Diarrhea After Eating Chicken: Why It Happens and What to Do About It
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

3 Reasons Your Stomach May Hurt After Eating Chicken and What to Do About It

3 Reasons Your Stomach May Hurt After Eating Chicken and What to Do About It
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Updated on August 6, 2025
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Across the United States, chicken is very often what's for dinner. But if that everyday protein greets you with an upset stomach, vomiting, or abdominal cramps, you could be dealing with food poisoning or, very rarely, an intolerance to chicken or an outright allergy.

Here's more about why you might have stomach pain and other symptoms after eating chicken and how to treat the discomfort.

1. You May Have Food Poisoning

If you have stomach cramps after eating chicken, consider foodborne illness first. Along with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and a fever, abdominal pain is a typical symptom of food poisoning.

"The most common cause of stomach pain or gastrointestinal distress after consuming chicken is food poisoning," says Beth Oller, MD, a family physician at Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, Kansas. There are a few ways that chicken can lead to foodborne illness:

  • Contamination Poultry and other foods can be contaminated by bacteria or parasites, which lead to feeling sick after eating chicken.
  • Problems During Processing The chicken could have been mishandled during processing or shipping to the store.
  • Not Following Food Safety Guidelines The meat on your plate may not have been cooked correctly. Chicken can never be served raw or rare — it needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

     "You can also get sick if the juice from raw meat has gotten onto surfaces or other foods," Dr. Oller says. (That's why you shouldn't use the same knife or cutting board to chop up veggies and raw chicken.)

The bacteria generally associated with food poisoning from chicken are campylobacter, salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens, Oller says.

You may have symptoms like nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and fever as fast as a few hours after eating chicken, and they can last for several days.

 Older adults, people who are pregnant, young kids, and people with a compromised immune system are more susceptible to food poisoning.

To avoid foodborne illness, follow these guidelines:

  • Refrigerate chicken at 40 degrees F or below, and eat it within two days. If you freeze chicken, it'll keep there indefinitely as long as it's continuously frozen. That said, as time goes on, the quality of the chicken may be lower.
  • Thaw chicken safely (that means never leaving it on the kitchen counter). The easiest way to defrost frozen chicken is to leave it in the refrigerator the night before. If you need to defrost chicken quickly, place it in a leak-proof bag, submerge the bag in a container of cold tap water, and replace the water every 30 minutes. This method will thaw a pound of chicken in around an hour; for a larger amount of chicken, up to around 4 pounds, it'll take about three hours.
  • Prepared chicken (like rotisserie chicken) should be eaten within four days if refrigerated or four months if frozen.
When in doubt, don't eat it: If it's pink inside and undercooked, or if cooked chicken shows signs of being bad, such as a slimy texture or foul smell, don't eat it.

Many cases of food poisoning ease up after a couple of days and can be treated at home with rest, tiny sips of water, and small portions of bland food like toast, bananas, and rice for a while after that. Avoid dairy, alcohol, and fatty meals so your stomach has a chance to settle and get back to normal.

2. You Could Have a Food Allergy

It's not common for people to be allergic to chicken — in fact, a poultry allergy is considered very rare.

 But a poultry meat allergy could also be a secondary allergy, most likely due to an egg allergy (a far more common allergen). For instance, 5 percent of children who are allergic to eggs will have a reaction to chicken.

Food allergies cause your immune system to misfire, reacting to something in food as if it's dangerous to you. The result is an array of potential symptoms, including hives or a rash, a runny nose, wheezing, and gastrointestinal distress like stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. In severe cases, a food allergy can lead to a potentially fatal reaction called anaphylaxis, which can entail trouble breathing and a loss of consciousness.

If you have a food allergy, the most effective treatment is to avoid the food that triggers your symptoms entirely. That said, gastrointestinal problems will often clear up on their own or with over-the-counter remedies.

"And if anyone has symptoms of anaphylaxis, such as trouble breathing, swelling of the mouth or throat, or a fast heartbeat, they need to be seen in the ER immediately," Oller says.

3. You May Have a Food Intolerance

The difference between a chicken intolerance and a chicken allergy is that with an intolerance, the digestive tract struggles to work well, rather than the immune system. That can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like stomach pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and heartburn.

But unlike an allergy, there’s no risk of anaphylaxis with a food intolerance, so it isn't life threatening.

For gastrointestinal symptoms that can accompany a chicken intolerance, your best bet is to try over-the-counter treatments for diarrhea and gas, such as bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) and loperamide (Imodium). And while it's possible to still enjoy chicken when you have an intolerance, some people may need to stop eating this meat altogether to fix these digestive problems.

When to See a Doctor

If you're feeling sick after eating chicken, the most likely explanation is food poisoning. While many cases of food poisoning can be treated at home, reach out to your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:

  • Frequent vomiting and an inability to keep down even water
  • Diarrhea that lasts more than three days or bloody diarrhea
  • Fever higher than 102 degrees F
  • Dehydration warning sighs like extreme thirst, little or no urination, or dizziness

For symptoms that are potentially due to an allergy, make an appointment to see an allergist.

Signs of anaphylaxis, such as breathing difficulty, throat swelling, and severe wheezing, mean an immediate trip to the ER.

The Takeaway

  • The most likely cause of diarrhea after eating chicken is food poisoning, which can be caused by contamination, problems during processing, and not following safety guidelines while defrosting, prepping, cooking, or storing the meat.
  • A chicken allergy or intolerance, although not that common, can also cause gastrointestinal distress.
  • If you experience frequent or severe diarrhea after eating chicken, talk to your doctor, who can help determine the cause and get you the appropriate treatment.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Food Poisoning. Mayo Clinic. February 23, 2024.
  2. Foodborne Illness and Disease. U.S. Department of Agriculture. February 7, 2025.
  3. Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.  U.S. Department of Agriculture. April 14, 2025.
  4. Symptoms of Food Poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 31, 2025.
  5. People at Increased Risk for Food Poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 31, 2025.
  6. Chicken from Farm to Table. U.S. Department of Agriculture. September 30, 2024.
  7. Why You Shouldn’t Eat Raw or Undercooked Chicken and How To Keep it Fresh. Cleveland Clinic. July 23, 2021.
  8. Food Poisoning. Mayo Clinic. February 23, 2024.
  9. Klug C et al. Gal d 7— A Major Allergen in Primary Chicken Meat Allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. July 2020.
  10. Food Allergy. Seattle Children’s. January 25, 2025.
  11. Food Allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. June 28, 2023.
  12. Food Intolerance. Cleveland Clinic. August 11, 2021.
  13. Anaphylaxis. Cleveland Clinic. October 17, 2023.
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