Keltner’s concoction has both riveted and disgusted fans, with many wondering why he decided this was a good thing. “I’m all about the gainz, but this is foul,” one person wrote on Instagram. “But like…what if he just ate some chicken…,” another said. Others in the comments tried to explain Keltner’s unconventional drink. “I use[ed] to be really into fitness, and it’s really hard sometimes to hit your protein goal just by eating it. Especially if you eat plain chicken everyday,” someone wrote.
Keltner has gotten in on the fun, even doing an Instagram ad for Ninja while showing the world exactly how to make his chicken smoothie. “Absolutely nobody asked for this tutorial,” he joked in the caption, before calling the smoothie part of his “breakfast routine.”
For all the recent hype, Keltner didn’t invent the chicken smoothie: People have been talking it up on TikTok for years. The smoothie admittedly sounds disgusting, but with the growing push for people to eat more whole foods, is he on to something? A food scientist and dietitian break it down.
What is the chicken smoothie?
Every person’s chicken smoothie recipe is slightly different, and Keltner has his own unique take. He starts with six to eight ounces of unseasoned baked chicken. “It has to be unseasoned, or it’s going to taste even worse,” he said in a recent Instagram video. Then, fill the blender to the max line.
After that, Keltner added a generous squirt of drink flavoring (he used Mio flavored drink mix in his Instagram tutorial, but used Crystal Light on the show). Finally, he blends the mixture until it’s completely smooth. The last step, per Keltner: “We’re going to chug it as fast as we possibly can.”
This isn’t unhealthy, according to nutrition experts.
While it may set off your gag reflex, nutrition experts say a chicken smoothie isn’t terrible for your health. “A chicken smoothie isn’t inherently a terrible idea,” says Jessica Cording, RD, the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. She points out that some people with swallowing issues or other trouble eating need to blend their food this way. “This is not something that most people who can eat solid food necessarily would gravitate toward, but, in terms of functionality, it is okay to eat food in puree form,” she says.
There may even be some perks of having a chicken smoothie. Blending the meat may make it easier to digest and increase the absorption of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein and are important for muscle growth, Nicholas Burd, PhD, nutrition science researcher and a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, tells SELF. “This ultimately can improve the amount of dietary amino acids available in circulation to help support whole body and muscle protein synthesis,” he says.
Still, there’s no reason to go this route.
Keltner seems to be grossed out by his go-to smoothie as much as viewers. But Burd says there’s no reason for anyone to have chicken this way. “It’s the same ‘health’ benefit” as eating a piece of chicken, he says. Keltner “simply changed the digestion and absorption,” Burd adds.
