How Long Raw Chicken Actually Lasts In The Fridge

Handling raw meat can be a dicey topic, as missteps could lead to major illness. From the moment you buy raw chicken from the grocery store, the clock is already ticking on needing to use it or freeze it. Just like raw ground beef should be used within two days of refrigeration, chicken has a similar shelf life — just a day or two in the fridge before it is no longer safe to eat.

You know by now that you shouldn't wash your chicken before cooking, so consider the idea that you also need to be cognizant when you buy fresh chicken that there is an invisible timer on needing to cook it, otherwise, it needs to go in the freezer until you are ready to move forward.

The CDC notes that raw chicken is consumed by Americans more than any other meat, but that around 1 million of those Americans get sick due to bad chicken every year. Chicken is a vector for food poisoning in the form of salmonella, campylobacter, or other nasty germs. The answer to this threat is storing chicken correctly. FoodSafety.gov lists the safe zone for cut-up raw chicken as one to two days in the refrigerator, stored under 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or frozen at 0 degrees or below for up to nine months. Whole chickens can even be frozen for as long as a year. Understandably, it's important to have a plan when you buy raw chicken.

To make sure you always have something tasty and safe to eat for dinner, it's important to keep a firm handle on what's in your refrigerator and freezer. When you add new meats to your freezer stash, make sure that you have repackaged them in food-safe containers or freezer bags labeled prominently with the date to ensure they are used in a timely manner. If you have a chest freezer, be sure to physically rotate your stock — oldest items on the top to be used first, and newer on the bottom. This way, you can prevent waste.

It's true that freezing meat means you have to remember to defrost it, but this is a small inconvenience to ensure that you are consuming chicken that won't make your family sick. In a pinch, the USDA says that you can cook poultry from a frozen state, but it will take 1.5 times as long to cook through. You can even cook frozen chicken on the grill, although you will need to manipulate the temperature of the flames a bit. Your best bet, however, is to leave yourself a memo on your phone or even an old-fashioned note on the counter to defrost your chicken safely: in the fridge overnight (preferably), or in a bowl of cold water.