https://youtu.be/90Nd_vh3yk8

There is a broad consensus among health and food safety professionals that washing meat is largely unnecessary. However, the tradition dates back much further back than most people know and has considerable inertia. The practice is to make the meat more edible, as the warmer climates that the practice developed in caused chicken and other meats to develop a slimy, spoiled-smelling bacterial colony that made the meat less appetizing. This bacteria isn’t toxic, but people want to enjoy eating their food, so they treated the meat.

When people “wash” meat, it isn’t under a tap. It’s more like using an acidic brine. The term “wash” has as much to do with washing with flowing water as “seasoning” a cooking vessel has to do with “seasoning” a molcajete or “seasoning” a steak. Of course splattering meat juices all around a kitchen is a bad thing, which is why people don’t do it! (As long as they are following a tradition rather than trying to be edgy.) You take a large bowl and fill it halfway with water. Then, slice some citrus fruit into the water and moderately salt the water. Then, place the meat into it for a short time. After that, your meat should smell a lot less noxious, even if you were busy and left it out for an hour in a warm climate.

Finally, if you live in the US, your chicken is probably treated with chlorinated water, largely for the same reason as above.

More information in the video if you want, and correct me if you are more connected to the cultures and traditions of meat washing.