FDA: This Is a Really Bad Way to Cook Chicken

Agency issues warning on NyQuil challenge
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 20, 2022 7:32 PM CDT
Updated Sep 20, 2022 11:11 PM CDT
FDA: Please Don't Cook Chicken in Cough Syrup
NyQuil is not a suitable chicken marinade, the FDA says.   (Getty Images/bigtunaonline)

The Food and Drug Administration wants Americans to know that cooking chicken in cough syrup is as bad an idea as it sounds. In an FDA warning about social media challenges, the agency referred to a TikTok video that showed somebody cooking chicken in NyQuil cough and cold medication, which contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine, NBC reports. "The challenge sounds silly and unappetizing—and it is. But it could also be very unsafe," the FDA said. "Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways."

"Even if you don’t eat the chicken, inhaling the medication’s vapors while cooking could cause high levels of the drugs to enter your body," the FDA said. "It could also hurt your lungs." TikTok said it discourages dangerous challenges and has asked users to report them. "Content that promotes dangerous behavior has no place on TikTok," a spokesperson told CNET. "This is not trending on our platform, but we will remove content if found and strongly discourage anyone from engaging in behavior that may be harmful to themselves or others." The FDA urged parents to keep medication in a safe place and to remind their children that overdoses can occur with over-the-counter drugs as well as prescription drugs. (More FDA stories.)

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