How to "throw out" all the chemicals from store-bought chicken: advice from a meatpacking plant worker. "Every Hour" Editorial Team May 15, 2025, 9:58 1 min read

 

They say that modern chicken can cure sore throats and dystrophy! Because it has so many antibiotics, hormones and all kinds of chemicals in it. After all, you can't just buy "fresh" chicken far from the farm.

A man reveals how to remove all those chemicals from chicken.

In some places, chickens are fattened to increase profits. Sometimes, a liquid consisting of water, salt, chemicals (preservatives, flavor enhancers), and soy extract is injected into the chicken.

The liquid increases the weight of the carcass by about 15% and allows the meat to stay fresh longer.

How to get rid of chemicals in chicken?

The first and most effective way is to discard the first broth. So change the water at least once, so that during cooking most of the "dirt" will remain in the discarded water.

The second way is to add salt.

 

If you are making chicken soup, place the chicken in a pot, fill it with water, add salt (proportion – 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter of water) and place it on low heat.

You don't want the broth to boil quickly. Instead, the chicken should cook slowly. When the broth boils, remove the pot from the heat. Let the chicken cool in this broth for 20-30 minutes.

Then drain the first broth, rinse the chicken and boil the soup in new water. All the chemistry will remain in the first broth.

At the same time, there will be some fat left in the meat. But if you want a richer and fattier broth, then buy a domestic chicken.

And one more tip: remove all the skin and fat. They contain the highest concentration of antibiotics and hormones.

If you can't do without the skin because you want to crunch on a golden, aromatic crust, then do everything as in the first recommendation, but just don't remove the skin.

A few more tips

Pressure cooking (in a pressure cooker)

Method: Pressure cooking at 120°C destroys more residual medications than standard boiling.

What it does: High temperature and pressure accelerate the breakdown of some chemicals, especially antibiotics and preservatives.

It does not replace careful meat selection, but it is a good method when in doubt.

Combined method: soaking + first boiling + baking

Soak the meat in lemon water → pour off the first broth → rinse → cook in the oven or slow cooker.

This combines three levels of purification – chemical, thermal and mechanical (rinsing).

If you are looking for the purest possible meat, these methods in combination give a better effect than just pouring out the first broth.