See the freshness of chicken through the colored pink. Stay away from greyish meat. The skin shouldn’t look too transparent, either that means it is been sitting around for a while. Look in the crevices: near the joints, under the chicken wings. Also avoid any pieces that have been torn or pierce. Not only is this a sign of rough and frequent handling, but these tend to deteriorate more quickly.
Another clue is in the packaging itself. The plastic should be clear and tightly wrapped around the Styrofoam base. This means it hasn’t been handled by that many people it was delivered relatively recently, air or microbes haven’t leaked into the freshness seal and it hasn’t been rescued from the bottom of the freezer.
Packaged chicken that has a lot of blood means that the meat has been handled roughly and may have been thawed and frozen and thawed again multiple times.
Don’t forget to observe the general cleanliness of the stall, and the way the vendor handles and stores the meat. Chicken can deteriorate rapidly in open conditions, and can pick up bacteria like salmonella from the counter. You’re much safer when your vendor is as particular about cleanliness as you are.
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