Chicken Tastes Like Fish: Why It Happens & 4 Ways To Fix It

One of the most unpleasant things that can occur while preparing a meal and putting in all your effort is encountering a distasteful, fishy flavor in the meat. Regardless of the seasonings used or the level of preparation in the sauce, the meat can sometimes have an off-putting taste.

A fishy taste is particularly common with chicken, especially if mistakes were made in its storage and preparation. Fortunately, there are effective techniques you can employ to ensure that the chicken does not taste like fish.

Moreover, if you continue reading, you will learn how to identify spoiled chicken from the beginning and prevent your dinner from being ruined.

Why does your chicken taste like fish?

Now, let's delve into the potential solutions for this issue, but before we do, it's important to address the underlying problem itself. You may be wondering why your chicken tastes like fish, especially if you've seasoned and prepared it as you usually do.

Here are some possible reasons for the fishy taste and a potential foul smell in your chicken.

Inadequate storage

Let's start with the most obvious and common reason: the meat has gone bad. It's crucial to check the expiry date and ensure that you store the chicken in the freezer if you won't be using it within the next day or two.

A helpful tip is to label and note the expiry date on the foods in your freezer, especially meat. It's even better to maintain a list of items in your freezer for easy reference.

If you're saving some chicken for later, make sure to store it in the refrigerator and never leave it at room temperature, regardless of how cold the room may be. Spoiled meat will have a sour, acidic taste and an unpleasant smell.

Improper storage can also be a potential issue. If you're keeping the chicken in the refrigerator, ensure it is properly sealed to prevent it from absorbing other odors in your fridge, especially if you're storing fish as well.

Additionally, it's important to seal the chicken separately and avoid contact with other types of meat. Mixing different meats during storage can lead to an off-putting smell and taste.

Refreezing the chicken

One of the most common mistakes people make with frozen meat is allowing it to defrost at room temperature and then refreezing the remaining meat. Refreezing chicken is highly risky and can affect more than just the meat's flavor.

To avoid this situation, it's best to pack the chicken in small batches. This way, you won't need to wait for a large piece of chicken to defrost, only to cut off the portion you need and have to refreeze the rest.

Refreezing previously thawed meat poses a significant health risk as it allows bacteria to develop and thrive in the meat, resulting in a fishy taste and smell.

The chicken was of poor quality

When purchasing meat, it's essential to buy from registered, licensed sellers. This ensures that all necessary sanitary protocols and requirements have been met, and the chicken has been stored properly.

In many cases, if you buy chicken from unreliable sellers, the issue lies with the meat itself rather than the way you've stored or prepared it. Therefore, it's necessary to briefly inspect the meat before cooking or storing it to be sure.

The most reliable test is the smell test. If raw chicken smells like fish, chances are it hasn't been stored properly and has gone bad.

Moreover, if it smells fishy, it's no surprise that the cooked chicken also tastes fishy.

Reusing frying oil

If you're frying chicken and the skillet or pan hasn't been properly washed, even if you've used it for chicken before, the chicken may absorb lingering stale smells and flavors from these utensils.

Another common mistake people make is reusing frying oil, even if it was previously used for the same type of meat or dish. Not only is this unsafe with most types of oil, but it could also be the reason why your chicken smells fishy.

Although you may not notice this smell and flavor while preparing the dish, it could be the main cause of the fishy taste in the cooked chicken.

Unclean Utensils

Sometimes, the issue lies not with the meat, storage, or frying process, but rather with hygiene-related factors. If you use dirty utensils and cookware when preparing your chicken, it can seriously compromise its quality.

Just as it is necessary to sanitize all knives, cutting boards, forks, and other utensils that have come into contact with raw meat, it is crucial to use clean utensils when handling chicken.

Maintaining a clean and sanitized kitchen overall is the key to ensuring healthy and delicious food.

Unpleasant Odor in the Freezer

If you haven't cleaned your freezer in a while and notice that defrosted or prepared chicken smells like fish, it may be time to defrost the freezer and remove any expired items.

In most cases, none of the food stored in your freezer has gone bad, but the unpleasant odor arises from the combination of various smells in one place. At times, some foods may not have been properly sealed and are leaking odors.

In the worst-case scenario, certain items may have gone bad, requiring you to inspect everything you had stored in the freezer. Even if you have sealed the chicken properly, it can still absorb some of the unpleasant smells from the freezer.

Fish-Fed Chicken

Unfortunately, if you recently started purchasing a new brand of chicken, it's possible that the farm feeds their chickens fish. This feeding practice aims to increase the protein content in the chicken.

While this practice is not very common, it could be one of the reasons your chicken has a fish-like taste and/or smell, regardless of the cooking method used.

How to remove the fishy taste from chicken?

Apart from the factors mentioned earlier, there are methods you can employ to prevent the unpleasant taste of bad chicken and allow the natural flavors of the meat to blend with your favorite spices, herbs, and sauces.

1. Marinate the chicken in a water and vinegar solution

If you notice something off about the chicken you're preparing before cooking it or want to prevent the fishy smell from emerging, you can marinate the chicken in a mixture of water and vinegar.

Simply combine a few tablespoons of vinegar with a splash of water to create enough mixture to coat the chicken completely. Place the chicken in the mixture and let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes before cooking.

The vinegar not only neutralizes the fishy smell and flavor but also helps tenderize the meat and prevent it from becoming dry and rubbery during cooking.

After 15-20 minutes, remove the chicken from the mixture and rinse it with plain water to remove any excess vinegar. Proceed to season the chicken as desired and prepare it as you normally would.

2. Coat the chicken with a flour and salt mixture

Another effective method to counter the fishy taste and smell of chicken is to coat the chicken pieces with a mixture of flour and salt. Before applying this mixture, make sure to wash the chicken thoroughly and pat it dry.

Combine two tablespoons of flour with one tablespoon of salt to create the mixture. Ensure the ingredients are well mixed before rubbing the mixture onto the chicken pieces.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then wash off the mixture.

In a larger bowl, combine water, ¼ cup of vinegar, ½ cup of lemon juice, and a tablespoon of salt. Place the chicken into this solution and let it sit for an additional 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes have passed, wash the chicken again.

At this point, the chicken should be free of any foul smell and fishy taste, ready to be fried, baked, or used in any dish of your choice.

3. Cook the chicken in tomato sauce

If the meat hasn't expired but still retains a fishy smell and flavor, you can eliminate these undesirable elements by combining them with the right ingredients. Something acidic like tomato sauce can completely neutralize the fishy taste.

It is recommended to cook the chicken in the sauce for the best results. Alternatively, you can use the sauce as a topping to mask the off-putting flavor. Aromatic herbs such as basil and thyme can also help in this process, especially when combined with tomatoes.

4. Ensure your kitchen is clean

When we talk about your kitchen, we mean every aspect of it! Dealing with meat can be quite challenging since it is highly sensitive and can easily absorb various flavors and odors.

Therefore, it is essential to maintain cleanliness in your kitchen, including your pots, pans, utensils, cutting boards, and storage spaces. As mentioned before, even if you seal the chicken properly, it can still absorb aromas from your freezer and refrigerator.

Regularly cleaning out your freezer and fridge should be a monthly task, or even more frequently if possible, to prevent food from spoiling and developing unwanted flavors.

If chicken tastes like fish, is it safe to eat?

The safety of eating the chicken depends on several factors. If the issue doesn't stem from the quality of the meat and the expiration date is still far off, there is no need to discard the chicken. As discussed earlier, there are ways to salvage chicken that tastes or smells fishy.

Generally, if you are willing to invest the time and effort to salvage such a dish, you can go ahead, but only after ensuring that the meat hasn't gone bad.

However, if none of the methods mentioned earlier prove to be effective, it might be best to purchase a new piece of meat and follow our instructions on storing and preparing it properly.

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