Don’t refreeze previously frozen cooked chicken
It’s not a good idea to refreeze chicken that has already been cooked, frozen and thawed. Every time you handle chicken, bacteria grow and keeping bacterial growth to a minimum is crucial to food safety. The golden rule for freezing cooked chicken is to cook it once, freeze it once, defrost it once and reheat it just once.
Freezing cooked chicken tips
Other tips for getting the best results from freezing cooked chicken are:
- Remove the bone from the cooked chicken and shred the meat.
- Freeze in the format you plan to use - keep cooked chicken breast whole, slice for sandwiches or cut into chunks for soups and curries.
- Double wrap chicken in cling film and put it in an airtight freezer bag squeezing out any excess air. This helps to prevent freezer burn which causes severe food deterioration.
- Freeze in small portion sizes to provide greater flexibility and avoid waste. Small portions are also quicker to freeze and defrost.
- Loose shredded, diced and whole chicken pieces can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Chicken cooked in a sauce should be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
How to tell if frozen cooked chicken is bad
Similar to frozen raw chicken, you can usually tell if the chicken is bad.
- Look for freezer burn. If the surface of your frozen chicken is covered in ice crystals, it probably has freezer burn. It will probably still be safe to eat but it won’t taste great!
- Look for discolouration of the meat. If there are any grey or green-hued areas, the chicken is bad and should be thrown out.
- Does the frozen chicken smell off? Frozen chicken shouldn’t smell of anything, so if there is an odour, the chicken is likely off.
- Thaw the chicken and check it. Frozen chicken should ideally be thawed out on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator overnight. Unsafe chicken will be discoloured with a dull greyish hue and have a strong odour indicating it has begun to spoil. This can be difficult to spot for cooked chicken so check the texture and smell. If it has an off-putting odour or it feels slimy or sticky to the touch, it’s off. Bin it!