In many households, chicken is regarded as staple meat. How long can chicken be good in the fridge? As stated by the USDA and U.S. According to the Food and Drug Administration, raw chicken should only be kept in the refrigerator for one to two days, regardless of whether it is whole, cut into pieces like breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, or ground.
Here are some storage hints that will help you keep your raw chicken as fresh as possible for the longest amount of time in the refrigerator. Additionally, discover how to identify the market’s freshest chicken as well as the significance of packaging dates.
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How Long Does Chicken Last In The Fridge?
Interestingly or not, the Cold Food Storage Chart from FoodSafety.gov, one of the federal consumer resources for food safety, states that raw chicken, whether it is whole or cut into parts (breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings), lasts in the refrigerator for one to two days. (When raw chicken is frozen, its shelf life is increased to nine months for pieces and one year for the entire bird.)
Read More: How Long Does Ramen Last in the Fridge?
Symptoms Of Bad Chicken
It may have gone bad if you’ve kept chicken in the refrigerator for longer than a few days.
Below are a few ways to tell if the chicken in your fridge has gone bad (5Trusted Source, 6, 7):
- It’s past the “best by” date. Chicken — raw and cooked — that has passed its “best if used by/before” date is more likely to have gone bad.
- Changes in color. Chicken that is both raw and cooked and is beginning to turn a grayish-green color has gone bad. Bacterial growth is indicated by gray-to-green mold growth spots.
- Smell. Chicken spoils by giving off an ammonia-like acidic odor whether it is raw or cooked. If the chicken has been marinated with sauces, herbs, or spices, it may be challenging to detect this scent.
- Texture. A slimy texture indicates bad chicken. Bacteria cannot be removed by rinsing the chicken. Cross-contamination could instead result from doing so, which would spread the bacteria from poultry to other foods, utensils, and surfaces.
Throw away the chicken in your fridge if you think it’s gone bad.
Risks Of Eating Spoiled Chicken
Food poisoning, or a foodborne illness, can be contracted by eating spoiled chicken.
Chicken has a high risk of causing food poisoning, as it may be contaminated with bacteria like Campylobacter, Salmonella, and more.
When fresh chicken is thoroughly cooked, these bacteria are typically eliminated.
Cooking and eating spoiled chicken is still something you should avoid. Although reheating or cooking can eliminate surface bacteria, it won’t get rid of some of the toxins produced by bacteria, which can cause food poisoning if you eat them.
High fever (above 101.5°F or 38.6°C), chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and dehydration are just a few of the uncomfortable and occasionally dangerous symptoms of food poisoning.
Severe food poisoning occasionally results in hospitalization and even death.
Don’t eat your chicken if you think it might be spoiled. Chicken that you suspect has gone bad should always be thrown out.
How To Freeze Chicken For Later Use?
If you have cooked or raw chicken that you won’t be preparing or eating for a while, you should store it in the freezer rather than the refrigerator. In just a few easy steps, learn how to freeze chicken for later use.
How long does frozen chicken stay fresh after being stored? Whole chickens can be frozen for up to a year and individual pieces of raw chicken can be kept in the freezer for up to 9 months.
You can anticipate that cooked chicken in the freezer will keep for two to six months. You can save a lot of food by freezing cooked chicken. To help you remember to use the chicken while it’s still fresh, it’s a good idea to mark the bag with the date the chicken was cooked and frozen.
How To Choose And Store Chicken?
Your trip to the grocery store is where you should start choosing the freshest chicken. Look for chicken that is raw and has flesh that is a pale pink color. The juices from the raw chicken package can be prevented from contaminating your other groceries by placing them in a disposable bag.
When using raw chicken at home, only remove it from its original packaging. In addition, remember that fresh chicken meat has no odor when you do open it. Additionally, the meat ought to be smooth, moist, and firm with a little give to the touch.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in every 25 packages of chicken may be contaminated by Salmonella bacteria. It’s crucial to follow proper storage procedures to stop the bacteria from spreading.
Raw chicken should be kept in the refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C). To prevent any drippings from the packaging from leaking and contaminating other foods, put the bagged package on the lowest shelf.
The Bottom Line
In the refrigerator, raw chicken keeps for one to two days while cooked chicken keeps for three to four.
Whether you plan to make a crispy roast chicken or any of our Best Healthy Chicken Recipes, pay attention to the “best if used by date” on the chicken’s packaging. But more importantly, examine the flesh closely, feel it, and smell it for any indications of spoilage. Toss it out if you’re unsure. Also, keep in mind that one or two days can go by quickly, so have a plan for how you’re going to cook your chicken.
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