Can You Eat Expired Frozen Chicken? Find Out Here

Can you eat expired frozen chicken? Yes, you can. Although this only applies if the chicken was placed in the freezer before the expiration date.

You should know that expiration dates are recommendations for food quality rather than food safety.

Therefore, your frozen livestock will still be safe, especially if it remains frozen at all times. If it is properly frozen, even though the taste and quality dips, there will be no health risk.

As a result, this article will help you learn how to cook expired frozen chicken, how to tell when it is bad, how to freeze chicken correctly, and much more.

SEE: Can You Freeze Rotisserie Chicken to Keep It Fresh and Edible?

Can you eat expired frozen chicken?

frozen-chicken-cheffist

Yes, you can. The chicken will remain safe indefinitely if kept frozen consistently, regardless of expiration. However, you can only keep a whole raw chicken in the freezer for no longer than a year for the best quality, flavor, and texture.

What happens if you eat expired frozen chicken?

If the chicken was packaged properly, nothing will happen. Freezing halts or at least significantly slows the growth of the bacteria that would otherwise cause the meat to spoil, making it safe to eat.

Can you eat expired frozen chicken nuggets?

Yes, you can. Properly frozen chicken tenders or nuggets will maintain their finest quality for up to 6 months in the cold room; they are usually still safe to eat after that.

SEE: How Long Does Raw Chicken Last in the Fridge Before It Goes Bad?

Can you eat expired frozen chicken wings?

Yes, you can. Even after expiration, your chicken will still be fresh if kept frozen continuously. You can store your chicken wings for nine months at most if you want the finest quality, taste, and texture.

Can you eat expired frozen chicken breast?

Absolutely. For up to nine months in the freezer, properly stored, iced raw chicken breasts and pieces will preserve their best quality even after the expiration dates.

SEE: How Much Weight Does Chicken Lose When Cooked?

Can you eat expired frozen chicken strips?

You can, indeed. Once the chicken strips have been properly frozen – even if they expire – they will still be safe to eat.

How long does frozen chicken last in the freezer?

Chicken can be kept for up to one year or more if properly packaged and frozen regularly.

SEE: Is It Safe to Eat Undercooked Chicken Breast?

What does expired frozen chicken look like?

When it is fresh, frozen chicken has a pinkish color all over, but when it’s past its prime, you’ll notice it starts to turn a little gray.

Furthermore, the frozen chicken’s fat is a distinct white/cream color. If the chicken is of poor quality, both colors will change.

SEE: Can You Only Cook Chicken In The Marinade Or Not?

How to tell if a frozen chicken has gone bad

When frozen chicken is spoiled, the signs will not be hard to spot. In most cases, you will see the following:

Rancid odor

Throw the chicken away if it appears slimy and begins to give off a foul smell. Also, the chicken should be firm and if it isn’t, throw it away.

The chicken turns green or gray

If you notice these hues, the chicken is bad and has bacterial spores on it. A fresh chicken should have white fat and pink skin. Therefore, throw the chicken away if it’s gray or green.

How should chicken be stored in the freezer?

Although, it’s completely safe to freeze raw poultry in its original container, plastic-wrapped containers are airtight and may cause the chicken’s quality to degrade over time.

That is why the USDA advises wrapping the original foam container in a layer of tinfoil for long-term storage.

Alternatively, you can remove the chicken from its packaging and transfer it to a freezer bag, making sure to remove as much air as possible before sealing it.

Also, you can store chicken – that hasn’t been opened – in its original state in vacuum-sealed packages.

You can store a whole, uncooked chicken in your freezer for up to one year or chop it up and freeze it for nine months. However, your cooked chicken will not stay as long as raw chicken, despite being able to be frozen for six months.

SEE: How to Make Chicken Softer

How to cook expired frozen chicken

Any expired, but still, frozen food can be cooked. Foods that have been frozen stop bacterial growth, a major concern for lots of people.

However, from a culinary perspective, freezer burn can occur if the chicken is improperly sealed or is older than a few months. This could hurt the flavor and texture of the chicken.

As a result, if you want to cook expired frozen chicken, be sure to microwave it right away to stop bacteria from growing once it has defrosted.

To further preserve the chicken’s flavor and prevent bacteria from growing, you can marinate the chicken with vinegar or lemon and other spices.

SEE: Get A Chance To Win a $500 Gift Card At Giant Foods

FAQs

What is the best way to tell if your chicken is still good?

You will know your chicken is still good when it has a pink hue with fat around it. Also, it will smell like livestock and not emit a rancid smell.

Furthermore, the texture will be firm to the touch and not slimy or have a form of bacteria pores or acidic appearance.

How long can chicken be kept in the fridge?

Even though keeping chicken in the refrigerator could slow down the growth of bacteria, this method does not keep chicken as fresh as you might think.

That is why the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises storing raw chicken for no more than two days in the refrigerator. This period also works for fresh turkeys and other livestock too.

In contrast, cooked poultry can be kept in the fridge for three to four days.

SEE: Stand A Chance to Win a $500 Food Lion Gift Card

Is frozen chicken not as healthy as fresh chicken?

The idea that frozen chicken is inferior to fresh chicken has persisted throughout time. But this is untrue. Fresh and frozen chickens are the same in terms of nutrition.

How do you make frozen chicken taste fresh?

Cut off any visible bits of freezer burn and marinate or brine the chicken to get rid of the frozen taste.

Alternatively, you can decide to use the chicken in a dish that will mask its flavor, like curry, enchiladas, or something spicier.

SEE: Get a $2 off $5 Coupon Saver Store

Conclusion

Expired frozen chicken is just that: expired. This is only when it has been frozen before its best by date, at which point it is entirely safe to eat and poses no risk.

When chicken is frozen, it slows the development of bacteria and makes it safe to cook even after a long period.

As a result, just because the label says it’s expired doesn’t mean it’s spoiled because it was in the freezer and is still receiving icing.

Therefore, if you have an expired frozen chicken, know that it is still safe to eat and will not harm you.

One thing to keep in mind is that your chicken must be properly packaged. To avoid spoilage, follow the instructions in this article to properly store frozen chicken.

Thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Cheffist for more.