To protect your family, follow these guidelines:
Store cooked or raw chicken within 2 hours of cooking or purchasing.
Place chicken in shallow, sealed containers to cool quickly and prevent contamination.
Raw chicken: 1–2 days
Cooked chicken: 3–4 days
Raw chicken: up to 9–12 months
Cooked chicken: 2–6 months
Your refrigerator should always be at or below:
Reheat chicken to at least:
This kills bacteria — but remember, it doesn’t remove toxins produced earlier.
No matter how expensive the meal was
No matter how good it still looks
No matter who says it’s probably fine
Chicken left out overnight is unsafe and must be discarded.
It’s not worth risking the health of your children or anyone else in the household.
Accidents happen — everyone forgets food on the counter sometimes. What matters is knowing how to recognize unsafe situations and protect your family from foodborne illness. Chicken is particularly risky, and leaving it unrefrigerated overnight allows harmful bacteria to multiply beyond safe limits.
A simple rule to remember:
By understanding how dangerous unrefrigerated chicken can be and practicing safe storage habits, you can keep your family healthy, prevent illness, and avoid unnecessary risks.
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