Remember when you were the cool kid in school if your parent brought you fast food for your birthday? While everyone else ate their packed lunch or school cafeteria food, you got to unwrap a special meal that made you the envy of the classroom.
But one Virginia mom’s attempt at making her son’s birthday special took an unexpected—and unappetizing—turn when her Chick-fil-A sandwich started doing something chicken definitely shouldn’t do.
Virginia Mom’s Chick-fil-A Birthday Surprise Goes Viral
In a viral video with more than 5.2 million views, Smith (@anothersmithfamily) documented a disturbing discovery after bringing her son Chick-fil-A sandwiches to school for his birthday.
The footage shows Smith in her car after picking up the meal, which included a sweet tea and two chicken sandwiches.
But when Smith took a bite of her sandwich, something unexpected happened.
A stream of clear liquid squirted out of the chicken. Confused and visibly disgusted, Smith squeezed the sandwich again to see if it was a one-off occurrence. The chicken kept squirting out liquid.
“Do you see that? Why is it so wet?” she says in the video, her voice filled with concern.
“Why’d my chicken sandwich just go to the bathroom? Why is it—why is the chicken sandwich leaking?”
As more liquid sprayed from the sandwich, Smith’s confusion turned to alarm.
“Now I’m freaked out. Why is it peeing?” she says while cleaning her now-wet phone.
In her caption, Smith questioned what was coming out of the sandwich: “What is going on with this Chick-fil-A sandwich?! Oil or juice from the chicken?”
What Causes Chicken to Release Liquid?
According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, chicken muscle contains about 65% to 70% water when raw, depending on the specific type. A whole raw chicken contains approximately 66% water, while a cooked whole chicken holds about 60%.
However, the amount of liquid in chicken can be higher than what occurs naturally. Up to 15% broth can be added to chicken products, which increases the amount of water present, Mashed reported.
While some retailers state that consumers prefer chicken with added broth due to its tenderness, this practice has led to concerns about overcharging customers.
When chicken is cooked, liquid naturally comes out of the meat. In a properly heated pan with high heat, this moisture typically evaporates quickly. However, culinary experts note that overcrowding a pan can cause chicken to release excess moisture because the meat cooks at a lower temperature and never properly seals. According to Pro Family Chef, chicken should release no more than three tablespoons of water during cooking.
Commenters React
“I’m disgusted and I’m not even eating it!” one said.
“See and it’s little things like this that make me lose my appetite real quick,” another wrote.
“I’d actually feel so sick after seeing that lmfaooo,” a commenter added.
@anothersmithfamily What is going on with this Chick-fil-A sandwich?! Oil or juice from the chicken? 😭 • #chickfila #food #eating #fastfood #chickfilasandwhich
BroBible reached out to Smith for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to Chick-fil-A via email.