Chicken cooked overnight - Everything you need to know

It’s happened to all of us: we rush to put dinner on the table after work, throw the dishes in the sink, and the next day realize we’ve left some food out.

But what if you’ve left your cooked chicken out overnight, perhaps after letting it cool? Can you put it in the fridge and forget about it?

So is cooked chicken that has been left out overnight safe to eat?

Cooked chicken can only be left out of the fridge for a maximum of 2 hours. After this time, the cooked chicken is no longer safe to eat and should be thrown away. It is also important that chicken is stored properly when it is left out of the fridge to reduce exposure to bacteria.

But why is it so risky to eat cooked chicken if it has been left out overnight? Here we have everything you need to know.

How long can chicken be cooked outside?

Food safety is a high priority for all home cooks, and we all strive to avoid serving or eating foods that may be stale.

However, imagine your disappointment when you find the remains of last night’s roast chicken on the counter. Do you really have to throw it away?

Unfortunately, cooked chicken meat can only sit at room temperature for 2 hours before it needs to be thrown away. In warmer temperatures, this time limit is reduced to just 1 hour.

Actually, two hours is a very short time! If you buy cooked chicken at the store, you have only 2 hours from when you take it off the shelf to when it’s in your fridge.

If you’re in a heat wave, the race is on to get it home and refrigerate in 1 hour!

As painful as it is to have to throw away cooked chicken, these deadlines must be respected. So, to avoid food waste, put your leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge as soon as it’s cool enough!

Why does cooked chicken go bad so quickly?

Like all meat products, whether raw or cooked, chicken goes bad quickly if left out at room temperature. There are two reasons for this:

Temperature

At temperatures as low as 40°F and above, bacteria and microorganisms will begin to multiply up to 5 times faster.

Most homes maintain a room temperature of 68°F, which is heaven if you’re a colony of bacteria!

air exposure

If cooked chicken is left uncovered, it will be exposed to air and more bacteria. This can result in a density of bacteria at levels twice or more than raw chicken stored in a closed container.

What happens when cooked chicken is left out for too long?

Cooked chicken that has been left out for a couple of hours will, in all likelihood, look and smell completely good. You may be tempted to give it the benefit of the doubt, but we strongly recommend that you avoid the temptation to eat it.

If cooked chicken has sat too long at room temperature, invisible bacteria will have multiplied to levels that will cause foodborne illness.

So while chicken may look, smell and even taste normal, there are many hidden dangers inside!

Once this has occurred, it won’t take long for bacteria to turn your cooked chicken into a rotten, slimy, putrid mess. Once it reaches this stage, you won’t even think about eating it!

What health problems can cooked chicken cause?

If you eat cooked chicken that has gone bad, in many cases you won’t have any side effects. However, high levels of bacteria mean you are at risk of a very nasty case of food poisoning.

And as anyone who has suffered from food poisoning will tell you, it’s not worth the risk!

Symptoms of food poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, bouts of dizziness, and bloody stools. In severe cases, dehydration may occur, and you will need to be hospitalized.

Seriously, don’t mess with chicken when it comes to food poisoning!

How can you tell if cooked chicken is spoiled?

The problem we have is that you can’t always tell if a cooked chicken is spoiled. Cooked chicken that has been left out at room temperature for an hour or two may look, smell, and feel completely normal.

However, there is a great risk that harmful bacteria and microorganisms have multiplied to the point that the chicken is unfit for consumption.

So, if you have any doubts, throw it out!

But what if you’re not sure how long the chicken has been sitting out cooked? Perhaps you have come home from work to find that your teenager has left it out of the fridge?

Or are you dealing with leftovers from a cold buffet and not sure how long the chicken has been sitting out on the table?

Here are some tell-tale signs that cooked chicken has gone bad and is rotting:

Smell

Cooked chicken doesn’t smell as bad as raw chicken when it starts to rot, but it still has a noticeable odor.  Cooked chicken should barely smell.

Color

Freshly cooked chicken meat is white or brown, depending on whether it is breast or leg meat. When it starts to deteriorate, it will take on a bluish-green sheen, and you may even see a thin layer of mold.

Texture

Changes in texture are a telltale sign that your cooked chicken has started to go bad. When rotten, cooked chicken feels slimy to the touch : This is a sign that bacteria is building up on the surface of the chicken. Gross!

Remember: you may not see any of these signs that cooked chicken has gone bad, but that doesn’t mean it’s edible. If you have any doubts, throw it out and find something else for dinner.

How to Safely Leave Cooked Chicken at Room Temperature

Hopefully, by now, we haven’t completely discouraged you from eating chicken. Chicken is a firm favorite in many family kitchens and can be enjoyed as long as a few simple rules are followed.

Imagine the delicious aroma and flavor of whole, golden roasted chicken, luscious and juicy barbecued legs and wings, or succulent chicken salad – absolutely delicious!

If you bought cooked chicken at the store, or have some in the fridge, you may need to bring it to room temperature before eating it. Let’s see the best way to do it safely:

Time

The absolute maximum time that cooked chicken can sit out is 2 hours at temperatures below 90°F, and 1 hour at temperatures above.

Remember that this is the maximum time. The sooner you put the cooked chicken in the fridge or eat it, the better.

If you buy cooked chicken at the store, make the butcher counter your last stop before heading home.

Pack the cooked chicken with any other refrigerated items you purchased to help keep it fresh. A cooler bag can be a worthwhile investment, especially if you live in a hot climate.

When it comes to eating cooked chicken, many of us prefer how it tastes if it’s allowed to come to room temperature.

To reduce the time you have to leave cooked chicken out of the fridge, take out smaller portions, such as sliced thighs or breast. This should take 15-30 minutes to reach room temperature.

Temperature

The temperature of a room is a critical factor when it comes to how long cooked chicken meat can safely sit out.

It may seem like it’s very hot, but on a sunny day it’s not unrealistic to hit 90°F temperatures inside a busy kitchen.

To be safe, use cool, shady areas of the kitchen for cooking chicken, or use a cooler room in the house.

Packing

Remember that it’s not just heat that causes cooked chicken to go bad: exposure to air is also a factor. Keep cooked chicken covered at all times, ideally in an airtight bag or container.

A helpful strategy is to place the cooked chicken on a plate in the refrigerator, in or below the airtight container.

When you take the cooked chicken out of the fridge, the plate will help keep it cold until you’re ready to use it.

How to Store Cooked Chicken Safely

The general rule of thumb is that cooked chicken can be kept in the fridge for up to four days. So if you have raw chicken that is nearing its expiration date, cooking it will give you a few more days to eat it.

Cooked chicken should be stored in an airtight container or bag in the bottom of the refrigerator to avoid contamination from other foods. 

If you have cooked chicken that will be eaten, refrigerated or frozen within an hour, it can be left out at room temperature. Chicken that will not be eaten in four days should be frozen rather than refrigerated.

How to Safely Reheat Cooked Chicken

Cooked chicken is one of the most versatile leftover ingredients a home cook can have. A pot roast chicken dinner on the weekend gives us endless options for weeknight dining.

But, as with all reheated foods, there are some important rules to remember to keep our food safe.

First of all, cooked chicken only needs to be reheated once. This is the rule of thumb for all food: you can heat it up once to cook it, and reheat it once more. Afterwards, you can eat it cold, but you shouldn’t reheat it again.

Imagine you have leftover roast chicken from the weekend, and the next day you cook a big batch of chicken curry with the leftovers. Theoretically, you can’t reheat this curry, as it’s already been heated twice!

And while many people ignore this rule, every time meat is reheated there is an opportunity for bacteria to multiply.

Chilling, freezing, and cooking meat doesn’t kill these bacteria, so they’ll lurk inside your leftovers, ready to wreak GI havoc!

So, keeping the “reheat once” rule in mind, here are the best ways to reheat cooked chicken:

In the oven

This method is best for chicken that has a crispy texture, such as breaded chicken thighs or fried chicken thighs.

Place the chicken on a wire rack over a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 400°F oven. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes and eat it right away.

If you want to reheat tender, juicy chicken, such as breast slices, you’ll want to lock in as much moisture as possible. This means sealing the cooked chicken in a small dish covered or with kitchen paper.

In the microwave

You won’t be able to keep chicken crispy in the microwave, but this is a great method for quickly heating up some cooked shredded chicken for an after-school snack.

Place the chicken on a plate and drizzle with a splash of water, oil, or chicken broth. Cover loosely with microwave-safe wrap and heat on high for at least two minutes.

in the stove

This is how most people reheat cooked chicken, as it is one of the best ingredients to add to a weeknight cook-fire dinner.

You can cook any liquid-based dish as normal, and simply add the cooked chicken pieces during the last few minutes of cooking.

In the air fryer

Do you have an excess of crispy chicken wings?  Pop them in the air fryer and they’ll come out perfectly crisp and fresh. A spray with an air fryer-safe cooking spray will give them an extra level of crunch.

Related questions

Now that we’ve gone over what to do if you leave cooked chicken out overnight, let’s look at some related questions!

How long can cooked chicken be kept in the freezer?

Cooked chicken can be safely stored in the freezer for up to 4 months. It’s a great way to preserve cooked chicken that won’t be eaten before it goes bad.

However, cooked chicken can quickly deteriorate in flavor and texture in the freezer, and must be carefully packaged to protect it from freezer burn.

The best way to prevent freezer burn is to use airtight containers to store cooked chicken. Putting the chicken in a Ziplock bag or inside a layer of cling film will also help prevent exposure to air.

How should cooked chicken be defrosted?

Ideally, you should thaw frozen cooked chicken under refrigerated conditions, such as in the refrigerator or in a cold water bath. This method takes longer, but is the safest way to defrost cooked chicken.

If you’re in a hurry, the cooked chicken can be thawed at room temperature. However, it must be consumed within an hour of thawing or placed in the refrigerator. 

Cooked chicken can also be defrosted using the microwave’s defrost setting. If this method is used, the chicken should be eaten or reheated as soon as it is thawed.

This is because the microwave will begin to heat up the cooked chicken, creating the perfect conditions for bacteria to multiply.