Statewide, Iowa — A dangerous and potentially deadly trend is sweeping social media that entices people to cook chicken in cough syrup or cold and flu medicine, prompting an expert at the Iowa Poison Control Center to say never do this.
Registered nurse Tammy Noble, the Sioux City-based center’s education manager, says this practice can be exceptionally hazardous, depending on what’s used, and she calls it a recipe for disaster.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory, warning consumers that cooking chicken in these medications is dangerous and Noble confirms, it could be lethal.
There’s also the risk of food poisoning if the chicken isn’t properly cooked, and if the red, green or blue liquid soaks into the meat, it’ll be hard to distinguish its color. In addition, cooking chicken in a marinade of medication could give off highly concentrated vapors which could critically damage the lungs. So, why would people even consider following this TikTok challenge?
Much like with the Tide Pod Challenge a few years ago, in which people shot video of themselves while eating liquid laundry detergent pods, Noble says she’s not surprised people would try cooking chicken in NyQuil.
As ridiculous as the Tide Pod Challenge may have seemed to most of us, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports it killed at least ten people, none of them in Iowa. Noble says as yet, she’s taken no calls at the hotline about this latest chicken recipe, at least not yet. Reach the Iowa Poison Control Center any day, any time at 800-222-1222.
