How long is cooked chicken good for in the fridge?
Cooked chicken keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and raw chicken 1 to 2 days under USDA guidance. Below: the full chart, freezer times, thawing, reheating and the UK’s 2-day rule.
Short answer: The USDA says cooked chicken keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, homemade or bought as a rotisserie or fried chicken. Raw chicken keeps 1 to 2 days. In the freezer, cooked chicken is at its best within 4 months and raw chicken parts within 9 months. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency says to eat leftovers within 2 days or freeze them.
How long chicken lasts in the fridge and freezer
From the USDA’s home storage chart for chicken. Freezer times are for the best quality.
| Chicken | Fridge, 40 °F (4 °C) or below | Freezer, 0 °F (−18 °C) or below |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked chicken leftovers | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Rotisserie, fried and other take-out chicken | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Chicken soup, casseroles and other cooked chicken dishes | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Cooked chicken pieces covered with broth or gravy | 3 to 4 days | 6 months |
| Chicken broth or gravy | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked chicken nuggets or patties | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 3 months |
| Raw chicken, whole | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Raw chicken parts, such as breasts and thighs | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Raw ground chicken or giblets | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
How PantryWeave keeps track of your chicken
PantryWeave plans meals from what is already in your Kitchen, and every recipe shows its calories.
Put away in the right place
After shopping, you adjust only the amounts you actually bought and move them straight into Kitchen. Each item goes where it belongs, and Kitchen shows where it should be stored.
Dated by where it is kept
The suggested use-by day follows the storage place. Move a pack of chicken from the fridge to the freezer and Kitchen counts it as frozen.
Cook it in time
A Use first shelf, with badges like “Use in 2d”, shows which ingredients to cook soon. When you mark the meal as cooked, PantryWeave asks you to confirm and updates Kitchen stock automatically.
An estimate, not an official date
Kitchen’s freshness check is an estimate. For chicken, go by the official times on this page and the use-by date on the pack.
How long does raw chicken last in the fridge?
1 to 2 days, whole, in parts or ground. The USDA says to put chicken in a fridge at 40 °F or below as soon as you get home and to cook or freeze it within those 1 to 2 days; pick it up last, just before the checkout.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency says to keep raw poultry in its packaging or in a clean, sealed container on the bottom shelf of the fridge, where it can’t drip onto other food, and not to eat meat after its use-by date. Skip the rinse: the USDA says washing raw chicken can spread bacteria to other food, utensils and surfaces, and only cooking destroys them.
How long is rotisserie chicken good for in the fridge?
3 to 4 days, the same as chicken cooked at home; the USDA’s FoodKeeper lists the same times. The USDA says to eat or refrigerate it within 2 hours of buying it. If it is hot and you won’t eat it within 2 hours, cut it into several pieces and refrigerate them in shallow, covered containers. Eat it cold or reheated to 165 °F within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it and use it within 4 months for the best quality.
How long can chicken sit out?
Under USDA guidance, perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be thrown away; above 90 °F, as at a summer picnic, the limit is 1 hour. The UK’s FSA says to cool cooked meat and put it in the fridge or freezer within 1 to 2 hours.
How long does chicken last in the freezer?
Chicken kept frozen at 0 °F (−18 °C) can be kept indefinitely; the chart’s freezer times are for the best quality. You can freeze chicken in its store packaging, but if it will stay frozen longer than 2 months, the USDA suggests wrapping it again in airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or putting it inside a freezer bag. That prevents freezer burn: grayish-brown, leathery spots where air reached the meat, which you can cut away before or after cooking.
How to thaw chicken, and how to defrost chicken fast
The USDA names three ways to thaw chicken: in the fridge, in cold water and in the microwave. Never thaw it on the counter.
| Method | What to do | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge | Allow 1 to 2 days or longer for boneless breasts, bone-in parts and whole chickens | Cook it within another day or two, or refreeze it without cooking |
| Cold water | Keep it in airtight packaging or a leak-proof bag and change the water every 30 minutes. A whole 3- to 4-pound chicken or a package of parts takes 2 to 3 hours; 1 pound of boneless breasts, an hour or less | Cook it straight away; refreeze only after cooking |
| Microwave | Use the defrost setting | Cook it straight away; refreeze only after cooking |
Short on time? The USDA says chicken can 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.
The FSA prefers the fridge, overnight, so the chicken never sits between 8 and 63 °C. Use it within 24 hours of fully defrosting, and check that the middle has thawed before you cook it.
How to reheat chicken
US guidance: heat cooked chicken to 165 °F (74 °C), checked with a food thermometer, with a lid on to keep the moisture in. In the microwave, cover and rotate it and take its temperature in several places, since microwaves heat unevenly.
UK guidance: reheat it until it is steaming hot all the way through, and only once. The FSA suggests small pieces and stirring in the microwave, and space around pieces such as chicken legs in an air fryer.
UK guidance: cooked chicken within 2 days
In the UK the number is shorter: the Food Standards Agency says to eat leftovers, cooked chicken included, within 48 hours or freeze them. Keep the fridge between 0 and 5 °C and the freezer at around −18 °C.
Don’t lean on your nose. The FSA’s fact checker says the sniff test doesn’t work for food with a use-by date, because you can’t smell the bugs that cause food poisoning. Count the days instead.
Where the numbers come from
Read on October 30, 2026.
- USDA FSIS: Chicken from Farm to Table (storage chart, rotisserie chicken, freezing, thawing, rinsing)
- USDA FSIS: leftovers (time out of the fridge, reheating)
- USDA FoodKeeper (rotisserie chicken)
- US government cold food storage chart (fridge and freezer temperatures)
- US minimum internal temperature chart (the reheating temperature)
- Food Standards Agency: chilling, freezing and defrosting (leftovers, raw poultry, defrosting)
- Food Standards Agency: cooking your food (reheating once, air fryers)
- Food Standards Agency: home food fact checker (the sniff test, microwaves)
Frequently asked questions
How long does cooked chicken last in the fridge?
3 to 4 days at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, according to the USDA, rotisserie and fried chicken included. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is 2 days for leftovers.
How long can raw chicken stay in the fridge?
1 to 2 days, whole, in parts or ground, according to the USDA. Cook it or freeze it within that time.
How long is rotisserie chicken good for in the fridge?
3 to 4 days. The USDA says to eat or refrigerate it within 2 hours of buying it.
How long is frozen chicken good for?
Kept frozen at 0 °F (−18 °C), it can be kept indefinitely. For the best quality, the USDA gives 1 year for a whole raw chicken, 9 months for raw parts and 4 months for cooked chicken.
How do I defrost frozen chicken?
In the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter. In cold water, a whole 3- to 4-pound chicken takes 2 to 3 hours and 1 pound of boneless breasts an hour or less; cook it straight away.
Can you refreeze chicken after thawing?
Yes, if it thawed in the fridge; the USDA says it can be refrozen without cooking. Cook chicken thawed in cold water or in the microwave before refreezing.
Related guides
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