How long does Chicken last in the fridge?
Turning the range into a date
Chicken (whole) keeps 1–2 days in the fridge from purchase. Enter a day and each row becomes a calendar date, worked out in your browser.
Chicken, whole
- From purchase · in the freezerBest quality by12 months after the day you bought it
- From purchase · in the fridgeUse by1 day to 2 days after the day you bought it
Chicken, pre-packaged, luncheon/deli meat
- From purchase · in the freezerBest quality by1 month to 2 months after the day you bought it
- From purchase · in the fridgeUse by2 weeks after the day you bought it
- Once opened · in the fridgeUse by3 days to 5 days after the day you opened it
Every storage figure the USDA publishes for this item
USDA FoodKeeper lists 2 kinds under Chicken.
Chicken, whole
- From purchase · in the freezer12 months
- From purchase · in the fridge1 day to 2 days
Chicken, pre-packaged, luncheon/deli meat
- From purchase · in the freezer1 month to 2 months
- From purchase · in the fridge2 weeks
- Once opened · in the fridge3 days to 5 days
Common searches, answered from this table
How long is chicken good in the fridge?
- Chicken, whole · From purchase · in the fridge1 day to 2 days
What the USDA adds in words
Word for word from the FoodKeeper record.
Chicken, pre-packaged, luncheon/deli meat, in the freezer. Freezing not recommended.
What USDA FSIS and the FDA say about this food
For: Chicken, whole
Fresh Poultry
Chicken or turkey, whole1-2 days
USDA FSIS, Refrigeration & Food Safety, retrieved 4 November 2026. Quoted word for word.
For: Chicken, whole
Refrigerator Thawing
Planning ahead is the key to this method because of the lengthy time involved. A large frozen item like a turkey requires at least a day (24 hours) for every 5 pounds of weight. Even small amounts of frozen food — such as a pound of ground meat or boneless chicken breasts — require a full day to thaw. When thawing foods in the refrigerator, there are variables to take into account.
USDA FSIS, The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods, retrieved 4 November 2026. Quoted word for word.
Other foods on the same USDA shelf
Food safety rules that apply to every food
- Keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40° F (4° C). The freezer temperature should be 0° F (-18° C).
- Never allow meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or produce or other foods that require refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours—one hour if the air temperature is above 90° F.
- Though food will be safe indefinitely at 0° F, quality will decrease the longer the food is in the freezer.
- Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the counter top. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
- Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
- If you're not sure or if the food looks questionable, throw it out.
Sources: FDA: are you storing food safely · FDA: safe food handling · USDA FSIS: safe defrosting.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure and note on this page is reproduced from USDA FoodKeeper as published; the calendar date is the only arithmetic, and it runs in your browser.
Source: USDA FoodKeeper, retrieved 1 September 2026. A figure that does not match the source? Tell us. How the site is built.
The answer at the top is for Chicken, whole, the kind this site shows first; every kind the USDA lists under this name is printed with its own figures.
Also searched as: raw chicken, whole chicken
USDA index terms: deli meat, luncheon meat, packaged, pre-packaged, whole
KeepsUntil is an independent reference built on public USDA data. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Food and Drug Administration. Storage times are reproduced from USDA FoodKeeper as published; when in doubt, follow the FDA and USDA FSIS guidance linked on every food page.