• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Eat Like No One Else logo

  • 🏠 Home
  • ℹ️ About
    • How to Eat Like No One Else
  • 🎄 Christmas
    • Christmas Breakfast
    • Christmas Cookies
    • Shopping for Christmas Dinner
  • 🎁 Shop for Gifts
  • ✍️ Sign Up for Virtual Events
  • 🚫 Reduce Food Waste
  • 🔨 Work With Us
  • 📝 Privacy Policy
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ℹ️ About Us
  • 🎙️ Podcast
  • 🚫 Reduce Food Waste
  • 🧂 Upgrade Your Salt
  • 🍎 Apples Reviews
  • 🔨 Work With Us
  • 📝 Privacy Policy
    • Instagram
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ℹ️ About Us
    • 🎙️ Podcast
    • 🚫 Reduce Food Waste
    • 🧂 Upgrade Your Salt
    • 🍎 Apples Reviews
    • 🔨 Work With Us
    • 📝 Privacy Policy
    • Instagram
  • ×

    Home » Uncategorized » What is Carrageenan in Chicken?

    What is Carrageenan in Chicken?

    Published: Mar 7, 2017 · Modified: Feb 7, 2025 by Eric Samuelson

    What is In Your Food Chicken carrageenan

    One of the main purposes of this blog you are reading is to make you an informed shopper. I spend a lot of time trying to steer you towards the best tasting foods like in my How to Shop for the Perfect Peach post. I also try to steer my readers towards good deals like you see my Cheeses Under $5 at Costco post. My other mission is for people to be informed on what is in their food.

    My philosophy is to try and make the best decisions you can without too much stress. Let's face it, stress isn't good for you either. Personally, I try to strike a balance. Fretting about what is in the ice cream at an ice cream shop when I am on vacation with my family leads to anxiety. I am going to enjoy life. On the flip side, when I go to the grocery store (by myself with plenty of time) and have options, I am going to look at what's my food. That brings me to the topic of this post, shopping for chicken. Specifically what is in the chicken I put and even more specifically chicken that contains carrageenan as an ingredient.

    My Trip to the Grocery Store

    Let me paint a picture for you. On a recent trip to Kroger to gather some ingredients,  I was in the mood for making my own chicken gyro sandwich. I have eaten a few of these over the last few months at coney island restaurants here in Michigan. We have them on every corner here. For those not from this area, a typical coney island restaurant is a diner-type place. They sell coney dogs - hot dogs topped off with some type of chili. A lot of them also have Greek food on their menu. Gyros are very common. These sandwiches are served in pita bread with some veggies (tomatoes and onions typically) and Tzatziki sauce - which is a dairy based sauce with cucumber and other seasonings in it. I was ready to make one of these sandwiches at home.

    As I looked over the chicken selection at Kroger. I found some boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.99 per pound. Sounds like a great deal right? That is when I looked at the ingredient list. Yes there is an ingredient list that goes beyond chicken.

    Carrageenan in Chicken

    The one ingredient that got my attention was carrageenan. I don't really know what that is. I opted to spend more money on chicken that had no ingredients but chicken until I informed myself more.

    What is Carrageenan in Chicken?

    It is a type of red seaweed. They turn the seaweed into a "food grade" products and use it as thickner, sybtlizier, What is it doing in my chicken? Carrageenan helps the chicken to retain water (learn more here). That is the water that they added to the chicken to begin with.

    Why to Avoid Carrageenan in Chicken?

    There are many sources out there say that carrageenan causes inflammation in the body. Our digestion system isn't good at taking care of it. That is concerning. I think inflammation is a big problem in this country and that is leads to many health issues. Our bodies struggle to digest some of our modern foods. Why I haven't done all the scientific research myself I am going to opt to avoid this ingredient in chicken.

    Whether you agree or not that carrageenan is a bad thing - I have another reason to avoid it. Carrageenan is not put in the chicken alone. It is included with water, salt, and/or chicken broth (up to 15%). When that is added you are paying for the ingredients. It adds weight to the chicken. I prefer not to pay that added cost to water, salt, chicken broth, and carrageenan. That means whatever per pound price you are paying for the chicken you are paying for water, salt, chicken broth, and/or carrageenan. No thanks. I would rather season my chicken completely myself. I just want to buy chicken with nothing but chicken in it. This is what is often found in "cheap chicken".

    What to Look For

    Whenever buying chicken where it is a whole chicken or cut into any of the parts, whether bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless, read the packaging. If it contains anything more than chicken, move on. Most grocery stores will have an option that is just chicken. It might be more expensive but you will be getting all meat, no added "goodies".

    Chicken Drumsticks Kale Potatoes Dill

    Check out my recipe for Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Kale and Potatoes

    What Else is Carrageenan

    It is used in a lot of dairy products. One chocolate milk brand - Cocoa Metro that I reviewed last year has removed it from their product. If you are concerned about carrageenan being in your dairy or dairy alternative products, check out this guide that lists what brands it is in and what brands it is not in.

    My Final Thoughts

    It is possible that carrageenan is going to be in the ice cream I am buying for my kids on vacation. Yes. I am going to be afraid to step into the shop? No. I am not going to over worry myself. It's ultimately your decision on how you approach food. I am going to do so in a not stressful approach. When it easy to avoid, like in buying chicken in the store I am going to do it - acting on the side of caution. I am not and will never claim to be a nutritionist. I will do what I feel is right and I hope for you to do the same. If you disagree, that's ok and if you agree, that's ok!

    « Costco Food Finds - February 2017
    Amylu Irish Style Bangers Review (Costco) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Consumer

      March 09, 2017 at 6:38 am

      Thank you for the F.Y.I. on the chicken, I had no idea on fillers etc. I will definitely look more closely when buying my chicken!

    2. Eric Samuelson

      March 10, 2017 at 6:41 am

      You're welcome. I am glad I could inform you.

    3. Barbie

      March 12, 2017 at 11:06 am

      I was told about carrageenan by my rheumatologist. I'm so happy to see others spreading the word about it. If you're ever interested, I also have a blog where I explore gluten-free and the Mediterranean diet. Thanks for the informative piece.

    4. Eric Samuelson

      March 12, 2017 at 1:13 pm

      Thanks. For someone with an issue going on, definitely good to be avoiding it.

    5. Joyce Lee

      October 28, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      I just bought this same exact chicken at Kroger and felt ripped off discovering that my 4.97 lbs. package really only contained 3 lbs. 15 oz. of actual chicken (79%). I was curious as to what carrageenan was and thus discovered your info. Thanks for getting the word out!

    6. Pam Robinson

      July 13, 2019 at 10:40 am

      Most canned dog food has carrageenan in it. My dog was having joint problems. It completely went away when I stopped feeding her the canned dog food.

    7. Eric Samuelson

      July 15, 2019 at 11:47 am

      Thanks for sharing that.

    8. Anne Baugh

      March 05, 2020 at 10:06 am

      I see carrageenan in rotisserie chicken too. Something for which I never thought I needed to look at ingredients. I used to love that chunked rotisserie chicken from Costco... but it includes carrageenan. Drats!

    9. Eric Samuelson

      March 06, 2020 at 8:28 am

      I was disappointed too when I saw that as an ingredient on rotisserie chicken.

    10. Ray

      August 16, 2021 at 12:49 am

      Still pertinent info today for everybody. I used to love that chicken from Costco. Since then belly issues.

    11. Jay

      August 28, 2022 at 11:31 am

      No more chicken from Costco for me. Terrible.

    12. Peggy

      June 22, 2023 at 3:22 pm

      I have an extreme sensitivity to carrageenan. I am so happy to see you spreading the word! Ice cream lovers beware! There are only a few brands that don’t contain this obnoxious ingredient. (I wonder how many people suffer from digestive issues with no idea about the hazards of this potentially dangerous additive.)

    13. Eric Samuelson

      June 23, 2023 at 12:51 pm

      Since I published this, I have been surprised at how many people are having an issue with it.

    14. Eydie

      January 21, 2024 at 1:47 am

      😊 thank you!! Appreciate the information.
      I was dopped by Krogers low prices too.
      Made me look it up when I got home.
      Why can’t we just buy food that doesn’t wanna make us sick n bad for us? Makes me sad.

    15. Eric Samuelson

      January 22, 2024 at 6:52 pm

      You are welcome. I am glad I could be of help to you. And it is said we have to find these extra ingredients in our chicken.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Nice to Meet You,

    Hi! I'm Eric : Father of 4, living just south of Ann Arbor, MI. I'm a reformed picky eater finding a new way to not conform. Eating what's in season is my jam (I also make it!)

    Categories

    Top Posts & Pages

    10 Unique Steak Cuts Perfect for Your Next Cookout
    Creamy Chicken with Asparagus in Cast Iron
    Alton Brown's Quick Homemade Cottage Cheese
    Air Fryer Fried Shrimp Tacos with Slaw & Sauce

    Recent Posts

    • 10 Unique Steak Cuts Perfect for Your Next Cookout
    • Creamy Chicken with Asparagus in Cast Iron
    • Alton Brown's Quick Homemade Cottage Cheese
    • Air Fryer Fried Shrimp Tacos with Slaw & Sauce
    • How to Simply Grill Asparagus

    Reduce Food Waste in Your House

    Copyright © 2025 Eat Like No One Else on the Foodie Pro Theme