# Why does chicken get stuck in my throat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2003, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103 "2003-04-30T10:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/1 "2003-04-30T10:08:24Z")
I looooove chicken. I eat it a lot, and it has never been a problem for me (except for one single instance of food poisoning). But in the last six months, most times when I eat it some of it gets stuck in my throat. It only seems to happen once per meal, but after it does it it gets so uncomfortable that I need to take a swig of something to drink to dislodge it. It appears to be harmless, as far as I can tell, just uncomfortable for a brief minute. But what could be causing it? Is it potentially dangerous? (I don’t choke on it) Why has it only recently started happening, and why so consistently since then? Why only chicken? Is this a sign of something serious? Hope you can help. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/2 "2003-04-30T11:08:01Z")
**!! EXTRA EXTRA !!** **CHICKEN CHOKES MAN!!** ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/3 "2003-04-30T11:20:53Z")
Might be an oesophogial pouch? The relative dryness of the chicken meat might make it get stuck there (same thing happens to me if I don’t chew enough). ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/4 "2003-04-30T12:38:25Z")
Because chicken is evil. EVIL I SAY! ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/5 "2003-04-30T13:13:18Z")
You should pluck the chicken before attempting to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/6 "2003-04-30T13:25:45Z")
Okay, so nobody thinks potentially choking on chicken should be taken seriously? Fine. I hope you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/7 "2003-04-30T14:00:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by newcrasher \* > \*\ ***!! EXTRA EXTRA !!** > > **CHICKEN CHOKES MAN!!** \*\* That was a joke…man bites dog?..'member? Man chokes chi…nevermind… Dude it sounds like you need to chew your food a bit better, or eother cut back on your chicken intake. I dont know what answer you are looking for here… ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/8 "2003-04-30T14:16:08Z")
Do some searches fo GIRD. It’s a reflux disease and one of the symptoms is a difficulty swallowing. I find chicken and dry pork to both be the worst culprits, and a drink will get it going on down. Sounds exactly like what you are experiencing. It is serious enough to check out. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/9 "2003-04-30T14:52:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by newcrasher \* > **That was a joke…man bites dog?..'member? Man chokes chi…nevermind…** Well, **newscrasher** , i thought it was hilarious ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/10 "2003-04-30T22:44:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by newcrasher \* > \*\*I dont know what answer you are looking for here… \*\* I want to know if it’s potentially harmful or a symptom of something serious! I think that’s a reasonable fear, considering it’s a recent and uncomfortable development. Thanks for the suggestion, **Duke of Rat** , I’ll see what the net has to say (perhaps you meant GERD?) ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/11 "2003-05-01T00:50:25Z")
Yeah…that’s it…I’ve only heard it spoken. I was thinking GI tract Reflux Disease. Maybe a dead end, but I know it scared the crap out of me the first time I got hung up. Very strange…no trouble breathing, but an incredible feeling of choking. Since it is not in the wind pipe, no choking, but just hung. I have a very mild case and usually don’t need medications, but I can attest that eating chicken will do it. Hope it helps… And I also thought “Chicken Chokes Man” was funny…just not at GuanoLads expense. It’s hard to describe the panic that sets in when you are being choked by chicken!! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Harrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5ac83/32.png) [@John\_Harrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Harrison)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/12 "2003-05-01T01:47:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*I want to know if it’s potentially harmful or a symptom of something serious! I think that’s a reasonable fear, considering it’s a recent and uncomfortable development. > > Thanks for the suggestion, **Duke of Rat** , I’ll see what the net has to say (perhaps you meant GERD?) \*\* It couldn’t hurt to see a GI doc about it. I had a similar problem where I couldn’t get any type of meat or halfway solid food down very easily. Turns out I had some scar tissue at the bottom of my esophagus that was from GERD, but since I never really had any heartburn I had no idea that anything was amiss. (My doctor said some people don’t get the heartburn.) Long story short: Had my esophagus dilated, got a prescription for Prevacid and haven’t had a problem since. ---
**Author:** ![Cocodean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@Cocodean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cocodean)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/13 "2023-06-04T17:57:36Z")
I have exactly the same problem with chicken. I mentioned it to my nephew who is a Dr and he said it’s nothing to worry about as meats can cause this problem and to eat it in small bits and chew well. Hope this helps ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/14 "2023-06-04T21:21:29Z")
Me three. It only happens with white chicken meat. I assumed that cooked breast meat was slightly hygroscopic so it adhered a bit to the moist sides of my gullet, which is enough for the brain to start sending warning signs. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/15 "2023-06-04T23:29:20Z")
You replied to a twenty year old post but thankfully the OP is still around. @GuanoLad ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/16 "2023-06-05T00:28:00Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You replied to a twenty year old post but thankfully the OP is still around. Well there is the problem. You should not be eating 20 year old chicken. It is close to being expired. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/17 "2023-06-05T04:21:02Z")
Oh, hello. I no longer have this problem, but it was ongoing since this thread began, and increased in frequency for a long time. It was Gastro Oeophogeal Reflux Disease, but I was approaching it via rare symptoms, so it wasn’t obvious. Once I knew what it had to be, I addressed it with some simple treatments, and it was manageable. Then a couple of years ago I lost a lot of weight, and the symptoms went away almost immediately. So. I don’t know if that would help anyone else, but it turned out okay for me. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicken-get-stuck-in-my-throat/172103/18 "2023-06-05T11:04:48Z")
That can happen with any food with me. It’s not very often though and is always caused by eating too fast. My mother had a hiatal hernia which caused her to have to eat very slowly. I think I’m showing signs of that. Perhaps your love of chicken makes you eat it fast? [Hiatal hernia](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiatal-hernia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373379)