Social media has spawned its fair share of ridiculous trends . Some, are nothing more than good harmless fun — while others can be flat-out dangerous.
A new trend that is quickly gaining speed on TikTok involves marinating raw chicken in Nyquil cough medicine. Now, doctors are coming out of the woodwork to warn parents and children about its potentially dangerous adverse effects.
TikTok is fast becoming the most popular social media app on the internet.
According to a recent survey conducted by Forrester, TikTok is the most popular app among American youths. A whopping 63% of Gen Z users reported that they use the app on a daily basis, compared to 57% who use Instagram.
The vast majority of Gen Z users feel TikTok is funnier and that it presents a much more positive outlook on the world.
When it comes to the overall entertainment value, users feel that TikTok is in a league of its own. The short-form video format is a welcomed distraction from the hustle of daily life, and kids like how it emphasizes positive self-expression.
However, as positive as the platform may be, it still has its fair share of clueless people who seem intent on poisoning the well.
Over the years, TikTok has given birth to several dangerous trends. These include licking public toilet seats, something called the ” Skullbreaker Challenge ,” overdosing on Benadryl, and lighting yourself on fire.
Now, an even more disturbing trend known as NyQuil Chicken seems to be gaining momentum.
NyQuil Chicken or “Sleepy Chicken” involves marinating raw chicken breast in NyQuil cough syrup. Afterward, the chicken is cooked in a hot pan and served for consumption.
NyQuil Chicken first appeared on the internet back in 2017.
The picture on the right shows raw chicken breast soaking in a solution of nighttime cough syrup. As you can see, the chicken retains its putrid green color, even after it’s cooked.
Then in 2020, TikTok users began creating videos of themselves cooking NyQuil Chicken.
The most popular video was posted on September 4th, 2020. Judging from the fact that the user claims to use 4/3 of the bottle, and is turning the chicken breast with a hair straightener — this was a poor attempt at satire.
Still, the video managed to rack up over 4.3 million views in just over one year.
In January of 2022, NyQuil Chicken once again began trending on TikTok. Most users have just been posting videos of their reaction to the recipe, but there have been a few instances where young users have recreated it themselves.
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The trend has become so infamous that even Jimmy Fallon “joked” about it during his opening monologue on ‘The Tonight Show’.
As you can see, Jimmy decided to add a few of his own steps to the already established recipe. He also made sure to note that “Sleepy Chicken” already exists — it’s called ” turkey .”
Despite the many obvious reasons as to why this is a bad idea, doctors have now come out warning children against cooking chicken in NyQuil.
Richmond-based physician Aaron Hartman explains “By cooking a medicine with multiple drugs in it on a stovetop, you’ve aerosolized it and are most likely inhaling it.”
“Inhaled, these medicines also enter your bloodstream really quickly and are not going past your liver for detoxification,” Hartman said.
Bypassing your body’s natural detoxification process can have detrimental effects on your overall health, depending on how much a person happens to inhale.
So in order to avoid a trip to the emergency room and/or having your stomach pumped — keep the NyQuil out of the kitchen.
Talk to your children about the potential dangers of following these types of trends. Make them aware that anyone who would be so stupid as to soak their food in cough syrup is not the kind of person that they should be idolizing.
