A Man Bit Into Fried Chicken From a Florida Publix, then He Took a Closer Look Inside: ‘I’m Pretty Sure That’s Blood in There’
"I'm trying not to throw up right now."
A Florida man was expecting a normal box of Publix fried chicken, until he pulled a piece apart. According to BroBible, the man, who posts on TikTok as @lawnjohnsilver, shared a video after finding meat that looked seriously undercooked underneath a perfectly golden crust. The outside looked like a normal piece of fried chicken, breading crisp and browned, but the inside came apart pink and translucent.
“I don’t know what this is, but this is disgusting; I’m pretty sure that’s blood in there. I’m pretty sure this chicken is not cooked all the way. I’m trying not to throw up right now just looking at this. And I really hope I did not get sick,” he says in the video.
Shoppers on Reddit have raised complaints about the chain’s fried chicken quality before, ranging from size to consistency, and some have specifically alleged pieces arriving undercooked. That doesn’t establish a widespread problem, and the outlet has not independently verified the extent of those complaints beyond what customers have posted online.
Appearance Alone Can’t Confirm It Either
Whether the chicken in the video was actually undercooked isn’t something a video alone can confirm. According to the USDA, poultry needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit throughout to be considered safe, and color alone isn’t a reliable way to judge that. Pink chicken isn’t automatically proof of undercooking, since factors like the bird’s age or how it was frozen can affect color even after it’s fully cooked.
The reverse is also true; meat can look fully white and still not have reached a safe internal temperature. Eating genuinely undercooked chicken carries real risk. According to the CDC, Campylobacter, one of the most common bacteria found in raw or undercooked poultry, typically causes symptoms within two to five days, including diarrhea that can be bloody, fever, and abdominal cramps. Salmonella, another common culprit, tends to act faster, often producing symptoms within six to 72 hours.
Most healthy adults recover within a week without needing antibiotics, but the CDC notes that people 65 and older, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of severe illness. If someone actually gets sick from food like this, Florida law gives them more than one way to pursue it.
Food poisoning claims here can proceed under strict liability, meaning a grocery store or seller can be held responsible for selling contaminated food even without proof of negligence, since the law treats selling food as an implied promise that it’s safe to eat. Claims can also be brought under ordinary negligence or breach of warranty theories, depending on how the contamination is shown to have happened.
The filing deadline depends on which legal theory is used. A negligence-based claim generally must be filed within two years of the illness, while a product liability claim can extend to four years. A successful case typically covers medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and in cases involving gross negligence, courts can also award punitive damages.
A customer suspecting contamination can also file a regulatory complaint directly. Retail grocery stores and their delis fall under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Food Safety, which investigates consumer complaints and can inspect a location in response. For anyone who’s already taken a bite of something that looks off, the advice is simple: stop eating it, and contact the store where you purchased it. The outlet reached out to Publix and the TikTok user for comment.
The chain has faced other food-quality complaints from shoppers recently, including allegations about how certain meat products are packaged and sold.
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