How Long is Frozen Chicken Good for? Most households have chicken as a basic food, and whether you serve it for dinner or lunch, you can be sure that even finicky eaters will accept it on their plates.
Therefore, stocking up on it may come naturally when a sale occurs at the grocery store. However, you might wonder how long frozen chicken is safe to eat before storing the cost-effective, simple-to-make option.
You might be surprised to hear that there are some rather particular rules you should follow depending on whether the meat is cooked or raw when it comes to chicken, contrary to your initial assumption that all forms of meat can keep frozen for the same amount of time.
The health of those you intend to serve depends on how it is prepared, stored, and cooked because chicken generally has a high risk of bacterial infection.
How to Tell if Your Frozen Chicken is Still Safe to Eat
If you freeze raw chicken while it is still fresh, you can anticipate its quality will stay the same if you remove it from the freezer within the suggested time window. However, when you thaw the chicken, things can still go wrong.
As you defrost it, keep an eye out for indicators of spoiling, such as a switch from pink to greenish-gray, a bad smell, or a slimy appearance. It is best to throw the meat away and be safe if you see any of these symptoms.
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How Long Can You Keep Chicken in Your Fridge?
Chicken doesn’t stay fresh in the refrigerator for as long as you may imagine once you bring it home from the store. However, doing so can help inhibit bacterial growth.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends refrigerating raw chicken for two days. Fresh turkey and other types of fowl are subject to the same rules. However, cooked fowl can be kept in your refrigerator for three to four days.
Preserving raw chicken in your freezer is preferable if you need to keep it longer than two days (or leftover chicken for longer than four days).
How Do You Freeze Raw Chicken?
Your raw chicken can be frozen in several various ways.
Keep it in the Packaging it Came in
You can keep the chicken in its original packaging if it is vacuum-packed, unopened, and sealed. Nothing is wrong with preserving chicken in its original packaging if it is unopened and not vacuum-sealed.
However, as the plastic wrap is probably air permeable, the meat may eventually develop freezer burn, lowering its quality. Add a layer of wrapping, such as aluminum foil, around the package to maintain the chicken’s freshness.
Put the Chicken Pieces in Airtight Containers
Removing the chicken from its original container allows you to marinate your meat before putting it in freezer bags.
With or without a marinade, placing your chicken in freezer bags is a terrific way to maintain the integrity of the meat, especially if you vacuum-seal the bag to remove air before sealing it to prevent freezer burn.
Additionally, it is recommended to keep raw chicken away from the door and in the deeper sections of the freezer to minimize temperature changes and preserve its quality.
How Do You Prevent Freezer Burn?
As previously discussed, properly storing your chicken helps avoid freezer burn, which happens when the poultry is exposed to air and dehydrated. Chicken that has dried out because of freezer burn is still okay to eat, although it might not taste as good.
You have two options for vacuum-sealing chicken: either utilizing the water-displacement method or manually pressing the air out of the bag before sealing it.
The fowl is put into a freezer bag and slowly lowered into a bowl or pot of water using the water-displacement method. As you lower the bag into the water, pressure is created, pushing air through the top.
How Do You Safely Defrost Frozen Chicken?
There are three typical methods for defrosting frozen chicken, as noted by the USDA. The refrigerator method is the most secure and advised approach, however, it also necessitates some forethought.
The Refrigerator Method
At least 24 hours before eating, move chicken wrapped and frozen from your freezer to your refrigerator.
Your chicken can stay in the refrigerator once it has thawed for one or two more days before being cooked. The cold water approach is another option for defrosting meat; it is quicker but necessitates more care.
The Cold Water Method
Your frozen chicken should be submerged in a big bowl of cold water and kept in a leak-proof container. A three to four-pound entire chicken may take two to three hours to defrost, whereas little packages can do so in as little as an hour.
As the chicken thaws, they should change the water every 30 minutes. Once the chicken is thawed, they should cook right away the chicken.
However, the microwave approach is the quickest. Similar to the cold water procedure, once the chicken has thawed using a microwave, it needs to be cooked straight away.
The Microwave Method
Take the chicken out of the packing and put it in a covered microwave-safe container or an oven cooking bag.
Use the defrost option or a medium-high setting (70% power) to cook whole chickens for nine to ten minutes or chicken breast halves for six to eight minutes per pound.
Although it is safe to cook food straight from the freezer, the USDA warns that it will probably take 50% longer to cook your chicken this way than to cook fully thawed chicken.
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What are the Risks of Eating Spoiled Chicken?
Food poisoning, or a foodborne sickness, can be contracted by eating rotten chicken. Due to its potential contamination with bacteria like Campylobacter, Salmonella, and others, chicken has a significant risk of food poisoning.
These bacteria are often destroyed after cooking. Users must still refrain from preparing and consuming damaged chicken.
Although cooking and reheating can eliminate microorganisms from food’s surface, they can still create toxins that, if consumed, can lead to food poisoning.
High fever (over 38.6°C), chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and dehydration are some unpleasant and potentially hazardous symptoms of food poisoning.
Severe food poisoning occasionally results in hospitalization and even death. Therefore, if the chicken shows signs of rotting, you should not use it to ensure health.
Bottom line
Although chicken can be stored in the freezer for a long period, at some point, the flavor and texture of the chicken may deteriorate.
If stored properly, they can keep raw chicken in the freezer for a long time, losing its freshness. Frozen chicken is excellent in casseroles, soups, and stews when thawed.
