How long is chicken good for in the freezer?

[Warwithin]

Hey all,

Quick cooking question! I bought some Chicken from Costco and the sell by date is November 23 (or 28th? Don't recall).

I bought the chicken, brought it home and threw it in the freezer. It's been in vacuum sealed packaging since then. It's been about a month and a half - is it still good?

[Deleted]

If it's been frozen and not touched since, i'd hit that.

[Chirri]

If it's frozen and still sealed, the only problem I can conceive of is freezer burn - which isn't a matter of danger so much as taste and maybe texture.

I get that the sell-by date was November, but when did you actually purchase it? Just out of curiosity XD

[Deleted]

Just checked, 6 months frozen in a sealed pack is good; So you can eat chicken tonight my man!

[Deleted]

Deepfrozen the chicken will last longer then the warranty of the freezer.

[Deleted]

A friend of mine ate beef that was frozen for 5 years and did not die, it was covered in freezer burns and he said it was not very tasty but did not have any ill effects.

[Lightwysh]

Frozen foods are generally good for about a year from the date of freezing

[Shadee]

As long as you thaw it at room temperature then you are good.

[Hooked]

Smell it first, if you smell freezer burn or see freezer burn throw it away.

[belfpala]

A friend of mine ate beef that was frozen for 5 years and did not die, it was covered in freezer burns and he said it was not very tasty but did not have any ill effects.

Pretty much this. If it's sealed properly (preferably vacuum packed, to avoid those freezer burns), and hasn't been thawed and refrozen, and your freezer hasn't lost power for any significant amount of time, frozen foods can last pretty much indefinitely. The actual food quality might decline, but if proper storage is maintained it won't make you sick. I'd personally say up to 6 months for chicken, but that's not out of safety concerns.

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As long as you thaw it at room temperature then you are good.

Best to thaw it in the refrigerator for a couple days if you can. If you need speedy thawing, wrap it in something water tight (zipper bag or whatever), and run COLD water over it. Specifically cold water. This doesn't work well for a whole chicken, but it's fine for pieces.

[Donald Hellscream]

as long as it is sealed and frozen there is no bacterial growth so it is good, just don't take any chances with refreezing it as some bacteria will just hibernate instead of dying from the sub-zero temperatures.

[Rizendragon]

Hey all,

Quick cooking question! I bought some Chicken from Costco and the sell by date is November 23 (or 28th? Don't recall).

I bought the chicken, brought it home and threw it in the freezer. It's been in vacuum sealed packaging since then. It's been about a month and a half - is it still good?

We rummage through the "last day" meats at Kroger and freeze them ASAP. Once they're frozen they're good until you thaw it.

[Austilias]

I imagine, realistically, that you can keep pretty much anything in a freezer indefinitely and if nothing else, it will still be edible. Some canned foods are the same as well; my grandma used to get the stereotypical unlabelled tins of food from charity shops and so on, with some having been about 10 years old or more, and the contents were perfectly fine.

[Hyve]

November 23rd will be fine, as long as it's remained frozen the whole time. If it's thawed at all since (Except of course, the journey home), don't risk it.

[Edc]

Freezing fresh food items doesn't stop decomposition, it slows the process. If the chicken is is fresh and un processed when bought, defrost it, if it smells ok it's good to eat

If it doesn't stop the process you are not freezing food properly. You need to reach a minimum of -18 degrees celcius to put the bacteria in hybernation, if you do that and have a freezer that is able to maintain that temperature without trouble you can keep it in the freezer as long as you want.

[belfpala]

If it doesn't stop the process you are not freezing food properly. You need to reach a minimum of -18 degrees celcius to put the bacteria in hybernation, if you do that and have a freezer that is able to maintain that temperature without trouble you can keep it in the freezer as long as you want.

This is correct. That's 0 F for us backward US people.

[mercychan]

If unopened should last in freeze for a good 5-6 months. To be sure, unseal it, smell it, and if it's rank, seal it back up and throw it out

[FuxieDK]

Hey all,

Quick cooking question! I bought some Chicken from Costco and the sell by date is November 23 (or 28th? Don't recall).

I bought the chicken, brought it home and threw it in the freezer. It's been in vacuum sealed packaging since then. It's been about a month and a half - is it still good?

Good, as in "It won't harm you, but might taste funny" = End of time..
Good, as in "Tasty", the general rule is: Cow = 3 months, pig = 6 months, chicken = 12 months.. Many freezers have pictograms showing it..

[Zigzagzoom]

Frozen meat is good for a long time if it's deep frozen like a year. Although, freezer burn generally makes it less tasty after a few months, but has nothing to do with safety.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

I don't like using frozen meat that is more than 6 months past its sell-by date, as you break the chain of cooling when you take it out of the freezer in the store and transport it home.