Can you freeze chicken?

How long does chicken last in the freezer?

• Whole12 months
• Ground chicken3-4 months
• Pre-packaged, luncheon/deli meat1-2 months
• Pre-packaged, luncheon/deli meat, opened1-2 months
• Cooked, leftover4 months
• UK advice3-6 months

Freezer times are for quality; frozen food stays safe.

Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage.

Your freezer should be around -18°C

A freezer acts as a pause button - food in a freezer won’t go bad and most bacteria cannot grow in it.

How to thaw chicken safely

1. In the refrigerator
2. In cold water, cook it right after thawing
3. In the microwave, cook it right after thawing
4. Cook it from frozen

There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave.

Check the water frequently to be sure it stays cold. Change the water every 30 minutes. After thawing, cook immediately.

It is safe to cook foods from the frozen state. The cooking will take approximately 50% longer than the recommended time for fully thawed or fresh meat and poultry.

You should defrost your food in the fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm

It’s also important to use food within 24 hours after it’s been fully defrosted

After thawing

It’s also important to use food within 24 hours after it’s been fully defrosted

Can you refreeze chicken?

• In the United StatesYes
• In the United KingdomOnly after cooking

Food thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, although there may be some loss of quality.

Foods thawed by the cold water method should be cooked before refreezing.

After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods.

You can freeze food again once cooked, but you’ll only be able to reheat it once after that