How to Store Raw Chicken | The Ultimate Guide

With coronavirus forcing us to stay indoors for months, many are contemplating getting vegetables and meat from the market in bulk to avoid going out to the market multiple times.

One of the most asked questions I get these days is whether you can get raw chicken in bulk and store them in the refrigerator for a longer period. And if so, how?

I will share what I feel based on my experience of having done this over the years.

This guide contains the following:

• How to Store Raw Whole Chicken
• How to Store Chicken Curry Cut Pieces
• How to Store Raw Minced Chicken
• FAQs on Storing Raw Chicken

Storing Whole Raw Chicken

Unless you are cooking a tandoori or Murgh Musallam, chances of getting a whole chicken for home use is very rare in India.

You can store a whole chicken for up to one year depending on how you plan to store them.

If you are planning to use the whole chicken in less than 48 hours, you should follow the steps below:

• Properly clean the chicken and pat dry
• Take a box large enough to hold the chicken and put the chicken in. Refrigerate
• Alternatively, you can use a large ziploc bag and ensure that you seal it properly
• You can also whole chicken in in a large-enough bowl, cover properly and refrigerate

If you plan to use the chicken in the next 24 hours, you can also brine the chicken and refrigerate in any of the ways mentioned above.

However if you are planning to buy and store a whole chicken for more than 48 hours, this is what you should do:

• Ensure that you have enough space in the freezer
• Wash the chicken thoroughly and allow to dry
• Put it into a ziploc freezer bag
• Push this into the freezer section

Putting a whole chicken in the freezer helps to increase the shelf life by up to one year.

How to Store Raw Chicken Curry Cut Pieces

If you are from India, this is what you might have come looking for.

More than 99% of the population buy chicken curry-cut pieces from the local butcher and it is very much possible to store chicken safely for a month. Follow the steps below to increase shelf life while ensuring hygiene factors.

• Clean the chicken properly, ensure that there is no blood
• Allow the chicken to rest
• Transfer to a container and put it into the refrigerator if you plan to use it in the next 24 hours. Else put it into the freezer section if you want to store the chicken for more than 24 hours
• Consider creating multiple batches of the chicken and store each in a different container if you want to use the stock over multiple days. I have covered it in more details below.

While cleaning chicken, you should ensure that there is no blood. If blood exists and you put it in the freezer, it will form ice solids out of the blood and lead to unhygienic and unhealthier conditions.

It is for the same reason you allow the chicken to rest after you have washed and cleaned it properly.

Create Batches While Storing Chicken to Avoid Contamination

Every time you take out the entire stock from the freezer and use your hand/spoon to claw or scoop out for the day’s cooking, you are increasing the possibility of contaminating it.

Whenever I get chicken cut from the butcher shop for multi-day use, I ensure that I wash, clean and store the chicken in batches.

Now I own a small refrigerator and do not have a lot of space in the freezer section to store the raw chicken in multiple container boxes as they take up more space.

I use aluminium foil/silver pouches to batch out my raw chicken.

This is what I do.

I put sufficient in each, tie the opening with a rubber band and push them in the freezer section. As and when I need to cook a batch, I take out one, thaw and use it. Isn’t it simple?

If you have space, you can also use small boxes/containers to store the raw chicken in batches. Whenever you need to cook, you can take out one box, allow it to thaw and then proceed to cook it.

You can also use ziploc bags for batching out. However, I personally feel that aluminium-based or silver pouches are better and comparatively inexpensive.

Should You Store Raw Ground Chicken?

I do not recommend storing raw ground meat (chicken in this case), as the chances of contamination are very high and there is a complete loss of flavor.

When you clean minced chicken and store it in the refrigerator/freezer, there is a high chance of water droplets stored in minced meat converting to ice. This increases the chances of contamination and also leads to loss of flavor.

Surely you can get ground chicken from the butcher and keep it in refrigerator for less than 24 hours, but not more than that.

Alternative to Storing Ground Chicken

Instead of getting your chicken minced by the butcher, ask for boneless pieces and request him to chop it in smaller pieces or cubes.

At home you can follow the same steps I have enlisted for storing curry cut pieces. As and when you need minced chicken, you can take out a batch, thaw it, put it in a mixer-grinder and mince it to the desired consistency.

Trust me, it does a fabulous job.

The chicken quality stays intact, so does the flavors once you have cooked it. Plus the chances of contamination is nearly zero.

FAQs on Storing Raw Chicken

In this section, I answer some of the most asked questions on storing raw chicken. If you have any other queries, you can use the comments section.

Should You Buy Frozen Chicken?

If you are in India, you should prefer buying fresh chicken and storing them with care. With butcher shops in abundance, getting freshly cut meat is always more assuring in terms of freshness, hygiene and flavor.

Also buying fresh produce in the country is cheaper than buying frozen versions. Not to forget that food laws are not strict in India and frozen chicken can have chemicals in them to help them last longer.

Personally, it does not make any sense to me to procure frozen chicken when fresh produce are available in abundance near your home.

Can you Store Raw Chicken in Fridge for more Than 48 Hours or 2 Days?

You should not.

Storing raw chicken in the fridge increases the risk of contamination. Use the freezer section instead and ensure that you batch out your chicken.

I have shared details in this article above.

Should You Store Cooked Chicken?

You can store cooked chicken in the refrigerator and ensure that you consume this in the next 24 hours.

Ensure that you take out the cooked (left over) chicken from the refrigerator before 30 minutes and allow it to reach room temperature, before putting it on flame (bring it to a boil if you it’s a curry based chicken dish) and heating it up.

Secondly, do not heat the complete left over if you wish to consume only a part of it.

Thaw and heat only the part that you will consume for the time being. Heating the entire left-over may lead to spoilage and contamination.

Do not, I repeat, do not consume cooked chicken directly from the refrigerator without reheating it.

Does Raw Chicken Need to be Covered in the Fridge?

Definitely yes. You should always ensure that the raw chicken is covered when you store it in the refrigerator.

Keeping it covered cuts the chance of contamination and also eliminates the possibility of odor in the fridge.

You should ensure that the chicken is sealed in a ziploc bag.

If you are using a container, the lid should fit tight. If you are using a kitchen bowl, you can place a dish/plate to cover the raw chicken.

You can also use a transparent plastic wrap to seal the container.

How to Handle Raw Chicken while Storing?

Before you touch the chicken, ensure that you have clean hands. You can also use a pair of clean kitchen gloves.

Once you have cleaned the chicken properly, ensure that you use a normal soap or hand wash to wash your hands properly.

Do not forget to clean the wash area where you have cleaned your chicken.

Ensure that the container you use to store raw chicken in fridge is clean and sealed properly and do not have any liquid on the body because you don’t want the liquid to drip inside the refrigerator and corrupt it with bacterial growth.

Ending Notes

While I encourage you to always eat fresh produce, it may not be always feasible. Thankfully, a refrigerator can come to your rescue. If you follow a few important points, you can store raw chicken for a relatively long time.

What is your favorite way of storing raw chicken? If there is a better way to increase the shelf life of raw chicken, do share with me in the comments section.