How long does chicken last after its expiration date?

You may have noticed that perishable items, like raw chicken, have an expiration date to determine their freshness.

Although there are expiration and use-by dates as well, most proteins have an expiration date to help you gauge their quality.

This whole date thing can confuse a lot of people as to whether chicken can be eaten past the expiration date or thrown away.

So how long does chicken last after the expiration date?

If stored correctly, chicken can be eaten for 1-2 days after the expiration date, after which it will start to lose its quality with each passing day as bacteria start to grow on it.

Is chicken good after its expiration date?

Although the expiration date on fresh chicken is primarily to let the retailer know when to remove it from the fridge, you can use it to determine when it’s no longer safe to eat.

To enjoy the freshest chicken, it is recommended to buy the chicken before or on the expiration date.

It remains safe to consume for up to 2 days after the expiration date. However, if you do not intend to consume it within 1-2 days of purchase, it is better to freeze it.

The reason is that fresh chicken reaches its best quality at the expiration date and starts to lose quality with each passing day.

If it is 2 weeks or more past its expiration date, it is too old to use and should be discarded for safety reasons.

After purchasing the chicken, it can be refrigerated for a day or two, during which the expiration date may expire. In this case, it will still be safe to use after the expiration date if stored properly.

Most proteins will last a reasonable amount of time when stored under optimal conditions and often have an expiration date rather than a use-by or expiration date.

expiration date vs. date of use vs. best before date

When we buy packaged foods, we often look for some sort of expiration, use-by, or best-before date to help us determine its freshness and how long it will last.

The exact meaning of these dates can often be confusing, leading to millions of dollars of good food being wasted each year.

You may wonder if the products are safe to eat or if they should be thrown away, and most of the time, to be safe, the latter option is chosen.

Date of Expiry

The expiration date of a product indicates the end of its useful life in the store. It’s the last date that stores are supposed to put the product on sale to the public, after which it should be removed.

Although food products can be enjoyed a couple of days after the expiration date, buying something with a past expiration date is not recommended.

Ground meat and poultry can be eaten 1-2 days past their expiration date, beef keeps well for 3-5 days, and eggs can be eaten 3-5 weeks past their expiration date.

Date of Expiry

The expiration date of a product indicates the last day that the manufacturer guarantees the quality of the product. It is the recommended date for the consumer to use the product to enjoy its maximum quality.

Foods can be consumed after their expiration date, except for certain foods like infant formula, but they are not likely to be their best version in terms of quality.

Date of Expiry

Like the expiration date, the best before date also indicates the last day that the product retains its original optimum quality.

The best before date may also be referred to as a “best before” date by many manufacturers, and the food remains safe to eat and its shelf life continues for a few days after the best before date has passed.

The best way to preserve raw chicken

Chicken is a popular form of meat that is considered a staple in many homes. We all love roast chicken, fried chicken, creamy chicken with mushrooms, chicken pot pie, and of course, chicken wings.

Although chicken is a very good and healthy source of protein, it is considered one of the most difficult raw foods to handle and store due to its high risk of bacterial contamination.

For this reason, after you return from the supermarket with your fresh, raw chicken, be sure to place it in the fridge or freezer immediately.

If you plan to use it in one day, you can store it in the fridge. If it is later, you should store it in the freezer.

Raw chicken should never be left on the kitchen counter, because any temperature below 40°F is the danger zone for bacterial growth. It should be stored in the refrigerator at 40°F or below, or frozen at 0°F or below.

How to store raw chicken in the fridge

Here are step-by-step instructions for keeping raw chicken in the fridge:

• Place the chicken in an airtight bag or wrap it in food plastic.
• Transfer to an airtight container with a lid.
• Place the airtight container on a tray and place it in the back of the fridge, where it stays coldest. The front of the fridge is usually warmer, in comparison, due to the opening and closing of the door and the intake of warm air.
• Use it within 2 days. Write the date and a reminder on a sticky label and put it on the chicken to use before it goes bad.

It’s important to store the chicken on a rimmed tray so there’s less chance of the juices dripping into your fridge and making a mess.

Also, always make sure to use a container with a lid, as uncovered chicken dries out much faster and has a shorter shelf life than covered chicken.

Also, keeping it covered minimizes the risk of the chicken coming into contact with other foods in your fridge and spreading its bacteria. In addition, it prevents the chicken from absorbing odors from the refrigerator.

Storing raw chicken in the freezer

Since it is not recommended to keep raw chicken in the fridge for more than 2 days, it is always better to freeze it to keep it longer.

Raw chicken can last in the freezer for up to 9 months if stored below 0°F. Past the 9-month mark, the likelihood of freezer burn increases considerably, affecting the flavor, texture, and quality of the chicken.

Keep in mind that since domestic freezers tend to open and close very frequently, their internal temperature can fluctuate.

Therefore, to guarantee the best quality, it is recommended to consume frozen chicken within 3-4 months.

Here are step-by-step instructions for keeping raw chicken in the freezer:

• Wrap each piece of raw chicken in plastic wrap to minimize the risk of freezer burn.
• Place the plastic-wrapped chicken pieces in a freezer-safe bag. You can also wrap them in aluminum foil before putting them in the bag.
• Squeeze all the air out of the freezer-safe bag to extend the life of the chicken.
• Label the bag with the date before storing it in the freezer so you know how long it will be safe to eat.

If you have small pre-cut chicken pieces, such as chicken strips or chunks, you may need a slightly different approach, as it would take too long to wrap, say, 20 individual chicken pieces in plastic wrap before freezing.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to store small pre-cut chicken pieces in the freezer:

• Arrange the raw chicken pieces on a baking sheet-lined baking sheet so they do not overlap or touch each other.
• Put the baking tray in the freezer for 45 minutes.
• Once the chicken is frozen, transfer the individual pieces to a large freezer-safe bag and place in the freezer.

Although this is a time and space saving technique for storing small pieces of chicken for longer, quick freezing increases the risk of freezer burn and can cause the chicken to become somewhat dry.

If you have a vacuum sealer, it might be a good idea to use it, as it removes all the air around the chicken and prevents freezer burn, extending its life and quality.

It is good practice to pre-freeze chicken before vacuum sealing to prevent any growth and spread of harmful bacteria. It also helps seal in the juices from the chicken so they won’t be sucked out in the vacuum-sealing process.

Vacuum sealed chicken can keep up to 5 times longer than regular frozen chicken and will last about 2-3 years in the freezer. 

Of course, this depends on several factors, such as how fresh the chicken was when it was first seared and whether or not the searing process is done correctly.

How do you know if chicken is not safe to eat?

Raw chicken can certainly go bad and be the perfect breeding ground for bacteria like salmonella and E. coli.

It can go bad more quickly once it’s taken out of its packaging, as it’s exposed to oxygen, which acts as fuel for bacterial growth.

Also, since bacteria can start to grow at temperatures below 40°F, raw chicken should not be left on the kitchen counter and should be stored in the fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you plan to cook it.

That being said, chicken is one of those foods you don’t want to eat if there’s even the slightest hint that it might be bad, due to the risk of foodborne illness.

Here are some easy ways to tell if chicken is not safe to eat:

• Check its expiration date. Consume it only 1-2 days later, and that too if it has been stored correctly.
• Smell it. If it smells funny and sour, trust your instincts and throw it away before it spoils other foods as well.
• Check its color. If it has a shade of gray instead of its natural pink, or has visible signs of mold, it is not safe to eat at all.
• Touch its texture. If it has a slimy, runny coating on top, it is past its expiration date and needs to be thrown away.

If the chicken does not pass any of the tests for smell, color, touch or expiration date, it is better to throw it away, since it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Related questions

Now that we’ve covered how long chicken lasts past its expiration date, how to store it properly, and how to tell if it’s gone bad, here are some additional questions we thought you might have:

How do you thaw frozen chicken?

One of the most important things to keep in mind when thawing frozen chicken is to keep it below 40°F, as anything above that temperature is considered a danger zone for bacterial growth.

The best way to safely thaw chicken is to transfer the bag from the freezer to the refrigerator and leave it there overnight to thaw completely.

Alternatively, you can continuously run cold water over the chicken until it thaws.

You can also submerge it in cold water, making sure to change the water every 30 minutes so it stays cool enough. Never use hot water, as it can encourage the proliferation of bacteria.

If you’re in a hurry, you can use the microwave’s defrost setting to defrost your chicken in just a few minutes.

Can thawed chicken be refrozen?

Yes, you can safely refreeze chicken, as long as it has been thawed properly and has not gone above 40°F, so as not to give bacteria a chance to grow.

However, since this is a bit difficult to guarantee, most people prefer not to refreeze thawed chicken.

Also, the repeated freezing and thawing process can dehydrate the chicken and affect its flavor and quality.

What is the safe cooking temperature for chicken?

Since raw chicken can carry harmful bacteria that can make you sick, it’s very important to cook your chicken properly.

The USDA recommends cooking whole chicken and chicken parts, such as breasts, legs, and wings, to an internal temperature of 165°F.

When you cook it in the oven, you’ll need to set the oven to between 350°F and 450°F to reach the proper internal temperature.

The best way to check the temperature of the chicken is by sticking a meat thermometer into the center or thickest part of the chicken to get a reading.

This not only ensures that the chicken is cooked to perfection, but also eliminates the risk of a potential bacteria trap.

After all, no one likes eating chicken and realizing halfway through that the center is cold and a discolored pinkish color.