Most people love chicken. As a matter of fact, Americans eat millions of pounds of chicken per year and much of that is bought fresh and cooked at home.
Baked chicken.
Fried chicken.
Barbecue chicken.
Chicken fried rice. You name the dish, most of the time, it can be prepared with chicken.
But this beloved and delicious source of protein can also bring forth sickness as well, if not stored properly. Chickens have a high risk of bacterial contamination.
Storing chicken in your fridge is convenient, but many people keep in the fridge too long or at the wrong temperature. This begs the question, how long can chicken safely stay in the refrigerator?
How long does raw chicken last in the fridge?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), raw chicken can be kept in your fridge for approximately 1–2 days. The same applies to raw turkey and other poultry.
Storing chicken in the fridge helps slow bacterial growth, as bacteria tend to grow slower in temperatures below 40°F (4°C) (3).
Furthermore, raw chicken is best stored in a leak-proof container to prevent its juices from leaking and contaminating other foods. Cooked chicken should be refrigerated in an airtight container (3).
If you need to store chicken for longer than a few days, it’s best to store it in your freezer.
How long does cooked chicken last in the fridge?
Cooked chicken has a far lower likelihood of developing bacteria but it can still make you sick if you wait too long to eat it, even if it has been stored in the fridge. The USDA recommends you eat chicken within four days of cooking it. Like raw chicken, it should also be stored at under 40 degrees F to avoid rapid spoiling.
But remember, chicken can encounter all kinds of storage mishaps and irregularities in its journey to your kitchen. If you’re chicken smells weird, rotten, or just plain bad, it’s probably time to throw it away.
So keep a close on eye on any changes in the meat’s appearance. Chicken that appears slimy or discolored in any way (yellow, brown or green) should be discarded immediately.
Which expiration date should you use?
The sell-by, use-by or freeze-by date may be as long as a week from when you bought it, but that’s just the chicken producer’s guess as to how long the chicken will be at optimal taste before it starts deteriorating in quality.
That date isn’t issued by a regulating body, but rather by the brand. While poultry brands do have to consider consumer safety, their chief goal is enticing retailers to buy their product. The longer it’s “good for,” the better chance they’ll have of making a larger sale.
Another thing to consider is that grocery store meat fridges and coolers are usually colder than your average home refrigerators. A normal fridge has to keep meat cold without freezing delicate vegetables and other groceries. Supermarket meat coolers only need to keep meat cold, so they can be at lower resting temperatures. Chicken kept at a colder temperature is naturally going to last longer.
How Long Does Chicken Last in the Freezer?
Chicken that’s kept frozen (under 0 degrees F) is technically safe to eat for about one year according to FoodSafety.gov, but that doesn’t mean you should wait a year, or even months, to eat it. Even shrink-wrapped meat will eventually succumb to frost and freezer burn. While that might not cause the chicken to become unsafe, it will affect its deliciousness. The meat may develop a rubbery or mealy texture.
Cooked chicken can be stored in the freezer for 2–6 months.
What does “good” chicken smell like?
Fresh chicken has little to no smell, or a slight “funky” odor if it’s been sealed with its juices for a while. However, if the chicken has a strong odor, it’s probably no longer safe to eat. Here are some other signs that chicken has gone bad:
Smell
Chicken that smells sour, fishy, or sulfur-like, similar to rotten eggs, is no longer safe to eat.
Color
Raw chicken may turn yellow, gray, or green.
Texture
Raw chicken should feel moist and smooth, not sticky, dry, or rough. If the chicken feels slimy, it’s gone bad.
Can you marinate chicken for too long?
For those of us who like to marinate our chicken for optimum flavor, yes, you can marinate chicken for too long.
Recommended time: The USDA recommends marinating chicken for up to 24 hours.
If you marinate the chicken too long, after two days, the marinade can break down the meat’s fibers, causing it to become mushy and tough. The USDA recommends throwing out chicken that has been marinating for more than 48 hours.
What to do with the marinade afterward: You can boil the used marinade if you want to brush it on the meat while it’s grilling. You should not save the used marinade.
Quick marinating tips for chicken:
- Always marinate meat and poultry in the refrigerator.
- You can marinate chicken in a dry rub for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Bone-in chicken breasts, drumsticks, wings, or thighs should marinate for 1 to 12 hours.
- You should cook food immediately after marinating.
