The FDA Says You Shouldn't Cook Chicken In NyQuil & Of Course It's A TikTok Recipe

One of the weirdest TikTok recipes might also be dangerous, as U.S. health authorities warn that you really shouldn’t cook your chicken in NyQuil.

Yes, that’s apparently a thing — so much so that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually put out a warning about it on Tuesday.

“Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways,” the FDA said in its warning on Tuesday. “Even if you don’t eat the chicken, inhaling the medication’s vapours while cooking could cause high levels of the drugs to enter your body. It could also hurt your lungs."

"Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it."

It's unclear when the so-called NyQuil chicken (or "sleepy chicken") trend started, but one video from influencers @janelleandkate has spread widely on TikTok, even though they've deleted the original clip. Many others have stitched it to mock the concoction online.

Other stitches from the same video show those pliers sitting on the stove are not just for show. Instead, the woman making the recipe used them to move the chicken around the pan.

So if you're looking for recipe advice, we recommend you don't take it from someone who uses pliers with their frying pan.

TikTok also seems to have cracked down on the trend because you won’t find any of the recipes if you search "NyQuil chicken." Instead, you’ll get TikTok’s standard page about potentially harmful “challenges and warnings” on the platform.

Vicks, which manufacturers NyQuil, says you shouldn't take more than four doses of the liquid in a 24-hour period.

It's unclear how many people were actually trying this recipe, but the FDA warning put NyQuil on people's radars on Tuesday.

The FDA says you should stick to the label instructions when it comes to taking any medication.