How do you know if frozen chicken has gone bad?!


Question: How do you know if frozen chicken has gone bad!?
I bought some chicken breasts a few months back and stuck them directly in my freezer, where i forgot about them until now!. I took them out and thawed them: they're still pink!. they had a little bit of a smell to them, but it smelled like the plastic they were in, not a putrid smell!.!.!. do you think they could be bad since they are old and when i bought them they were thawed and refrigerated!?Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
I've never had a chicken spoil if it was kept properly frozen!. Freezer burn can be an issue, though, if it's not properly wrapped and although that's not a health hazard, it renders the chicken very unappetizing!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

I know what you mean!. You have to be careful with chicken!. If in doubt leave it out!.

I tried roast a chicken that had been in the freezer for 2 months!. It had the same smell your describing!.
I roasted it anyway!. When I tasted it, that confirmed it was not consumable!. It wasn't that bad, but I just knew it wasn't right!.

I ended up chopping it up and giving it to the cats!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

If the chicken had a smell i wouldn't use it!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

i usually keep the chicken for a couple of months and they still taste goodWww@FoodAQ@Com

if you froze them as soon as you got them home, no problem
* Fresh Chicken: Chicken is kept cold during distribution to retail stores to prevent the growth of bacteria and to increase its shelf life!. Chicken should feel cold to the touch when purchased!. Select fresh chicken just before checking out at the register!. Put packages of chicken in disposable plastic bags (if available) to contain any leakage which could cross-contaminate cooked foods or produce!. Make the grocery your last stop before going home!.

At home, immediately place chicken in a refrigerator that maintains 40 °F, and use within 1 or 2 days, or freeze at 0 °F!. If kept frozen continuously, it will be safe indefinitely!.

Chicken may be frozen in its original packaging or repackaged!. If freezing longer than two months, over wrap the porous store plastic packages with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or place the package inside a freezer bag!. Use these materials or airtight freezer containers to repackage family packs into smaller amounts or freeze the chicken from opened packages!.

Proper wrapping prevents "freezer burn," which appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air reaching the surface of food!. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the chicken!. Heavily freezer-burned products may have to be discarded because they might be too dry or tasteless!.

* Ready-Prepared Chicken: When purchasing fully cooked rotisserie or fast food chicken, be sure it is hot at time of purchase!. Use it within two hours or cut it into several pieces and refrigerate in shallow, covered containers!. Eat within 3 to 4 days, either cold or reheated to 165 °F (hot and steaming)!. It is safe to freeze ready-prepared chicken!. For best quality, flavor and texture, use within 4 months!.


Safe Defrosting
FSIS recommends three ways to defrost chicken: in the refrigerator, in cold water and in the microwave!. Never defrost chicken on the counter or in other locations!. It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator!. Boneless chicken breasts will usually defrost overnight!. Bone-in parts and whole chickens may take 1 to 2 days or longer!. Once the raw chicken defrosts, it can be kept in the refrigerator an additional day or two before cooking!. During this time, if chicken defrosted in the refrigerator is not used, it can safely be refrozen without cooking first!.

Chicken may be defrosted in cold water in its airtight packaging or in a leak proof bag!. Submerge the bird or cut-up parts in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes to be sure it stays cold!. A whole (3 to 4-pound) broiler fryer or package of parts should defrost in 2 to 3 hours!. A 1-pound package of boneless breasts will defrost in an hour or less!.

Chicken defrosted in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving!. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed!. Foods defrosted in the microwave or by the cold water method should be cooked before refreezing!.

Do not cook frozen chicken in the microwave or in a slow cooker!. However, chicken can be cooked from the frozen state in the oven or on the stove!. The cooking time may be about 50% longer!.Www@FoodAQ@Com





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