A Stevenage takeaway customer was horrified when he pulled apart his battered chicken to find it was "completely rancid", having already eaten a piece that "tasted funny".
The customer of Chickaros Chicken and Grill in Stevenage High Street said he ordered the food on Sunday evening.
"They sold me a piece of chicken that was black, yellow, green and pink, which smelt funny and was completely rancid and spoilt," he said.
"I had eaten a different piece of chicken prior and realised half-way through eating it that it tasted funny, so I decided to open up the second piece of chicken prior to eating it, for it to look like this!"
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The Comet contacted Chickaros and, after viewing the image of the chicken, a spokesperson for the takeaway said the customer's chicken "had a blood clot inside".
He said: "All chicken we serve is fresh. We get a delivery every two days. Due to the extreme hot weather, we try to get it on a daily basis.
"We wash our chicken with turmeric powder, which is a natural antibiotic and flavour enhancer.
"With regard to this piece of chicken, I can tell you this piece of chicken had a blood clot inside and, during the cooking process, it naturally spreads and makes the chicken pink.
"If the customer had called us immediately, we would have explained this to him and offered any alternatives."
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When Chickaros Chicken And Grill was last inspected by Stevenage Borough Council, in January 2021, it was awarded the top food hygiene rating of five (very good).
The local authority's inspector found food hygiene and safety was very good, as was confidence in management, while structural compliance was rated good.
The Chickaros spokesperson continued: "I understand how a customer feels when they see something not usual.
"Please pass my sincere apologies to the customer. I completely understand how the customer feels, and also understand that some chicken may have blood clots and it’s beyond our control.
"At Chickaros, we are very committed on serving fresh food and maintaining high standards."
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