Refrigerating Cooked Meat (Poultry)

[jessicahowles]

Hi, I roasted a whole chicken today and I can't seem to finish it. It is nightime now and I was thinking about refrigerating it. And that got me thinking. I remember the last time I did that, the chicken became spoilt. There was a distinct bad smell. But on the other hand, I do remember it is always possible to refrigerate KFC chicken pieces overnight. So can a cooked piece of chicken be refrigerated over night or is KFC an exception because of the preservatives they put into their chicken? Any one have any experiences? I may have to finish the whole chicken tonight if it can't be.

[BadRabbit]

Cooked chicken can be refrigerated for 4-5 days after cooking. The only problem you might encounter is if you leave the chicken out for too long before you refrigerate.

[Alex]

The USDA says, "If a food has been left in the 'Danger Zone' – between 40 and 140°F – for more than 2 hours, discard it, even though it may look and smell good." They tend to be ultra-cautious with this type of recommendation, so if your chicken was roasted to the proper temperature, I suspect you'd have a little more leeway. Re refrigeration, I concur with BadRabbit: four days should be fine, assuming your fridge is between 32° and 40°F. If you're not going to eat it before then, remove the meat and freeze it, preferably vacuum-packed, then use the carcass to make stock.

[naguere]

Leftovers from my Sunday chicken are promptly put in a sealed food box and then in the fridge.

I have had no problems keeping such for four or five days.

[heidih]

I agree with the others. I would mention that refrigerator temperature can be a factor. Things seem to hold quality for days longer in my new fridge. I stayed somewhere for two weeks last year and things were going off in a day- turns out the fridge was the problem when I had maintenance come take a look.