If you’ve ever cooked a chicken and noticed that it’s purging a white jelly-like substance, don’t worry! The gross goo may look unappetizing, but it’s actually a natural phenomenon caused by protein escaping the bird as it cooks.

You pull your perfectly seasoned chicken breast out of the oven, and there it is – a strange, oozing white goo. You wanted a juicy, golden-brown masterpiece, but now your chicken looks like it’s melting.

But don’t worry, this poultry predicament happens to chicken lovers everywhere, from casual home cooks to professional chefs, according to personal chef, Drew Curlett.

“It might not be pretty, but it’s pretty normal to see white stuff come out of chicken, especially when baked or roasted,” the culinary instructor tells Reader’s Digest.

Despite its strange appearance, the white stuff oozing from chicken isn’t anything to panic about. It’s a combination of protein and water that coagulates when the chicken is cooked at high temperatures.

Chicken meat, especially the breast, is rich in protein, and when you cook it, the heat causes the protein to transform or “denature” – the same way an egg white turns solid white when cooked. This process forces water out of the meat, and as the proteins clump together, they create that white, slightly sticky, semi-solid goo you see on the surface.

This phenomenon is most common when you:

• Cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts (since they contain less fat and more protein). “It’s really common when cooking at high heat without much in the way of liquid or fat, like if you’re baking plain, boneless, skinless chicken breasts,” Curlett said.

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