Chicken is one of my favorite proteins. Although it’s easy to prepare, there are numerous ways to spice it up to make each night’s meal interesting and novel. Additionally, it complements a variety of foods, including salads, sandwiches, tacos, soups, appetizers, and more. You can probably make anything with chicken; just name it. Ill often roast a whole chicken—or pick up a.
How Long Will Raw Chicken Stay Good in the Fridge?
According to the USDA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raw chicken (regardless of if it’s whole; in pieces such as breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings; or ground) should be stored for no longer than one to two days in the refrigerator. If the chicken was previously frozen, this timeline goes into effect after the meat is fully defrosted.
In the fridge, raw chicken only lasts one to two days.
The best course of action is to freeze that raw chicken if you don’t know if you’ll cook it before this deadline expires.
However, you still need to avoid cooking and eating spoiled chicken. Although re-heating or cooking can kill surface bacteria, it won’t eliminate some of the toxins produced by bacteria, which can give you food poisoning if you eat them (8).
Check the “best if used by” date and check for signs of spoilage like changes in smell, texture, and color to determine if chicken has gone bad.
Even if you thoroughly cook the chicken, you should avoid eating spoiled chicken because it can make you sick.
In some cases, severe food poisoning can require hospitalization and even lead to death (10, 11).
Food poisoning can cause uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous symptoms, including a high fever (above 101.5°F or 38.6°C), chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and dehydration (9).
Cooked Chicken
A whole cooked chicken can last for 1-2 days. Additionally, if you cut it into small portions, these pieces can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, just like a cooked breast. After cooking, allow it to cool completely before wrapping and storing in your refrigerator.
FAQ
Is raw chicken OK in the fridge for 5 days?
In the refrigerator, raw chicken lasts for 1-2 days while cooked chicken lasts for 3–4 days. Check the “best if used by” date and check for signs of spoilage like changes in smell, texture, and color to determine if chicken has gone bad. Even if you thoroughly cook the chicken, you should avoid eating spoiled chicken because it can make you sick.
How long can I leave raw chicken in the fridge?
Keeping Chicken in the Fridge You don’t need to keep raw chicken in the freezer; you can keep it there for 1-2 days. If you have cooked chicken leftovers, you can anticipate that they will keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Can I eat chicken that’s been in the fridge for a week?
In the refrigerator, cooked chicken will last three to four days and in the freezer, two to three months. After this point, eating cooked chicken may cause a foodborne illness because bacteria can still grow even in the refrigerator.
Can I eat chicken 7 days in fridge?
Cooked chicken can keep in the refrigerator for three to four days if properly stored (in a ziplock bag or other sealed container). And that holds true for any type of cooked chicken, whether it be prepared at home or leftovers from a restaurant.
