Have Leftover Cooked Chicken? Here's How Long It'll Last
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Honestly, one of the few things I like more than a homemade chicken dinner is having leftover chicken in the fridge for an easy second-night dinner.
A whole chicken, whether you're buying rotisserie or roasting it yourself, is such a great deal because it's easily two or even three meals. But sometimes our schedules get away from us, and those leftovers can end up sitting. So, let's take a look at just how long chicken can last, and how to keep it as fresh (and safe) as possible for as long as possible to cut down on food waste.
Why Trust Us
In addition to being the Senior Food & Gardens Editor here at Country Living (where I've written about leftover safety before), I've worked with and around food for most of my career.
I've worked in restaurants and kitchens in New York City, where I received a Food Protection Certificate, allowing me to supervise food operations and make sure we followed the city's strict health codes.
I've also worked for a number of food and health-related magazines, including The Kitchn and former healthy eating site Cooking Light, where food safety was regularly featured.
Most importantly, I cook for my family on a near-daily basis, and I pay close attention to USDA food safety guidelines when I do. No one (to my knowledge) has ever gotten sick from anything I've made, and I plan to keep it that way!
How Long Can Cooked Chicken Last in the Fridge?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooked chicken can safely remain in a refrigerator that is at least 40°F or colder for up to 4 days.
After this, there is some risk that enough bacteria is growing on the chicken to make you sick, and it's safer to discard it.
This assumes the chicken was safely cooked to at least 165°F to begin with, and hasn't been in contact with any contaminants (such as raw chicken juices) after the fact.
If you don't think your chicken will be eaten before 4 days, consider storing it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 4 months.
How to Tell When Chicken Goes Bad
Unfortunately, you can't always easily tell when chicken has gone bad. There are some obvious signs of very bad chicken—never eat leftovers that smell bad, look slimy, seem undercooked, or are otherwise gross, regardless of how long they've been in the fridge.
But the pathogens that can make chicken meat in particular unsafe to eat can be present even in leftovers that look okay. Specifically, salmonella and listeria, as well as E. coli, can be on chicken in enough quantity to cause food illness, even if the chicken looks okay.
This is why we highly recommend storing all leftovers in airtight containers and properly labeling them with the date.
How to Safely Store Chicken in the Fridge
Keeping food safe in the fridge isn't just about the number of days! There are other things you can do to ensure it stays safe.
Check your fridge temp. Ideally, a fridge should be around 35°F. This is not so cold that food will freeze, but it's cold enough that bacteria won't quickly grow.
Get leftovers in the fridge quickly. Avoid letting food sit out in what the USDA calls the "danger zone:" the range of temperatures between 40°F and 140°F for any more than 2 hours. This is when bacteria is able to grow the most quickly.
Keep things airtight. When air has access to food, it can both dry out and also start to go bad. We recommend wrapping all leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or placing in zip-top bags and filling plastic containers as full as possible before sealing them.
Label everything. Why try to remember if you made that roast chicken last Tuesday or Wednesday? It's simpler to write the date on it when you put it away. To do that, we recommend blue painters tape, which is easy to write on, easy to remove, and still sticky enough that it won't fall off the package.
How Long Can Raw Chicken Last in the Fridge?
As you might imagine, raw chicken does not last as long as cooked chicken. In part, this is because cooked chicken has been heated to a temperature that is sure to have killed off any small amounts of surface bacteria—and raw chicken hasn't.
Therefore, to be extra-safe, use or freeze your raw chicken within 1 to 2 days of buying it. If you freeze it, it can be stored for up to 1 year. (To thaw a whole chicken, you can use our turkey thawing guide, which contains information for birds less than 7 pounds.)
Can You Freeze Cooked Chicken?
Cooked chicken can absolutely be frozen! It remains safe for up to 4 months, especially if it's well-wrapped in an airtight container or plastic.
The best way to prepare cooked chicken for freezing is to shred or dice it, then divide it up into small batches for single-recipe use—say, about 8 ounces per bag or container. This lets you easily get out only what you need. Never refreeze thawed chicken. It's not safe to do so. If you've thawed it, you need to cook with it or dispose of it.
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