Not gonna lie, I’ve had my share of food go bad. Chicken, spinach, chocolate mousse, mushrooms, milk — you name it and it’s probably happened. Thankfully, I’ve never eaten rotten food (knock on wood), though I’ve cooked and tasted it before tossing my entire meal.

It’s a waste of time and food when your main ingredient is expired and you don’t realize until it’s cooked — it’s really disappointing when you realize that the chicken you’ve been marinating and baking for the last hour has gone bad and you’re now without a dinner.

Save yourself the effort by checking for bad chicken before you start cooking. Here are 4 ways to tell if your raw chicken has gone bad.

1. It looks gray.

If it looks gray or the fatty parts have yellow spots, it’s bad and you should chuck it immediately. Raw chicken should be a light pink color, and the fat should be white.

2. It smells funky.

Your nose is your best friend when it comes to finding bad food. If it smells out of the ordinary (think diluted, slightly sweet, rotten eggs), it’s probably bad.

3. It feels slimy.

Raw chicken should feel moist, not slimy. If it feels slimy and sticky even after washing, it has to go.

4. You’ve had it for a long time.

If the chicken has been sitting in your fridge for over 4 days or in your freezer for over 4 months, chuck it.

At the end of the day, if you’re even slightly scared that your chicken has gone bad, you should throw it out. It’s not worth getting an upset stomach, or worse — food poisoning.