you really want to eat all that plastic?


9 posted on 04/15/2024 2:57:54 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: The Unknown Republican

Got one last week. No bag, normal,packaging.


10 posted on 04/15/2024 3:01:07 PM PDT by Fuzz
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To: The Unknown Republican
they started putting them in a cruddy plastic bag rather than the plastic tray at my local Costco

No problemo. They're plastic and equally carcogenic.

11 posted on 04/15/2024 3:02:24 PM PDT by ladyjane
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To: dljordan

Gotta love Costco chickens! I like the ones from the local grocers as well but they’re not as big.

The best rotisserie chicken I’ve ever had were from the rotissasado (sic?) in Mazatlan. Open spit rolling over kiawe wood fire. They were small in size, open range chickens - one was a good size for a big guy. They would have about 60 cooking at once but you were prolly gonna stand in line to get one - there were usually half a dozen or so little Mexican senorita’s grabbing 8-10 at a time.
Sooo good!


12 posted on 04/15/2024 3:14:17 PM PDT by 1FreeAmerican
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To: Responsibility2nd

So is my lobster, umm good.


13 posted on 04/15/2024 3:14:33 PM PDT by Kenny500c ( )
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To: dljordan
All chickens are “mutant chickens”. They are the result of a few thousand years of selective breeding. Beneficial mutations were kept by the human breeders in favor of the less beneficial natural traits.

Now you can argue, (and I do) that they have taken the selective breeding a bit too far since the 1970s. Egg layers and meat chickens have become very specialized and there is just something wrong with chickens that grow so fast their legs break if you delay in harvesting them.

For meat I would say either a Delaware or a Plymouth is about the best.

14 posted on 04/15/2024 3:15:24 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Roses are red, Violets are blue, I love being on the government watch list, along with all of you.)
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To: The Unknown Republican

Still using the plastic containers here in Albuquerque.


15 posted on 04/15/2024 3:20:50 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: ladyjane

I really expected a lot more jokes than this about green or plastic chickens.


16 posted on 04/15/2024 3:22:14 PM PDT by oldtech
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve been astounded at the size of the chicken breasts I’ve seen in the stores the last couple years.


17 posted on 04/15/2024 3:22:55 PM PDT by metmom (He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus…)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Different chicken for different cuts.


18 posted on 04/15/2024 3:27:01 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Is it me, or all of a sudden have the buried trolls come out on FR like cicadas? It's all noise.)
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To: nickcarraway

When the grocery store has fryers on sale, buy a bunch and freeze them. There is not much that is easier than roasting a whole chicken in the oven.

Take it out of the freezer. Let it thaw for day or two. Sprinkle your desired seasoning on it, throw it in the oven for 2-1/2 hours and then eat it. It ain’t rocket science.

“Oh, but I want it for when I get home from work”. Roast it after dinner (done before bed time) and put it in the frig for the next day.


19 posted on 04/15/2024 3:27:42 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s ("If you can remember the 60s....you weren't really there")
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To: ChildOfThe60s

I just buy one at the store. They used to be 5.00 for a rotisserie chicken. Now 6.99. Still a good deal but now I save the bones and some of the white meat and make a pot of chicken soup the next day. Waste not want not.


20 posted on 04/15/2024 3:30:26 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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