When you are very hungry and on top of that you have little time available, being able to prepare a good meal can be a complex task, which can become even more difficult if you have to make sure that the chicken you want to cook is still edible. We all know that consuming spoiled chicken can be very dangerous to your health. The threat isn't just hidden in raw chicken, because even cooked meat can spoil and cause food poisoning. When evaluating the freshness of a frozen chicken, what should you do? There are different methods to understand if the chicken is still edible and they consist in using with common sense sight, touch, smell and palate.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Controlling a Raw Chicken
Step 1. Highlight any changes in coloring
Fresh raw chicken has a classic pink color. When the chicken begins to deteriorate, its color changes, taking on a greyish hue. When the color of the meat begins to appear dull, it is good to use it as soon as possible to prevent it from spoiling. A chicken whose coloring has almost completely lost its pinkish tone in favor of gray indicates that the time to consume it has now expired.
- A deteriorated raw chicken can take on a color that varies from gray to the presence of small yellowish spots, not to be confused with the classic yellow color of the skin.
- By cooking a chicken that has gone bad, the color of the meat will remain dull instead of taking on the classic white color.
Step 2. Smell the meat
Raw chicken that has gone bad has a very strong odor. Some describe it as an acidic smell, while other people compare it to the smell of ammonia. When the chicken starts to give off a strong unpleasant odor of any kind, the only option available is to throw it in the trash.
If you start to smell unpleasant while cooking chicken, the best thing you can do is to stop cooking it and throw it in the trash
Step 3. Touch the chicken
Does it look slimy to you? This test is much more complex than those based on color or smell, because the chicken is naturally covered with a light patina that is a bit slimy to the touch. If this slimy sensation persists even after rinsing the meat under running water, it is very likely that it has gone bad. If the chicken looks oddly sticky, it is almost certainly spoiled.
Part 2 of 4: Controlling a Frozen Chicken
Step 1. Look for ice
If the meat is wrapped in a thick layer of ice it means that it is no longer suitable for consumption. The ice sheet will be as thick as the one that forms on the walls of a freezer that hasn't been defrosted in a long time. A chicken that has been frozen quickly and correctly does not have large amounts of ice on the surface. The presence of white ice could indicate a so-called "cold burn" (a condition resulting from a frozen food that dehydrates due to inadequate packaging).
Step 2. Highlight any "cold burns"
This phenomenon mainly affects meat and fish and shows up with white spots or superficial marks in the points where the product is not protected from fatty parts. The affected area appears wrinkled and rough due to high dehydration.
While not harmful to health, cold burns reduce the flavor of the meat, which will therefore be less appetizing
Step 3. Analyze the color
Color analysis of a frozen chicken is very difficult. The tones of frozen chicken are more dull, but similar to those of a raw or cooked chicken, and vary from a light shade of gray to yellow in the fat. A darker color than a slight shade of gray indicates that the chicken should be thrown in the trash.
Part 3 of 4: Examining a Cooked Chicken
Step 1. Smell the meat
The sense of smell can be a great way to test the goodness of both a raw and cooked chicken, but in the latter case it can be a bit more complex to identify a spoiled chicken, especially if very strong condiments or spices have been used that can mask the smell of meat.
If the smell from the chicken resembles that of a rotten egg or tastes of sulfur, it means that it has gone bad
Step 2. Highlight any color changes
Sometimes this verification is not possible, as in the case of breaded chicken or when marinades are used that alter the natural color of the meat. If, once cooked, the chicken stops being white and starts turning gray, it is no longer edible.
Step 3. Look for any traces of mold
Mold is one of the most obvious signs that chicken is bad. If some sort of green or black fluff has begun to populate the meat, it means that the degree of decomposition is very high and should be thrown in the trash immediately.
Step 4. Before eating the chicken, test its taste
If you are unsure of the goodness of a cooked chicken and want to test it before continuing your meal, or possibly throwing it away, taste a very small portion of it very carefully. Instead of chewing and swallowing the meat immediately, focus on analyzing the flavor.
If the meat tastes sour or unpleasant, quickly spit out the bite and throw everything in the trash
Part 4 of 4: Check the Packaging Status of the Chicken
Step 1. Check the expiration date
This data, if taken into consideration alone, is not always a valid indicator of the goodness of a raw chicken, because it simply indicates the date on which, according to the producer, the product can no longer be sold to consumers. Instead of relying solely on the expiration date as irrefutable proof of the edibility of the meat, it is better to interpret this information as confirming that the chicken in question is no longer of prime quality and begin to suspect that it may have gone bad.
When you buy fresh chicken from a supermarket butcher's refrigerated counter and freeze it, the product can be stored safely for nine months, even if the expiration date is exceeded. This is only true if the chicken is bought fresh and then frozen
Step 2. Check how the chicken has been preserved
A cooked chicken spoils much faster when exposed to direct contact with the air. So, in case it has been inadequately stored, it is very likely that it has gone bad.
- Chicken should be stored in a shallow vacuum-sealed container or frozen in a special food bag.
- It should also be wrapped tightly with aluminum foil or cling film.
- Example: in order to properly store a whole chicken and keep it edible, you should empty it of its entrails, cut it into small portions and freeze it or keep it in the refrigerator.
Step 3. Find out where and how long the chicken has been stored
Whether the product is still edible or not also depends a lot on how it was stored once purchased. After a certain time limit, the chances that it is no longer safe to consume it are very high.
- A raw chicken stored in the refrigerator should be eaten in 1-2 days. A cooked chicken can be safely stored for 3-4 days.
- A cooked and frozen chicken can be stored for up to 4 months, while if it has been frozen raw it can be eaten without problems within a year.
Advice
- If looking at your chicken you hear doubts like "Maybe it's too gray?" or "Maybe it's too slimy?" means it's no longer edible and you just have to throw it away.
- If the chicken has been defrosted on the kitchen counter, throw it away.
