How Long Does Thawed Chicken Last in the Fridge? If you recently removed chicken from your freezer and placed it in the refrigerator to thaw, you may be wondering how long it will last in the refrigerator. To lessen the danger of foodborne pathogens, it’s crucial to utilize meat products as soon as possible, but it might be difficult to know what the limitations are for thawed meats.
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How long does thawed chicken keep in the refrigerator? After thoroughly defrosting, thawed chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days. A big chicken that takes longer to defrost will keep for a few days once it has completed defrosting. Thaw frozen chicken no more than a few days before using it, but give enough time for it to defrost completely.
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How Long Can Thawed Chicken Be Stored in the Fridge?
The shelf-life of the chicken is determined by its condition; raw chicken does not survive as long as cooked chicken. If you have thawed raw chicken, it should be used within a couple of days, but cooked chicken that has been thawed in the fridge should survive for three or four days after it has completed thawing.
It’s always a good idea to cook chicken before freezing it, since this gives you more leeway after it’s thawed. However, both raw and cooked chicken may be safely stored and then thawed in the fridge, as long as raw chicken is consumed promptly after defrosting.
Should You Thaw Frozen Chicken in the Refrigerator?
Yes, it’s critical to defrost frozen chicken in a controlled, chilly setting. This may appear to be inconvenient since it takes significantly longer to defrost chicken this way, but it is the greatest approach to ensure the food’s safety.
If you need to defrost the chicken quickly, use cold water (not hot water) or place it in the microwave and cook it quickly. Both are reasonable solutions, but chicken should never be defrosted at room temperature or in hot water.
That’s because the outside of the chicken warms up much quicker than the interior, and if it gets and remains over 40 degrees F, it soon becomes a breeding ground for germs.
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You must ensure that the temperature on the exterior of the chicken does not exceed 40 degrees F, or otherwise the thawing period is substantially shortened and the outside of the flesh becomes too hot for bacterial infection.
How Long Does Thawed Chicken Last in the Fridge Complete Guide
Cold water ensures that the previous criteria are met and that the meat remains cold, but microwaving ensures that the flesh is heated as it thaws.
Either of these ways should be adequate for securely defrosting chicken; otherwise, store the chicken in the refrigerator until it thaws. Any other way of defrosting, such as leaving it on the counter or immersing it in warm water, jeopardizes the meat’s safety and increases the danger of food poisoning.
Can Thawed Chicken Be Stored in the Fridge?
When not in use, thawed chicken should be stored in the refrigerator. Place it there as soon as you take it out of the freezer and leave it there until you’re ready to use it.
When keeping the chicken, try to store it in the coldest area of the fridge. This might be next to the icebox if you have one, or it could be towards the bottom of the fridge (since cold air sinks). Keeping the bird there will extend its life.
Is it possible to refreeze raw thawed chicken?
If your plans have shifted, you may be wondering what to do with the uncooked thawed chicken. Fortunately, in some cases, it is permissible to refreeze it, which is an excellent approach to prevent food waste.
If you defrosted the chicken in the fridge, you should be able to refreeze it. However, you must act quickly since defrosted raw chicken has a limited shelf life even in the fridge, and you don’t want to risk spoiling the chicken before freezing it.
If you defrosted your chicken in the microwave or cold water, you cannot refreeze or store it in the refrigerator. The chicken’s exterior will have been in the “danger zone” over 40 degrees F for far too long to do anything but cook it. After this, you must not attempt to store it uncooked.
You may, however, cook it and then store it in the fridge for a few days.
If you have defrosted cooked chicken in the fridge, you can refreeze it as long as you do it quickly. Make sure you use sound judgment when it comes to how the chicken was handled during the cooking, chilling, freezing, and thawing processes.
Is it true that cooking chicken kills bacteria?
Although cooking kills germs, it does not make ruined chicken safe to eat again. Toxins left by bacteria in meat can make you sick even though the germs are no longer living. Cooking should not be used to render dangerous meat safe for ingestion. If the chicken has gone bad, discard it.
This is especially true for freezing; it prevents microbial spread but does not destroy germs or remove poisons. Don’t freeze chicken that you suspect has gone bad or is about to go bad. It will not be safe to consume afterwards.
When chicken becomes bad, does it change color?
Raw chicken that has gone bad will frequently become green, gray, or yellow, rather than pale pink. Cooked chicken may also become green or gray instead of brown or white. Spoiled chicken typically has a slimy texture and an unpleasant, foul odor.
Don’t consume any chicken that displays any of these deteriorating indications.
Conclusion
After fully thawing in the fridge, raw thawed chicken should be safe to cook for one to two days, and cooked thawed chicken should last for up to four days. Always thaw meat in accordance with food safety requirements, and never leave it at room temperature.
