How long does chicken last in the freezer - fillet and whole carcass?

Basic ways to store chicken at home

At home, chicken is stored in two ways:

• cool in the refrigerator;
• frozen.

To keep the bird as long as possible, choose a quality product when purchasing . When purchasing, pay attention to the expiration date indicated on the packaging, production date and storage conditions. Assess the appearance of the chicken. The cooled product is selected without damage, dark spots and bruises, with dry thin skin, white or slightly yellowish in color.

Slippery, sticky skin indicates that the product is not fresh . If the chicken has been frozen, it will take on a bluish tint. The product should smell nice. The presence of a vinegar or bleach smell indicates that it is stale or spoiled. If ice crystals are visible under the packaging, it has been frozen.

Reference. The presence of ice inside the packaged chicken indicates that an unscrupulous manufacturer increased the weight of the product by adding water.

The freshness of the product is checked by pressing a finger - a dent will remain on the stale product . Rub it: if gray mucus forms, then you should refuse the purchase. If chicken is purchased in packaging, then pay attention to its integrity. Damaged packaging shortens the shelf life of the product and causes the development of pathogenic bacteria.

When purchasing a frozen product, choose chicken without an ice crust . If the bird is covered in ice, it has been defrosted several times. When purchasing, give preference to a chilled product, because a frozen one may be stale.

Storage rules

• use only fresh poultry;
• fry the meat thoroughly so that when pierced, clear juice comes out, but not ichor;
• Before storing, cool the finished dish at room temperature.

Signs of spoiled chicken

1. A thick layer of ice is clearly visible on frozen chicken. This means that the meat has survived several repeated frosts after thawing; eating such a product is strictly prohibited.
2. The bird's skin has an unhealthy tint; scratches, bruises, and punctures are clearly visible on it.
3. When you touch the carcass, sticky mucus remains on your fingers, and when you press, a dent remains in the meat.
4. You need to smell the chicken. A musty smell with a characteristic sourness indicates that the product is stale.

If you purchase chicken from a supermarket in its original packaging, you need to check the expiration date and also make sure that the meat was stored at the correct temperature.

Storage Features

Regardless of the selected temperature, chicken that is not going to be cooked immediately is placed in the freezer. In this case, you need to use durable packaging for storage with sufficient tightness and moisture resistance. Packaging must be selected that is resistant to sub-zero temperatures. You should not put the whole bird in the freezer: it needs to be divided into parts, frozen in portions. It is better to use containers with a minimum of air for this.

Speaking about the nuances of freezing and storage, one cannot fail to note the size of the frozen product. Not only is it easier and more correct to freeze chicken in pieces, you also need to take into account the size of these pieces. In order for the product to freeze faster, and the meat not to suffer from bacterial growth, you need to take into account the volume. The thinner and smaller the pieces of poultry are, the faster the frozen portions can freeze inside to the required -18 degrees.

For example, a briquette of fillet cut into small pieces with a layer of 2 cm will freeze faster than a similar briquette 4 cm thick. However, when freezing, you cannot put one briquette on top of another - the freezing time will double. As for the time period, such a fillet briquette is frozen inside the freezer in about 2-3 hours. If it is thicker, it may take 6 hours to freeze.

Few people have thought about how to properly store chicken in the freezer. It is preferable to form it in the form of a rectangle. And the point here is not so much about saving space. It is this molding that helps the chicken meat freeze faster inside the freezer. In addition, the correct form is more convenient.

The conditions inside the freezer are also important. Its space must be organized in such a way that during the freezing process bacteria cannot move from workpiece to workpiece. Particular attention should be paid to the proximity of meat to berries, which are not subsequently subjected to heat treatment.

It is important to note that washing meat before freezing shortens the shelf life of the semi-finished product or offal.

Having prepared the meat and the packaging necessary for it, we must not forget about the markings, thanks to which the housewife will know exactly how long the chicken meat has been in the freezer. It is worth remembering that after freezing, you cannot defrost and re-freeze the chicken. This will shorten its shelf life and deteriorate its taste.

In a plastic bag

Following all the rules for storing poultry meat in a plastic bag, you can do this in different ways. For example, one convenient option is portion packaging of meat. A frozen layer of small thickness placed in a bag will defrost faster. There is no need to defrost whole poultry or meat with bones. This storage option is especially successful if the chicken is ground into minced meat.

You can freeze minced meat immediately in a plastic bag. To do this, the amount of minced meat required for one cooking is placed in a bag, given a flat rectangular shape, pressing it on the sides with the flat side of a knife. After this, small indentations are made directly on top of the bag, dividing the meat layer into several squares in this way. Next, the minced meat is frozen. When the time comes to defrost, you can break off the required amount of meat for cooking.

A small thickness of the layer will facilitate optimal defrosting of the chicken. By the way, you can pack finely chopped meat into bags using packaging equipped with a zip lock. Ziploc bags are very convenient. At the same time, depending on their size, you can freeze even small portions; they will defrost very quickly in the future, which will please the housewife who does not have time to wait for defrosting.

You can create the desired briquette using an empty juice box. To do this, the meat, freed from bones, is placed in a bag, and the bag itself is placed in a box. It is frozen, then the briquette in the package is taken out and stored without the box.

In a plastic container

This method is convenient because you can store not only chicken, but also broth in plastic containers. It is poured into prepared containers and frozen, thus preparing the basis for the future soup. By the way, the technique allows you to supplement chicken broth with various herbs, dried vegetables and even pasta. As for bones and meat trimmings, they can also be stored in containers and later used as a base for soup.

How to tell if chicken has gone bad

Characteristic signs will help you identify a spoiled product:

• the appearance of gray-green color of meat;
• the presence of gray-green mold on the surface;
• the presence of a sour aroma reminiscent of ammonia;
• slimy texture.

Eating or heat-treating chicken meat that shows signs of spoilage is hazardous to health. This product must be disposed of immediately.

Proper storage of poultry meat guarantees its safety. It is important to cook and eat the purchased chicken in a timely manner, without leaving it for later.

How and how long to store chicken in the refrigerator

In the store, poultry is stored at a temperature of 0 to +2°C, the shelf life is 5 days . If the temperature is reduced to 0°C, the product is stored for 15 days. When purchasing products that are 4 days after their production date, ask what their storage conditions are. Chicken breasts and minced meat are stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days.

Reference. The expiration date is calculated from the date of production, not purchase.

When storing chicken at home, pay attention not only to the temperature conditions, but also to the packaging. Store the product :

• on a store-bought base wrapped in cling film;
• in paper;
• in plastic bags with holes so that the meat does not suffocate;
• in foil;
• in glass containers with a lid;
• in plastic containers;
• in vacuum bags.

For storage it is recommended to use food vacuum containers . The carcass is divided into parts, placed in a container, and the remaining space is covered with ice cubes. In this form, the product will last up to 5-6 days.

When storing meat, place it away from other products so that it stays fresh longer and does not absorb their smell. The shelf life of chicken depends on which shelf in the refrigerator the product is on. The lowest temperature - about 0°C - is maintained on the bottom shelf, on the middle ones - from +3°C to +5°C, on the top shelf and door - from +8°C to +10°C.

Here's how long chilled chicken can be stored depending on temperature :

• from +7 to +10°С - 24 hours;
• from +4 to +7°С - 48 hours;
• from 0 to +4°С - 72 hours;
• from -2 to 0°C - 84 hours.

A cut carcass is stored in the same way as a whole one .
To keep the meat fresh longer, bones are removed from the cut chicken. Chilled chicken fillet can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

What types of poultry are there?

This meat is divided into several types. It happens:

1. doubles,
2. cooled down
3. chilled,
4. frozen,
5. ice cream,
6. defrosted.

Pairs. This is the first 4 – 5 hours after slaughter. Products are not yet sent for sale at this time. A process of “maturation” occurs, associated with natural biochemical reactions.

Cooled down. In deep muscles the temperature is +5°C -+25°C. Provided that the carcass was stored at positive temperatures. In such conditions, meat quickly begins to deteriorate, so it is immediately sold or canned.

Chilled. The deep muscle layers have a temperature from 0°C to +4°C. A chilled carcass of a completely healthy bird can remain in the necessary sanitary conditions for 5 to 7 days.

Frostbitten. Meat, chilled to a deep degree, with a temperature of the central layers of muscles from -1°C to -5°C. Under such conditions, the moisture partially becomes ice, and the shelf life of frozen poultry will increase to 10–15 days.

Frozen. A carcass with an intramuscular temperature not exceeding -6°C. Almost all moisture becomes ice.

Thawed. A carcass that was defrosted using thermoregulation (to muscle temperature -1°C). If chicken has defrosted naturally due to a breakdown of the refrigeration unit, it is called thawed.

If frozen twice, the meat will have lower nutritional value. And its color will become much darker. Such a product is no longer suitable for sale - it is sent for processing.

How long can chicken fillet and frozen chicken be stored in the freezer?

If the purchased product is not planned to be used in the near future, then it is frozen . After slaughter, the bird is processed and placed in a freezer. The shelf life of such a product is up to one year. If a refrigerated product is frozen, the shelf life is reduced to 3-8 months.

To make the carcass take up less space in the freezer, it is cut into pieces . But this reduces its shelf life by 3-4 times. Thus, at a temperature of -18°C, a whole carcass retains its quality for up to one year, pieces - for 3 months.

The packaging must be durable, moisture-resistant and sealed. For freezing, use cling film, vacuum bags or plastic containers.

The product cannot be re-frozen , as it becomes dry and tasteless. To defrost, place it in the refrigerator, where it stays fresh for about 12 hours.

Minced chicken can be stored in the freezer in plastic containers for up to four months.

The bird is cut into pieces and the bones are removed . The fillets are placed in plastic containers or plastic bags and frozen. The shelf life of poultry meat is about six months.

Before freezing, take into account such nuances:

• poultry is not washed before freezing;
• meat that has been lying on the top shelf of the refrigerator for 2 days is not frozen;
• if the carcass was at room temperature for more than four hours, then it cannot be frozen;
• To prevent the product from weathering, use sealed packaging.

Features of preserving meat in the freezer

If you want to preserve the taste and freshness of meat longer, place it in the freezer. At the same time, take into account the temperature regime, which affects the optimal storage time:

• from -19°С to -26°С – no more than 12 months;
• from -15°С to -18°С – no more than six months;
• at -10°C – about 150 days;
• at -7°C – about 60 days.

To freeze chicken, follow these guidelines:

1. Do not wash the meat beforehand to prevent a crust of ice from accumulating on it.
2. Cover the container with meat with a tight lid.
3. If you have stored meat in the refrigerator for about 2 days, you should not freeze it.

You can put meat in plastic bags. First cut the carcass into pieces and package them in separate bags. You can buy ziplock bags at the hardware store that are designed for airtight storage of food. Some housewives store it in plastic containers. You can put not only individual pieces of meat in them, but also chicken broths. Remember that the container must be sealed tightly to prevent the meat from chapping. Place stickers on each container indicating the packaging date. This will allow you to better control expiration dates.

Ways to keep raw chicken longer

To increase the shelf life of raw chicken, use the following methods::

1. The bird is rubbed with salt and ground black pepper, placed in a container and covered with a lid. Place on the refrigerator shelf, where the temperature is maintained at about 0°C. This way the product is stored for about five days.
2. The enamel container is lubricated from the inside with vinegar. Fold the cut product, cover it with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. Shelf life: 5-6 days.
3. Cotton fabric is soaked in a vinegar solution and lightly wrung out. Wrap it around the carcass, put it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator. This way the chicken can be stored for up to seven days. This method is used when transporting raw chicken over long distances. The vinegar wrap will preserve the product without refrigeration for 3-4 hours.
4. To increase the shelf life of chicken by 1-2 days, place it in an enamel container with ice. Sprinkle ice on top and put it in the refrigerator.

How can you extend the shelf life of chicken?

The shelf life of frozen chicken is most influenced by the original quality. We do not recommend freezing a product in which microorganisms are actively developing. They will continue to do this during prolonged storage and subsequent thawing.

The shelf life will be extended if:

• fry until done. Pay attention to thick pieces of thighs and shins. There should be no ichor left near the bone;
• remove excess fat and skin from raw chicken if it is not needed in the dish;
• cut up. Whole carcasses are stored worse. Slightly better pieces with tubular bone. Longer than clean, dry, skinless fillets. We advise you to make preparations: separate the soup set, for a pie, for frying, process the minced meat;
• Cool the fried chicken immediately and store it;
• use glass, plastic, silicone cutting boards. The tree absorbs juices and promotes the development of microbes.

An easy way to preserve raw chicken is to immediately marinate it for frying with acid. For 1 kg, 1 tsp is enough. table vinegar.

How long can I store chicken in the freezer?

Temperature conditions

The freezer maintains a constant sub-zero temperature, which helps to increase the shelf life of food, including chicken. As a rule, before freezing it is cut up and portioned in plastic bags or plastic containers. Depending on the temperature in the freezer, the following storage periods for chicken meat are provided:

• At temperatures from -8 to -5 degrees, chicken can be stored for 1 to 3 months.
• At temperatures from -14 to -8 degrees, the shelf life of chicken will be 3-6 months.
• At temperatures from -18 to -14 degrees, the shelf life of chicken meat will be 6-9 months.
• At temperatures from -24 to -18 degrees, chicken can be stored for 1 year.

When re-frozen, meat loses protein and microelements, resulting in the product becoming significantly less healthy.

Freezing raw chicken meat is a common thing for any housewife. Is it possible to store chicken in the refrigerator at sub-zero temperatures if it is smoked, boiled or fried? Sometimes there is a need to preserve excess cooked meat for a long time. In such cases, the chicken should be placed in plastic containers or bags and placed in the freezer, setting the temperature to -18 degrees. Please note that it is advisable to store cooked meat in the freezer for no more than a week. To avoid contact of such freezing with fresh meat or fish, you can use either special freezing bags, or put the meat in several bags.

Thawed chicken meat is recommended to be used for preparing dishes such as hodgepodge, salads, soups, since after freezing it becomes less juicy, however, the taste is preserved.

Rules for freezing chicken

• If the chicken was purchased in order to cook it later, in a few days, then it must be frozen. At the same time, the packaging in which it will be stored in the freezer must have such qualities as moisture resistance, tightness, and strength.
• If you plan to cook it in pieces, it is better to cut up the bird immediately before freezing. It is very convenient to store chicken cut into pieces in plastic containers, but you should choose a special container from which air can be removed. If the chicken pieces are stored in plastic bags, then you need to release all the air from them, thus creating a vacuum.

Requirements according to GOST and SanPin

According to sanitary standards, raw meat and meat products are stored at temperatures from -2 to +2 degrees:

• 48 hours - beef, pork, large-piece lamb, carcasses, drumsticks, wings, poultry fillets;
• 24 hours - marinated semi-finished products, minced beef, pork, offal;
• 12 hours - minced chicken.

Shelf life of prepared dishes at the same temperature:

• 24 hours - boiled, meat, boiled and fried offal;
• 36 hours - stewed, fried pork, beef;
• 2 days - stewed, fried, boiled poultry;
• 72 hours - smoked poultry carcasses;
• 5 days - cold cuts in vacuum packaging.

The humidity level is from 85%, air circulation is 0.2-0.3 meters per second. Meat is stored in dark rooms. The longest shelf life is given to stewed meat - 10 years.

How long can you store cooked chicken in the refrigerator?

Women who spend most of their time at work and do not have the opportunity to spend it on cooking can make their lives much easier. To do this, you just need to know how long you can store cooked chicken in the refrigerator or freezer.

Boiled chicken

The shelf life of cooked chicken is much shorter than that of raw chicken. You should know that it is best to store finished chicken meat in food foil, and it is not advisable to use polyethylene.

You can also put the boiled chicken in a plate or other container, close it tightly with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. If boiled meat is not stored covered, it may become weathered, lose its attractive appearance and absorb foreign odors from the refrigerator.

How long can you store boiled chicken in the refrigerator? Its shelf life will be approximately a day if you set the temperature in the refrigerator compartment to no higher than 6˚C.

Cold storage

The best decision would be to cook the chicken immediately after purchase. But when this cannot be done, you need to store the bird in the refrigerator, in the following packages:

• vacuum;
• glass with lid;
• polyethylene;
• plastic vacuum.

It is optimal to place the chicken in a vacuum bag, then in a larger plastic container, and fill the remaining voids with ice cubes.

The shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator will depend not only on the storage temperature and the initial condition of the bird, but also on its size and type of storage (in whole or in parts, with or without bones). Storage time for chicken in the refrigerator at a certain temperature:

• 3 – 4 days at -2°С – 0°С;
• 3 days at 0°C -+4°C;
• 1 – 2 days at +4°С -+7°С;
• 8 – 24 hours at +7°С -+10°С.

How to store raw chicken

Chilled

If you are sure that the bird was slaughtered yesterday, then the shelf life of the chicken chilled in the refrigerator is up to 5 days from the date of slaughter. If the slaughter date is unknown, do not take risks, start cooking - by tomorrow the chicken may be covered with mucus.

Steamed (freshly slaughtered) chicken should not be placed in the refrigerator or cooked immediately - the meat must ripen. Biochemical processes in chicken after slaughter take place within 2–3 hours. This is how long a chicken should be at room temperature after slaughter. Otherwise it will be tasteless. Next comes cooling.

There is only one place to store raw chicken - the refrigerator. If you need to store parts of a carcass or fillet (breast), then the storage conditions and rules are the same.

Note to the hostess

You can put the chicken in the refrigerator wrapped in paper or a plastic bag. There should be a hole in the bag so that the chicken can “breathe”.

Frozen

If there is chicken, but there is no need for meat, it is sent to the freezer. Can already chilled chicken be frozen? The answer is simple - yes. To do this, just wrap the carcass in paper or a plastic bag and place it in the freezer.

Chicken can be stored in a household freezer for 5–7 months, provided it is not defrosted.

Thawed

Once the chicken has been thawed, it cannot be re-frozen. If the question arises about how long defrosted chicken can be stored in the refrigerator, then you can keep it there for no more than 12 hours. In defrosted chicken meat, the muscle fibers have already lost their structure, and the spoilage process will proceed much faster.

However, if there is no need for meat, the chicken can be prepared using the chosen method and the finished dish can be frozen.

Note to the hostess

Finished chicken, frozen in portions, can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. Please note that this product is edible, but you will not get pleasure from eating it.

By-products

Chilled liver, heart, gizzards should be cooked or frozen as quickly as possible. By-products should not be stored in the refrigerator for longer than 18 hours.

Deterioration processes occur rapidly in such tissues. The reason for this is intensive contamination with microorganisms. Do not buy offal for future use. Offal can be kept in the freezer for 2 months at -8 °C and 6 months at -18 °C

How long does chicken last without refrigeration?

Chicken should not be stored without refrigeration. At room temperature above 25 degrees Celsius, after 2 hours the active process of reproduction of pathogenic microflora will begin inside the meat.

How can carcasses be stored?

1. Cellophane bag: allowed, but not recommended. Outside the refrigerator, chicken inside plastic will spoil quickly.
2. Foil: protects the contents from the penetration of foreign odors, allows moisture to pass through and does not absorb fat.
3. Vacuum container: protects products from oxygen exposure, preventing the growth of bacteria.
4. Cooler bag: an ideal option for storing chicken carcass without a stationary device.

Fried

Storing a fried product without a refrigerator, when the room temperature is maintained at more than 18 degrees, quickly leads to spoilage of the bird. Therefore, fried chicken must be served and then eaten.

As a last resort, you can wrap the dish in food foil and store it for up to 12 hours. Provided that the ambient temperature does not exceed 23 degrees.

Boiled

Store the cooked product for no more than a day, provided it is sealed. If mucus appears on top, the skin takes on a grayish tint, such a bird should not be eaten.

Baked

Wrap the baked bird in foil and store in this way for up to 12 hours. This method is allowed when the room temperature is no more than 25 degrees Celsius.

Smoked

Smoked poultry can be stored for a long time, subject to a number of rules.

1. No dampness or humidity.
2. Store in a basement or other dry, clean, constantly ventilated area.
3. Wrap the smoked product in linen bags and place them in a wooden box in one row.
4. Experts allow such storage for six months.

Grilled chicken

Grilled chicken, especially those prepared in fast food establishments, should not be stored outside the refrigerator. You cannot be sure that the product was originally completely fresh, so it is consumed hot.

Can you freeze fried chicken?

Freezing is a great way to preserve prepared foods for a long time, and fried chicken is no exception, but has some special features:

1. You need to fry a very fresh product. If raw meat has been left in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours, and then fried and frozen, then such preparation will quickly deteriorate after defrosting.
2. The chicken must cool completely at room temperature after heat treatment. Otherwise, condensation will form during freezing, which will not only reduce the taste of the product, but also shorten the shelf life of the poultry.
3. Before putting it in the freezer, the product must be packaged in hermetically sealed bags or containers that will not allow air to pass through and the chicken will not be saturated with the smell of the freezer.

Frozen chicken can be stored for no more than a month, as the meat loses moisture and becomes increasingly tough and tasteless. Proper defrosting is also important - the meat is transferred from the freezer to the refrigerator and waited for complete thawing. In this case, the product will lose a minimum of moisture and retain its taste and aroma.

Sources

• https://rem.ninja/kuhnya/hranenie/svezhey-i-ohlazhdennoy-kuritsy.html
• https://eda-land.ru/kurica/skolko-hranit-v-morozilke/
• https://dr-znai.com/skolko-mozhno-xranit-kuricu-v-xolodilnike.html
• https://profhranenie.ru/skolko-khranitsya-zharenaya-kuritsa-v-kholodilnike
• https://ProHranenie.ru/produkty/myaso-ptitsa-ryba/kuritsa.html
• https://mschistota.ru/storage/skolko-xranitsya-zamorozhennaya-kurica.html
• https://GdeHranit.ru/myaso/skolko-hranitsya-v-holodilnike-zharenaya-kuritsa.html

Signs of a spoiled product

It's easy to tell when fried chicken has gone bad:

• the meat begins to stick;
• an unpleasant, sour smell appears;
• the chicken turns gray;
• the dish has an unpleasant taste with a clearly noticeable acidity.

If at least one of the signs described above is present, you should not try to “reanimate” the meat; it must be thrown away to avoid severe poisoning.

Fried chicken can be stored in either the refrigerator or freezer. Before storing, it is important to make sure that the meat is well-fried and hermetically sealed - this will have a positive effect not only on the freshness of the dish, but also on its taste.

You may be interested in “Is it possible to freeze fresh chicken liver” https://gdehranit.ru/myaso/mozhno-li-zamorazhivat-svezhuyu-kurinuyu-pechen.html