Man Bites Into His Fried Chicken From Golden Corral. Then He Sees It’s ‘Oozing Blood’: ‘Is This Normal?’

There are some things you expect to find when you sit down for an all-you-can-eat meal at Golden Corral. Raw chicken is probably not one of them.

TikTok user Daniel (@danielsalazar._) says he was enjoying a meal at the buffet when he cut into a fried chicken drumstick and discovered what appeared to be blood or juices coming from the meat.

“Is this normal? I cut open my chicken wing, and it’s oozing blood,” Daniel says in the video.

And, understandably, he wasn’t exactly feeling confident about plate No. 3.

Golden Corral Customer Finds Raw Chicken

In the TikTok, Daniel shows viewers the fried chicken he had grabbed from the Golden Corral buffet.

After cutting into the chicken, he points out the reddish liquid inside.

“Wait why the blood still pumping through the veins, I’m sick,” one commenter posted.

In the video, Daniel shows his third plate—but this time, there is no fried chicken in sight.

Instead, his plate is loaded with taco fixings. Apparently, after the chicken incident, tacos suddenly seemed like the safer bet.

“I’m scared. If I don’t make it to work tomorrow, you guys know why,” Daniel says, ending the video.

The video’s caption was even more ominous: “My tummy hurt.”

People Are Horrified

The video quickly attracted attention, with viewers debating what exactly they were seeing inside the chicken.

One person couldn’t believe Daniel went back for another plate after the initial mishap.

“Third plate after seeing the blood is crazy,” they commented.

Honestly, it’s hard to blame the internet for having questions.

The TikTok has amassed nearly 500 comments, turning Daniel’s Golden Corral meal into a full-blown food-safety discussion.

Is That Actually Blood In Chicken?

Here’s where things get a little less dramatic.

Red or pink liquid coming from cooked chicken isn’t necessarily blood. Chicken contains myoglobin, a protein that can give meat and its juices a pink or reddish appearance. So it’s not exactly crazy to see it in your poultry.

However, the color alone isn’t a reliable way to determine whether chicken is safe to eat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, measured with a food thermometer. If chicken appears raw or is undercooked, the safest move is to stop eating it.

That means Daniel’s decision to abandon the fried chicken and switch to taco toppings may have been the right call—although we’re not sure the tacos were part of his original game plan or if they could have contributed to his hurt tummy.

What Do You Do If You Eat Undercooked Chicken?

If you discover that chicken at a restaurant or buffet isn’t properly cooked, don’t keep eating it.

Instead, stop eating the food and notify a manager or employee immediately. Taking a photo can also help document what happened.

If you later develop symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, or fever, contact a health care professional. Severe symptoms or signs of dehydration warrant prompt medical attention.

As for Daniel, his third plate tells the story pretty clearly.

No chicken.

Just tacos.

And perhaps a little less confidence in the Golden Corral buffet.

BroBible has reached out to the restaurant chain for comment and to Daniel to see if he’s OK. If there’s a response, this story will be updated with it.