How Long Can Fried Chicken Last in the Fridge?

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For many families, a whole chicken is often a star of many home-cooked meals. However, cooking with a single chicken breast can be a good thing if you can’t finish an entire rotisserie chicken within a couple of days. This is because the shelf life of fried chicken or any other kind for that matter is surprisingly short.

Here, we answer the question, “How long can fried chicken last in the fridge?” while providing safe storage tips and other details.

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How Long Can I Store Cooked Chicken in the Fridge?

How long chicken lasts inside the fridge will depend on how it was prepared and processed. According to federal consumer resource FoodSafety.gov, products such as chicken nuggets and patties, chicken salad, and leftover cooked chicken can last between 3 to 4 days inside the fridge. On the other hand, fully cooked lunch meat and chicken sausage can last for a week since they have high levels of sodium which will give them a better chance to stay fresher for longer.

Believe it or not, raw chicken will only last 2 days inside the fridge whether it’s whole or cut into smaller pieces. But storing it in your freezer can extend its shelf life to a whole year for an entire chicken or up to 9 months for bits and pieces.

Proper Storage for Your Cooked Chicken

Storing chicken properly will ensure that it will still be safe to eat 2 to 3 days after it’s used; make sure to pack it up 2 hours after it’s first cooked. This is because harmful bacteria can quickly multiply once the meat’s temperature reaches the “Danger Zone” which is between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F. When you’re finished eating your chicken, let it reach room temperature first before placing it inside a storage container.

Alternatively, you can seal it inside a food-grade plastic bag or a zip-top bag to help keep its quality and freshness. Others have also used plastic wrap to seal in their chicken’s flavor before placing it inside plastic containers. Labeling your cooked chicken along with the date you placed it in the fridge will help you keep track of how long it’s been inside.

How Do I Tell if My Chicken is Safe to Eat?

Cooked chicken can last inside the fridge for 3 to 4 days as discussed above, there may still be times when it goes bad at an earlier time. Here are just a few signs of spoilage to look out for when it’s time to throw away bad chicken.

Appearance

You’ll be able to tell when a cooked chicken has spoiled once its color has turned green or gray. You may also notice bacterial growth in the form of greenish, gray mold at the meat’s surface, which can indicate spoilage.

Smell

If your meat was made with herbs or has been marinated in sauces and spices, it can be hard to tell whether your meat has gone bad. However, if your chicken has a foul smell or an acidic odor, then it’s likely that your chicken has spoiled and shouldn’t be eaten.

Texture

There are times when spoiled chicken can look and feel slimy; unfortunately, reheating or rinsing cooked chicken won’t necessarily remove toxins or kill bacteria. Instead, this can increase the risk of contamination of other foods, which will lead to an increased risk of food poisoning.

Sometimes, spoiled cooked chicken won’t give you any hints of spoilage, and it may smell, taste, and look the same. As such, your best bet is to stay with the 3 to 4-day window of freshness or look into the sell-by dates and freeze-by dates included in the packaging.

What Happens if I Eat Bad Cooked Chicken?

If you’ve eaten chicken past the 3 to 4-day mark, there’s no need to worry; even so, it’s a good idea to identify and discard any spoiled chicken inside your fridge. Unfortunately, cooked chicken can carry foodborne illnesses just like raw chicken meat, which can especially affect young people, the elderly, and pregnant women. A few unpleasant symptoms of food poisoning will include the following:

Chills
Nausea
Vomiting
Dehydration
Diarrhea
Bloody stools

It’s important to see your doctor if these symptoms last more than 24 hours.

How to Serve Leftover Chicken

When you want to use up your leftover fried chicken before it reaches its expiration date, then be sure to look into the following snacks and quick meals:

Take some ground chicken and turn it into tacos or quesadillas
Make a fresh chicken salad
Add a few shredded pieces of chicken to your soups or curries

Conclusion

The best way to store a lot of chicken leftovers is to place them inside shallow airtight containers to help them survive freezer burn while spending time inside your freezer. Remember, to perform a smell test if your chicken has been in the fridge for a while; if it has an unpleasant smell, be sure to discard it as food waste and don’t cook with it anymore.

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