How long and how to store chicken in the refrigerator and freezer

Chicken meat contains a large amount of vitamins (A, B1 – B3, B5, B6, B9, C, E). As well as other substances necessary for the proper functioning of the body. These are zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc. It is well absorbed, which is why it is recommended for consumption from an early age in the form of purees. Due to its low calorie content, chicken fillet can be safely consumed by overweight people. Despite the fact that the meat of this bird is the most in demand and is purchased more often than others, not everyone knows how to store chicken so that it retains not only its taste, but also its beneficial qualities.

How to choose

Before buying, you need to take a good look at the bird, paying attention to its appearance. The skin of the chilled chicken should not have bruises, dark spots or damaged areas. Her normal color is white. Poultry that is too fat may have a slightly yellowish tint. A fresh, pleasant smell is the best recommendation for this product (a faint smell of bleach or vinegar indicates that they tried to “reanimate” the meat).

Frozen chicken should not be covered in ice. It can only appear if the bird has been frozen twice. It is better to avoid such chicken meat. At the same time, it is best to try to buy only chilled poultry, since frozen ones may be initially stale.

Common Mistakes

Violations during storage of meat stocks:

rinse meat before freezing;
leave prepared dishes on the stove at room temperature;
store canned food on the balcony at sub-zero temperatures;
freeze leftover defrosted meat;
keep meat and fish together.

When freezing meat, you need to put an expiration date on the packaging. Re-frozen meat products lose nutritional value and taste, as ice crystals destroy their structure. When freezing for a long time, you need to check the condition of the product. Gray spots from shrinkage may appear on the pulp - cold burns. Damaged products need to be thawed and cooked. Shrinkage occurs due to leaky packaging and evaporation of moisture. The effect is similar to chapping. Therefore, despite the stains, such meat is suitable for food.

How to store chickens

How long the meat will retain its quality will depend on its storage conditions. First of all, it depends on the temperature and air humidity. It is also important what the condition of the bird was at the time of its purchase.

Chilled chicken will last longer in the refrigerator if all bones are removed first.

Optimal storage conditions for chicken:

temperature 0°С – +4°С;
humidity 80 – 95%.

Keeping chicken at the right temperature will keep it fresh for several days.

Chicken breasts can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days, and frozen for 12 months.
Minced chicken without freezing can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days, and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Storing chicken without refrigeration at +15°C -+18°C will last only a few hours.
Poultry meat should be packaged in containers with a lid (for refrigerated storage) and in cling film (for freezing).

What GOST and SanPiN say

Technologies for raising poultry have come so far that the state is no longer able to regulate the shelf life of what the producer has grown. However, GOST recommends adhering to certain time limits, which the manufacturer cannot increase.

When leaving the enterprise, chicken carcasses are usually divided into:

cooled down (temperature no higher than 25 °C);
chilled (from -2 to 4 °C inclusive);
frozen (not higher than -12 °C);
deep frozen (not higher than -18 °C).

The shelf life is as follows:

1. At temperatures from -2 to 2 °C inclusive:

whole chilled carcasses – no more than 5 days;
parts of carcasses - no more than 2 days from the date of slaughter.

2. Frozen carcasses stored at -12 °C:

entirely – no more than 8 months;
cut into parts – 1 month.

3. Frozen carcasses stored at a temperature not exceeding -18 °C:

entirely – no more than 12 months;
divided into parts – 3 months.

4. If freezing and storage is carried out at a temperature not exceeding -25 °C:

whole carcasses are stored for no more than 14 months.

SanPiN regulates the storage of poultry and prepared meals in public catering establishments and puts forward the following requirements (see table):

Shelf life of chicken meat products according to SanPiN

Cold storage

The best decision would be to cook the chicken immediately after purchase. But when this cannot be done, you need to store the bird in the refrigerator, in the following packages:

vacuum;
glass with lid;
polyethylene;
plastic vacuum.

It is optimal to place the chicken in a vacuum bag, then in a larger plastic container, and fill the remaining voids with ice cubes.

The shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator will depend not only on the storage temperature and the initial condition of the bird, but also on its size and type of storage (in whole or in parts, with or without bones). Storage time for chicken in the refrigerator at a certain temperature:

3 – 4 days at -2°С – 0°С;
3 days at 0°C -+4°C;
1 – 2 days at +4°С -+7°С;
8 – 24 hours at +7°С -+10°С.

How long can you store cooked chicken in the refrigerator?

Not only can fresh meat be stored in the refrigerator and freezer, but cooked breasts and other parts of the carcass can also be preserved when cooked. This is very convenient when there is no time at all for cooking, or it is very limited.

But even here, not everything is so simple; in order to prepare delicious dishes from ready-made products, you need to know some tricks. It is worth understanding that cooked meat has a much shorter shelf life than raw meat. Each type has its own nuances; the common thing is that it is better not to freeze polyethylene; it is better to use food foil or food-grade plastic containers for these purposes.

Boiled chicken

How long can you store boiled chicken in the refrigerator and how to do it correctly? Boiled chicken meat is best preserved in containers; it is important to close it tightly with a lid. At temperatures up to +6 throughout the day, the product will fully retain all its usefulness and taste.

Advice! You should not exceed the shelf life of boiled chicken, as this can have a detrimental effect on your well-being.

Roasted chicken

For some reason, everyone loves fried meat more, is it possible to prepare such a product for use and how to properly preserve it? This is possible; the product prepared using this method can be stored at temperatures up to +6 for two days in the refrigerator. It is important to do this in a well-closed container to avoid contamination with foreign odors.

Advice! Grilled chicken in the refrigerator is stored under the same conditions for the same time.

Smoked chicken

How to store smoked meat at home? What rules should be strictly observed so that the chosen product pleases family and friends? This is influenced by several factors:

how fresh the product was before smoking,
degree of smoking,
storage temperature.

Home-smoked poultry can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, provided that the similar product was of ideal quality. It is better to eat purchased smoked meats immediately, since usually meat with a short shelf life is sent for such processing in industry.

Marinated chicken

How long can you keep thawed chicken with marinade in the refrigerator? It often happens that kebab is postponed for one reason or another. How long after it is necessary to use already processed meat?

In such cases, the product is stored for no more than 24 hours, after which putrefactive processes begin, which will have a detrimental effect on health.

Some housewives freeze the leftover cooked meat, then use it to prepare hodgepodge, soups and other dishes. What is the shelf life of chicken in the freezer in this case? How long can frozen cooked chicken be stored? You should not store such products for more than a month. The ideal option would be 1-2 weeks at a temperature of -12 degrees.

Frozen storage

Chicken that is not going to be cooked soon should be frozen immediately after purchase.
For freezing, birds choose durable, airtight, moisture-resistant packaging that can maintain its quality at sub-zero temperatures.
It is advisable to divide the chicken into parts and freeze it in vacuum bags in portions.
It is convenient to store chicken in the freezer in plastic containers, with a minimum amount of air.

Average shelf life of frozen chicken in the freezer, depending on temperature:

1 year - at -24°C -18°C;
6 – 9 months at -18°С –14°С;
3 – 6 months at -14°С –8°С;
3 months at -8°С –5°С.

How can you extend the shelf life of chicken?

The shelf life of frozen chicken is most influenced by the original quality. We do not recommend freezing a product in which microorganisms are actively developing. They will continue to do this during prolonged storage and subsequent thawing.

The shelf life will be extended if:

fry until done. Pay attention to thick pieces of thighs and shins. There should be no ichor left near the bone;
remove excess fat and skin from raw chicken if it is not needed in the dish;
cut up. Whole carcasses are stored worse. Slightly better pieces with tubular bone. Longer than clean, dry, skinless fillets. We advise you to make preparations: separate the soup set, for a pie, for frying, process the minced meat;
Cool the fried chicken immediately and store it;
use glass, plastic, silicone cutting boards. The tree absorbs juices and promotes the development of microbes.

An easy way to preserve raw chicken is to immediately marinate it for frying with acid. For 1 kg, 1 tsp is enough. table vinegar.

Storing boiled chicken

If boiled chicken is in a warm room, it should be consumed immediately (within the next 3 hours). And in the refrigerator it can last 2-3 days. Grilled chicken has the same shelf life.

Boiled chicken should be stored in a hermetically sealed container. In a plastic bag it will very soon begin to deteriorate.

The remaining part of the boiled chicken is placed in a deep bowl and covered with a lid so that it does not dry out.

Chicken that is wrapped in foil will keep well for several days. In addition, packaged in this way, it will not absorb extraneous odors emanating from other products that are stored in the same refrigerator.

In the freezer

The best way to preserve chicken is to freeze it immediately after slaughtering. However, such copies in the store do not inspire confidence, and most housewives prefer to do it themselves.

Preparation

Before freezing chicken, it is necessary to carry out a number of manipulations:

Inspect for the presence of films and feathers and get rid of them. It would also be useful to smell the meat at this stage. If an amber of decomposition has already appeared, you should not risk your health - it would be better to get rid of the product.
If you are freezing poultry, remove the giblets and place them in a separate bag (the lungs are not suitable for consumption).
Rinse the carcass and then dry it thoroughly, otherwise you risk getting a thick ice crust on the surface of the meat.

Whole frozen

Not a particularly rational method, unless you plan to subsequently roast the whole bird. If you need to prepare a dish with a certain part, you will have to defrost the chicken completely, which will adversely affect the characteristics of the product. Repeated defrosting does not allow maintaining beneficial properties to the extent for which chicken is valued.

Tip : when placing meat in a plastic bag, try to completely release the air - the packaging must be airtight.

Freezing in pieces

This is the best option for preserving the product for a long time - if all standards are followed, fresh chicken can remain in the freezer compartment for up to a year. It is recommended to separate the wings and legs from the backbone and cut off the breast, then package them and send them to freeze.

Tip : place tags with the frozen date on the bags - this will allow you to control the freshness of the product.

Shelf life of frozen chicken relative to temperature:

storage for 12 months is possible at sub-zero temperatures from 18 to 24 degrees;
at temperatures from -14 °C to -18 °C it is not possible to maintain quality for longer than 9 months;
The product will last up to six months at a temperature range from -8 to -14 °C;
The shortest shelf life of 3 months is for chicken stored at -5... -8 °C.

Storing smoked chicken

It is not recommended to store smoked chicken for a long time. First of all, you need to decide what kind of bird it is. If it was bought in a store, there is a high probability that the meat was stale before smoking. Chickens that are almost past their shelf life are smoked in large quantities. This chicken should be consumed as soon as it was purchased.

Fresh poultry, grilled or smoked with your own hands, can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days without any problems at home.

What are the dangers of eating spoiled chicken?

Eating spoiled chicken can cause foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning.

Eating chicken has a high risk of food poisoning as it may be contaminated with bacteria such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and others ().

Typically, these bacteria are removed when you thoroughly cook fresh chicken.

However, you should still avoid cooking and eating spoiled chicken. Although heating or cooking food can kill the bacteria present in it, it will not eliminate some of the toxins produced by the bacteria, which can cause food poisoning if you eat it ().

Food poisoning can cause unpleasant and sometimes dangerous symptoms, including high body temperature (above 38.6°C), chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools and dehydration ().

In some cases, severe food poisoning can require hospitalization and even lead to death (,).

If you suspect your chicken is spoiled, do not eat it. It's always best to discard chicken if you suspect it has gone bad.

Summary:
Eating spoiled chicken can cause food poisoning, even if it is thoroughly cooked.

Chicken in marinade

Marinating chicken is mainly carried out for making barbecue. And if for some reason going outdoors is postponed, a natural question arises: how long and how to store marinated chicken?

Even in the refrigerator, storing marinated chicken meat can last no more than 24 hours. Therefore, it is better to fry it in a frying pan or bake it on skewers in the oven without waiting for it to spoil.

Methods for preparing meat without freezing

Dried and salted meat can be stored from several months to 2 years without refrigeration. Another affordable way to preserve meat without refrigeration is canning.

Pickling

There are different methods of salting:

dry - pieces 2-3 centimeters thick are generously rubbed with salt on all sides, laid out in layers in enamel basins, alternating layers of meat and salt, put pressure on top and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks;
wet - the workpieces are kept in an aqueous saline solution.

The finished corned beef is soaked in clean water to remove excess salt. Dry salted product will keep for up to 6 months at room temperature, wrapped in foil or parchment.

Drying

Types of processing:

cold - freezing, holding in a vacuum for 6 hours until moisture and ice evaporate;
hot - thin strips of pulp 0.5 centimeters thick are placed in a vinegar marinade, pressed down on top, left cool for 10 hours, then kept in a convection oven for 8 hours at +60 degrees.

The shelf life of hot-dried meat is 1.5 months, cold-dried meat is 2 years at +25 degrees.

Canning

Homemade stew is prepared with the addition of pork, beef, and lamb fat:

spices are placed at the bottom of sterilized jars;
the meat is cut into cubes, salted, and placed in jars;
add fat to fill internal voids;
preheat the oven to 200 degrees;
Cover the containers with lids and place them in the oven on a baking sheet covered with coarse salt.

After 2 hours, take out the finished stew and roll up the jars.

What to do to make chicken last longer

You can store chicken meat in such a way that it stays fresh longer. There are different ways to do this. Some of them will be discussed further.

Using ice (crushed or cubed) you can increase the shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator by 1 to 2 days. Ice cubes are placed in an enamel bowl, chicken is placed on it, after which it is also covered with ice on top.
Wrapped in a cloth soaked in table vinegar, chicken can be stored for up to 5 days. It is placed directly in damp cotton cloth in a plastic bag and sent to the refrigerator shelf.

Properties of chicken meat

Positive:

chicken is a source of easily digestible protein, vitamins and minerals (potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron);
Chicken meat contains the substance carnosine, which has a rejuvenating (antioxidant) effect on the body; it is necessary for the muscles, brain, and eye lenses.

Negative:

Chicken skin contains a lot of fat, which is converted into cholesterol in the body. When cooking, trim off oily skin.
Poor quality chicken can cause salmonellosis (food poisoning caused by Salmonella bacteria).

Negative properties are eliminated during cutting and cooking. When cooking, trim off oily skin. Prolonged heat treatment guarantees the destruction of bacterial contamination. After cooking, you need to thoroughly wash your hands, knives, cutting board, and dishes.

Recommendations and lifehacks

When purchasing finished or raw products, adhere to the following recommendations:

Carefully study the labeling and expiration dates indicated by the manufacturer.
Assess the integrity of the packaging.
When purchasing carcasses at the market or from farmers, inquire about the availability of appropriate sanitary documentation.
Remember that spices and spices can drown out the taste of a spoiled dish. Buy ready-made food with caution.
Externally, the carcass must be bloodless, clean, without foreign inclusions, odors, or blood clots.
Small parts deteriorate faster.
Adding salt extends the shelf life.