First let us deal with bruises, which can be quite common in the slaughterhouse. The vast majority of these have already been addressed by the rabbis in the plant. Consuming blood is prohibited by the Torah (Vayikra 3:17). Therefore, all our meat and poultry goes through a sequence of washing and salting to ensure that all the blood has been removed and extracted from it. At times however, a bruise with a blackish, bluish appearance can still be found by the consumer. Ideally this should be removed prior to cooking the chicken, and the remainder of the chicken may be eaten. If in doubt, consult your Rabbi.
Now let us discuss broken bones. There are a number of bones which, if broken during the lifetime of the chicken, would render it treif (Chullin 57a). In these cases the entire chicken may not be eaten. With training, one can easily identify whether the injury happened when the bird was still alive or after it died, as in the former case the breakage would inevitably be accompanied by deep discoloration of the meat (Y.D. 55:13). In the absence of deep discoloration, the chicken is kosher. If it is deeply discolored, a halachic authority should be consulted.
Watch the OU’s informative video ‘What’s Wrong With This Chicken?’, by Rav Belsky, zt"l, for more on this topic.
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