Raw chicken is good for 1–2 days in the refrigerator after you buy it. That goes for a whole bird, breasts, thighs and ground chicken alike. USDA says to use it or freeze it within that time, so the sell-by date isn't your deadline; the day you bought it is.
Frozen at 0°F (-18°C), it stays safe indefinitely and keeps its best quality for 12 months whole, 9 months in pieces, or 3–4 months ground. Cooked chicken keeps 3–4 days in the fridge.
Storage Facts
Chicken, fridge at 40°F (4°C), freezer at 0°F (-18°C)
- Raw whole chicken, fridge from purchase
- 1–2 days
- Whole chicken, freezer
- 12 months
- Raw breasts, legs or thighs, fridge from purchase
- 1–2 days
- Parts, freezer
- 9 months
- Raw ground chicken, fridge from purchase
- 1–2 days
- Ground chicken, freezer
- 3–4 months
- Cooked chicken dishes, fridge
- 3–4 days
- Store rotisserie chicken, fridge from purchase
- 3–4 days
- Cooked chicken dishes, freezer
- 4–6 months
Reading the date on a chicken package
USDA's consumer advice says product dating isn't required by federal regulation, and that's true of the dates you'd read as an expiry. Poultry does have one requirement, though: under 9 CFR 381.126 it must be marked with its date of packing. The rule lets that be a code, and lets it go on the shipping box instead of the package you take home, and FSIS has allowed a sell-by or use-by date in place of it. The result, on a supermarket tray, is usually one of these:
| If the label says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sell by | How long the store may display it | Cook or freeze within 1–2 days of buying it |
| Use by / use or freeze by | The packer's last day for peak quality | Cook or freeze by that day; frozen before it, it's fine later |
| Packed on / PKG | When it was packed, not an expiry | Count 1–2 days from the day you bought it |
USDA requires a calendar date on poultry to have a phrase next to it that explains it, like “sell by” or “use before.” A bare number such as 267 is a code, possibly a day-of-year pack date, not an expiry. More on telling these apart: packed-on dates vs the expiration date. A use-or-freeze-by label is explained in what “freeze by” means.
One more reason not to stretch it: USDA's timing is from purchase, and it assumes the chicken went from the store's cold case to your fridge promptly. FSIS says chicken should feel cold when you buy it: pick it up last, bag it separately so juices can't drip on other food, and make the store your last stop before home.
Chicken for later in the week? Scan the sell-by or use-by date when you unpack groceries. FreshScan reminds you two days ahead, in time to cook it or freeze it. If the label also shows a packed-on date, it sets that aside and tracks the other one; a tray with only a packed-on date needs the date added by hand.
Free on theApp StoreGround chicken: 1–2 days in the fridge, 3–4 months frozen
USDA's FoodKeeper lists ground chicken and ground turkey as one item, and FSIS's chicken chart puts ground chicken on the same line as giblets. The numbers:
- Fridge: 1–2 days from the day you buy it, the same as whole chicken and parts. A sell-by date can pass during that time; the purchase day is still the clock.
- Freezer: 3–4 months for best quality, against 9 months for breasts and thighs. It stays safe at 0°F past that time; it just loses quality.
- Thawed in the fridge: cook it within another day or two. Thawed in cold water or the microwave: cook it right away.
- Cooked: leftovers keep 3–4 days in the fridge. Cook it to 165°F (74°C), checked with a thermometer.
Raw ground chicken can look darker or lighter pink depending on how much dark meat, white meat or skin went into it. FSIS says that variation is normal, so color is not a freshness test. Ground turkey uses the same USDA numbers; see how long ground turkey lasts, and for beef, how long ground beef lasts.
Sealed, vacuum-packed or organic: does it change anything?
Not in USDA's guidance. FoodKeeper and the FSIS chicken chart give one fridge time for raw chicken, with no separate entry for sealed trays, vacuum packs or organic birds.
| If your chicken is… | Fridge time | Why |
|---|---|---|
| In its unopened store tray | 1–2 days from purchase | USDA's clock is the purchase day, opened or not. FSIS suggests keeping it in its package until you use it. |
| Vacuum-packed (raw) | 1–2 days from purchase, or the printed use-by if sooner | USDA gives no separate time for vacuum-packed raw chicken. FSIS's 2-week line for vacuum-packed dinners is about commercial packaged dinners, not raw chicken. |
| Organic, free-range or air-chilled | 1–2 days from purchase | FoodKeeper has no separate row; USDA gives the same time. |
| Breasts, thighs or legs, bone-in or boneless | 1–2 days from purchase | FoodKeeper's rows for each cut give identical times. |
| Ground | 1–2 days from purchase | Same fridge time; shorter freezer time (see above). |
| Thawed in the refrigerator | A day or two more | FSIS; it can be refrozen uncooked during that time. |
| Thawed in cold water or the microwave | Cook it right away | FSIS; cook it before refreezing. |
Whatever the package, don't leave raw chicken out of the fridge for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). That is USDA's limit for perishable food at room temperature.
Signs raw chicken has gone bad
FSIS says a change in color alone doesn't mean poultry is spoiled. Raw chicken can range from bluish-white to yellow depending on the bird's breed, age and feed, and the pink liquid in the tray is mostly water absorbed during chilling. Spoilage shows up as:
- an off odor,
- a surface that feels sticky or tacky,
- sliminess,
- often together with fading or darkening color.
If you notice any of those, throw it out. If it's been more than 1–2 days since you bought it, don't use it even if it seems fine; the time limit is the rule, not the smell. Never taste raw or undercooked chicken. When in doubt, throw it out.
How long chicken lasts in the freezer
At 0°F (-18°C), chicken stays safe indefinitely. The times below are for best quality, and the FSIS chart agrees with FoodKeeper on each raw cut.
| Chicken | Freezer, best quality |
|---|---|
| Whole chicken | 12 months |
| Parts: breasts, legs, thighs | 9 months |
| Ground chicken | 3–4 months |
| Giblets | 3–4 months |
| Store-bought frozen nuggets or patties | 1–3 months |
| Cooked chicken dishes | 4–6 months |
- Freeze it in the store package if you'll use it within 2 months. For longer, overwrap the tray in heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or put it inside a freezer bag, to prevent freezer burn. An airtight vacuum-sealed bag works too.
- Split family packs into meal-sized bags before freezing, and write the date on each.
- Thaw in the refrigerator. Boneless breasts, bone-in parts and whole birds can take 1 to 2 days or longer. Frozen nuggets or patties thawed in the fridge keep 1–2 days.
- Short on time: thaw it sealed in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes, and cook it right away. Never thaw it on the counter. FSIS says chicken can also be cooked from frozen in the oven or on the stove, taking about 50 percent longer, but not in a slow cooker or the microwave.
- Grayish-brown leathery spots are freezer burn. They're safe; cut them away if they're dry.
Cooked chicken and leftovers
Cooked chicken keeps 3–4 days in the fridge in almost every form USDA lists. Refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking (1 hour above 90°F), in shallow covered containers so it cools quickly, and reheat leftovers to 165°F.
| Cooked chicken | Fridge | Freezer (quality) | FSIS chart, where it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casseroles, soups and other chicken dishes | 3–4 days | 4–6 months | Same |
| Leftovers with poultry, general | 3–4 days | 2–3 months | Plain cooked chicken: 4 months frozen |
| Fried chicken | 3–4 days | 4 months | Same |
| Rotisserie or take-out chicken (from purchase) | 3–4 days | 4 months | Same |
| Pieces covered with gravy or broth | 3–4 days | 1–2 months | 6 months frozen |
| Chicken salad | 3–4 days | Not recommended | 3 to 5 days; don't freeze if made with mayonnaise |
| Canned chicken, after opening | 3–4 days | No USDA time | Unopened: 2 to 5 years in the pantry |
A store rotisserie chicken should be hot when you buy it. FSIS says to eat or refrigerate it within 2 hours, cut into pieces in shallow covered containers, and eat it within 3–4 days, cold or reheated to 165°F. For turkey, see how long turkey lasts; for sliced chicken lunch meat, see deli meat. For anything else, use the shelf life chart or get dates counted out with the food expiration calculator.
Questions people ask
How long is raw chicken good after the sell-by date?
Count from the day you bought it, not from the sell-by date. USDA says to use raw chicken within 1–2 days of purchase or freeze it, and a sell-by date only tells the store how long to display it. If you bought it on a Monday and kept it at 40°F or below, cook or freeze it by Wednesday, whatever date is on the tray.
How long is ground chicken good in the fridge?
Raw ground chicken keeps 1–2 days in the refrigerator from the day you buy it, the same as whole chicken and parts. In the freezer it keeps its best quality for 3–4 months, much less than the 9 months for breasts or thighs. Cooked ground chicken keeps 3–4 days.
Does sealed or vacuum-packed raw chicken last longer?
USDA gives no separate fridge time for sealed or vacuum-packed raw chicken; its 1–2 days counts from purchase whether or not the package has been opened. If the packer printed a use-by or use-or-freeze-by date that comes sooner than that, go by the printed date. Vacuum sealing does help in the freezer, because airtight wrapping prevents freezer burn.
How long can raw chicken sit out?
No more than 2 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour if it is above 90°F. USDA says to throw away perishable food left out longer than that. Don't thaw chicken on the counter either; thaw it in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave.
Can I freeze chicken on the use-by date?
Yes. Freezing on or before the use-by date keeps it at its best. USDA notes that if a use-by date passes while the chicken is frozen, it can still be used, because food kept frozen continuously is safe indefinitely.
How long does thawed chicken last in the fridge?
Chicken thawed in the refrigerator can stay there another day or two before cooking, and can be refrozen uncooked in that time. Chicken thawed in cold water or the microwave should be cooked right away.
Sources
- Chicken from Farm to Table — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. FSIS blocks automated fetches; the page text (last updated Sep 30, 2024), including its Home Storage of Chicken Products table, was checked in October 2026 through a text-only copy of the same URL
- FSIS FoodKeeper Data — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (data.gov, public domain)
- Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Leftovers and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- The Color of Meat and Poultry — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- 9 CFR 381.126: Date of packing and date of processing — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- Regulations for Package Dating — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Food Product Dating fact sheet revision (Federal Register notice, April 9, 2019) — USDA FSIS
- Best before and use-by dates (Understanding food labelling) — GOV.UK
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Article 24 — EUR-Lex, European Union