The USDA recommends cooking chicken or freezing it within 1 to 2 days of purchase. However, provided that the chicken does not show signs of spoilage, it should be still be safe to consume 3 days beyond the sell-by date.
The USDA says this date isn't exactly an expiration date—it's the date after which the chicken begins to lose its “peak quality.” So you'll have up to two days after that date to use the chicken. Beyond two days, pay attention to other sensory signs to know if the chicken has gone bad.
In general, chicken is safe to eat up to 5 days after the sell by date. However, it is important to note that the sell by date is only an indication of freshness and not of food safety. After the sell by date, your chicken may still be safe to eat if it has been stored correctly at temperatures below 40°F.
Chicken breast should be consumed within two days of the sell by date. Any chicken that has been in the refrigerator for longer than two days should be discarded for safety reasons.
Fresh, raw chicken is pink and fleshy in color; if the chicken has gone bad it will be discolored and take on a dull, grayish cast. “Signs of food spoilage are pretty universal,” White says. “Any foul odor, discoloration or foreign substances on your chicken would be grounds for tossing.”
If you bought raw chicken and you know it's spent 2 days in the refrigerator after the sell-by date, smell it. If it's bad, you'll know right away. It's the same for milk. It may be good for several days after the sell-by date, but if there's a sour smell, you know it's bad.
Generally, chicken can remain fresh for about 1-2 days after the sell-by date. It's important to note that this is only a guideline, as some factors like how the chicken is stored and how it's cooked may affect how long it will last. When it comes to food safety, always trust your senses.
"For poultry or ground meat, eating the food one to two days past the date should be ok, and for beef, three to five days after the date has passed," says Schapiro.
Storing Chicken in the Fridge
No need to stash it in the freezer — it's OK to store raw chicken (whole or in pieces) for 1–2 days in the fridge. If you have leftovers that include cooked chicken, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Some good news: If you eat chicken that smells a little bit off, you're most likely going to be OK. Pathogenic bacteria like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli are your biggest risks with raw chicken, and cooking it to a proper 165 degrees Fahrenheit will render those harmless.
If you experience symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, and fever after eating undercooked meat, seek a diagnosis from a medical institution immediately. The symptoms of food poisoning from meat generally occur within seven days after eating.
A “Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below. A “Freeze-By” date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
"Cooked chicken will start to appear gray or greenish, and have a softer or slimier texture when it starts to go bad; as well as a foul smell. Cooked chicken may also develop mold or white patches on it, which indicates it has gone bad," says Katie Tomaschko, M.S., RDN.
Check the 'use-by' or 'best-before' date when you buy food. 'Best-before' dates give you an idea of how long foods will last before they lose quality. Most products will last beyond their 'best-before' date if they are stored properly. Foods marked with a 'use-by' date must be consumed before or on that date.
According to the USDA, cooked chicken will last three to four days in the refrigerator, and two to three months in the freezer. Eating cooked chicken after this point can result in foodborne illness — even at refrigerated temperatures, bacteria can still grow.
As in ammonia, or rotten eggs, or just plain pungent. Even fresh chicken smells like something, but it shouldn't smell funky. If yours does then it's probably spoiled.
Sell-By Date
Stores use this date to know when to remove products from shelves. You can eat food after the sell-by date. For example, dairy products are good for 1 week after the sell-by date. Eggs are safe for 3 to 5 weeks after the sell-by date.
Best before should be considered a rough guide rather than a strict rule. There is no reason to throw away food that goes past its best before date, it is perfectly safe to eat and will often taste just as good. The government has actually considered scrapping best before dates to help prevent food waste.
If kept frozen continuously, chicken will be safe indefinitely, so after freezing, it's not important if any package dates expire. For best quality, taste and texture, keep whole raw chicken in the freezer up to one year; parts, 9 months; and giblets or ground chicken, 3 to 4 months.
You should be good 4-5 days after the sell by date. However, like most things, it's only a recommendation. If the chicken is bad, it's bad. Smell is a good indicator, but it is not a perfect one.
It's normal for some discoloration and aroma when you open the pack. We recommend that you take it out of the packaging and leave to breathe in the fridge for 30 minutes. The unusual smell should disappear.
In most cases, chicken that is 5 days past the sell-by date should be tossed. Even with proper storage in the fridge, raw poultry will eventually start to grow bacteria that can result in food poisoning, so it's best to err on the side of caution.
Bad chicken will have a strange and unpleasant (funky) odor, sometimes even like rotten eggs. Fresh raw poultry may not be totally odor-free, but it shouldn't smell funky. If it's sour smelling, out it goes.