Storing Chicken in the Fridge Storing chicken to use in the immediate future? No need to stash it in the freezer — it's OK to store raw chicken (whole or in pieces) for 1–2 days in the fridge. If you have leftovers that include cooked chicken, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
How long has the chicken been in the fridge? The USDA says that chicken is safe for up to four days in the fridge before you need to throw it out. If you're on day five, it's time to toss it.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recommendations, leftover cooked chicken should be refrigerated at 40 F (or less) and used within 3 to 4 days. The USDA notes that while refrigeration slows bacterial growth, it does not stop it.
Raw chicken keeps for no more than one to two days in the fridge. If you're unsure whether you'll get to cooking that raw chicken before this timeline is up, your best bet is to freeze it.
From a food safety perspective, raw chicken in the fridge has a short shelf life and is best if used within one to two days of purchase, regardless of the "best if used by date."
Use your chicken or other refrigerated meat within 2 to 3 days (or follow manufacturer's instructions) and store it in leak proof containers in the fridge which has a fridge thermometer to make sure the fridge is running at or below 5°
Unfortunately, raw chicken cannot stay in the fridge for four days and still be safe to eat. However, that doesn't mean that all types of chicken can't. Pre-cooked chicken or cooked chicken leftovers can keep for up to four days, however, you shouldn't push it longer than this unless you decide to freeze it.
Fresh, raw chicken is pink and fleshy in color; if the chicken has gone bad it will be discolored and take on a dull, grayish cast. “Signs of food spoilage are pretty universal,” White says. “Any foul odor, discoloration or foreign substances on your chicken would be grounds for tossing.”
Here's the bottom line: If your chicken is on day five, it's not safe to eat anymore, even after reheating.
The safest option is to consume the chicken within 5 days of its sell by date, and store it correctly in the refrigerator or freezer before then. Eating chicken more than 5 days past its sell by date can increase your risk of food-borne illness.
Storage of Cooked Chicken
Leftovers should be stored in the fridge as soon as hot food has stopped steaming. Cooked chicken should be used within two to three days, or one day if you are pregnant, immunocompromised or elderly. Freeze if more than two days' storage is required.
How should I store chicken? Packaged, raw chicken can be refrigerated in its original wrapping in the coldest part of the refrigerator for 48 hours after purchase. If it is not to be used in 48 hours, freezing is recommended.
Fresh chicken has very little aroma, although it may have a slight “funky” odor if it's been sealed with its juices for a while. Chicken that smells strongly should be a warning sign. If the odor is fishy, sour or sulfur-like—reminiscent of rotten eggs—it's no longer safe to eat.
As for the smell—spoiled chicken smells, well, bad. As in ammonia, or rotten eggs, or just plain pungent. Even fresh chicken smells like something, but it shouldn't smell funky. If yours does then it's probably spoiled.
Information. If kept frozen continuously, chicken will be safe indefinitely, so after freezing, it's not important if any package dates expire. For best quality, taste and texture, keep whole raw chicken in the freezer up to one year; parts, 9 months; and giblets or ground chicken, 3 to 4 months.
The USDA recommends cooking chicken or freezing it within 1 to 2 days of purchase. However, provided that the chicken does not show signs of spoilage, it should be still be safe to consume 3 days beyond the sell-by date.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, you can safely leave raw chicken out at room temperature for up to two hours or up to 60 minutes if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Raw Meats – Raw meats can be kept up to 10 day when vacuum packed before needing to be cooked or frozen. In comparison, raw meat that is not vacuum packed will only last 3-5 days in the refrigerator before turning.
“For the samples from processing plants, Salmonella was detected in 21.4% of samples and Campylobacter was detected in 86.7% of samples,” said the NSW Food Authority.
Chicken can be stored in your fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you're not planning to use it within this time, chicken can be stored safely in your freezer with a clear label of when it was purchased.
Fresh meat is typically kept in grocery stores for 10-14 days. Frozen meat, on the other hand, can be stored for up to a year.