People Are Eating Raw Chicken Sashimi

For those of you who aren't big into eating raw fish, this food trend might seriously send you over the edge. More and more, we're starting to see people ordering chicken sashimi, and it's hard for even us hardcore sushi lovers to wrap our heads around. Yesterday, Marc Murphy, who you may recognize as a judge on Food Network's Chopped, posted a photo to Twitter of this controversial dish, and he insisted that it was delicious. The post prompted many of his followers to question how in the world this could be a real dish or if it was safe to consume, which is understandable given all we've ever heard about salmonella and raw meat.

While there is obvious risk to consuming chicken sashimi, most chefs who make it take certain precautions to prevent illness. According to FWx, these include using meat from the chicken's inner breast, the area that has the lowest risk for salmonella contamination. They also often boil or sear chicken for around 10 seconds in order to kill bacteria, and many chefs work closely with small farms as a way to make sure they're using the freshest possible meat. Another way to avoid getting sick from chicken sashimi is by NOT trying to make it yourself at home. Seriously, if that recent viral Facebook post taught us anything, it's to leave raw chicken to the professionals. So, now that you know how the dish is prepared and have decided you're down to try it out, where can you go to get it? Well, as you can imagine, chicken sashimi is still pretty rare — no pun intended, I swear — in the United States. FWx reports that it's only offered on a few menus here, the most recognized of which is that of Ippuku in Berkeley, CA. The raw dish is much more common in Japan, so maybe we should plan a trip? It would sure be an adventure for our taste buds.