Raw chicken lasts 1 to 2 days in the fridge at or below 4C (40F), whether it is a whole bird, pieces, or ground chicken (mince). Cooked chicken keeps 3 to 4 days, and that includes rotisserie (hot deli) chicken and leftovers like soup or casserole. Raw chicken can carry Salmonella and Campylobacter that you cannot smell, so when in doubt, throw it out.
There is a packet of chicken in the fridge and you are trying to remember when it went in. Here is the short of it: raw chicken is good for 1 to 2 days, and cooked or rotisserie chicken for 3 to 4. Below you will find the fridge and freezer times laid out, how to tell when chicken has turned, and the safe way to thaw it.
| Chicken | Fridge (4C/40F) | Freezer (-18C/0F) |
|---|---|---|
| Raw chicken, whole | 1 to 2 days | Up to 1 year |
| Raw chicken, pieces | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Raw ground chicken (mince) | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Cooked chicken (leftovers, soup, casserole) | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Rotisserie / hot deli chicken | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
How long does raw chicken last in the fridge?
Raw chicken keeps for 1 to 2 days in the fridge, and that is the same whether it is a whole bird, breasts and thighs (pieces), or ground chicken (mince). Keep your fridge at or below 4C (40F) and store the chicken on the bottom shelf, in its packet or a covered dish, so nothing drips onto the food below. Two days is the outside limit. If you bought it and know you will not cook it by then, freeze it straight away rather than letting it sit. The sell-by or use-by date on the packet is not a fridge countdown; once it is home and opened, the 1-to-2-day clock is what matters. Chicken can carry Salmonella and Campylobacter, and those do not always announce themselves by smell, so do not gamble on a third day.
How long is rotisserie chicken good for in the fridge?
Rotisserie chicken, the hot ready-cooked bird from the deli counter, is good for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, the same as any cooked chicken. Get it into the fridge within 2 hours of buying it (1 hour if the day is above 32C/90F), because sitting warm on the counter is exactly what bacteria want. Take the meat off the carcass and store it in a shallow covered container so it cools quickly and evenly. Counting from the day you bought it, day 3 or 4 is your limit, and reheat any you eat until it is piping hot the whole way through. If it has been longer than four days, throw it out, even if it looks and smells fine.
How long does cooked chicken last?
Cooked chicken lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and that covers leftovers of every kind: roast chicken, chicken soup, a chicken and rice casserole, or chopped chicken for salad. Cool it quickly, within 2 hours of cooking, and store it covered once it has stopped steaming. The 3-to-4-day window starts the day you cooked it, not the day you first dig in. If you have made a big batch and know you will not get through it, freeze some on day one while it is at its best rather than waiting until day four. Reheat leftovers once only, and make sure they are piping hot all the way through.
How to tell if chicken has gone off
Fresh raw chicken is pale pink with a bit of a sheen and almost no smell. When it is turning, it goes grey or dull, feels slimy or tacky, and gives off a sour or faintly eggy whiff. Any of those and it goes in the bin. But here is the honest bit: the bugs that make chicken dangerous, Salmonella and Campylobacter, are invisible and often odourless, so chicken can look and smell perfectly fine and still make you ill. That is why the date and the day count matter more than your nose. When in doubt, throw it out.
Freezing chicken: how long it keeps
Chicken freezes beautifully, and freezing it stops the clock the moment it is solid. For best quality, a whole raw chicken keeps up to 1 year at or below -18C (0F), raw pieces keep 9 months, and ground chicken (mince) keeps 3 to 4 months. Cooked chicken and leftovers keep 2 to 6 months. It is safe indefinitely below -18C; those months are about texture and flavour, not safety. Wrap it well to keep the air out, and label it with the date so you are not guessing later. Freeze it while it is fresh, not on its last fridge day, and it will thaw much closer to how it went in.
How to thaw chicken safely
Thaw chicken in the fridge, never on the counter. The counter lets the outside sit in the danger zone (4 to 60C / 40 to 140F) while the middle is still frozen, and that is how bacteria get going. Allow roughly a day in the fridge for pieces and longer for a whole bird, standing it in a dish to catch the drips. Chicken thawed in the fridge is safe to refreeze without cooking first, though it will lose a little quality each time. If you thawed it any other way, on the counter or in warm water, cook it before it goes back in the freezer. In a hurry, a sealed bag under cold running water works, but cook it straight after.
Questions we get asked
Can I eat raw chicken that has been in the fridge for 3 days?
Best not to. Raw chicken is only good for 1 to 2 days in the fridge, so by day 3 it is past the safe window even if it looks fine. Cooked chicken is different; that keeps 3 to 4 days.
How long is rotisserie chicken good for in the fridge?
3 to 4 days, counting from the day you bought it. Get it into the fridge within 2 hours, strip the meat off the bone, and reheat any you eat until it is piping hot.
Does cooked chicken last longer than raw chicken?
Yes. Cooked chicken keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, while raw chicken only lasts 1 to 2. Cooking kills most bacteria, but it does not make leftovers last forever, so 4 days is the limit.
How long can raw chicken sit out of the fridge?
No more than 2 hours, and only 1 hour if the room is above 32C (90F). Between 4 and 60C (40 to 140F) bacteria multiply fast, so anything left out longer should be thrown away.
Can you freeze rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Take the meat off the bone and freeze it within a couple of days of buying; it keeps 2 to 6 months for best quality. It is safe indefinitely below -18C (0F), but the texture softens over time.
How long does raw chicken last after the sell-by date?
The sell-by date is for the shop, not your fridge. Once it is home, go by the 1-to-2-day rule and cook or freeze it within that window; if it is already at or past the date when you buy it, use it that day or freeze it.