Can You Freeze Whole Chicken?
You must be cooking a variety of chicken dishes at home. But sometimes, you might not feel like cooking all of the chicken you bought, and therefore, you store it in the refrigerator. The chicken, however, cannot be stored for very long in the fridge.
What can you do to store the whole chicken for longer? Can you freeze whole chicken? Yes, you can freeze whole chicken effectively in the freezer. It is a very easy and effective way to preserve your chicken for longer. Check out more details in the following sections.
How Do You Freeze Whole Chicken?
You can keep raw whole chicken in the refrigerator for 2 days. Post that, you will have to freeze the chicken if you do not intend to cook it, otherwise, the food quality will degrade. The process of freezing the chicken is mentioned in detail below.
Check out the following steps to freeze whole chicken:
- If you have not used your chicken at all, it can simply be frozen in its original packaging because the wrapping is airtight. But this can only be done if you intend to use the frozen whole chicken within 2 months.
- To freeze the chicken longer, first remove the whole chicken from its original packaging. The original packaging might cause freezer burns to the chicken after 2 months. Therefore, it is crucial to remove the original packaging.
- Next, wrap the chicken adequately in cling film. It would be better if you use several layers of cling film. to wrap your chicken. After that, transfer the wrapped chicken into ziplock bags. You can also use airtight containers for this purpose.
- Remove as much air as possible from the bags before you seal them tightly. Label and date the bags properly so that you know how long the whole chicken has been in the freezer. Stack the chicken packaging in the freezer to freeze.
How Do You Defrost Frozen Chicken?
Defrosting is always an easy process. The only tricky part is, it takes a lot of time. For defrosting your frozen whole chicken, what you have to do is remove e the frozen packages from the freezer, and place it in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days for defrosting.
While the defrosting time might seem long, it is critical. This is because if the chicken is not defrosted sufficiently, it cannot be used for further cooking. It would help if you allowed the chicken to defrost at its own pace in the refrigerator for the best results.
Also, remember that you never defrost your chicken at normal room temperature. The major change in the temperature from the freezer to normal room temperature will cause the whole chicken to spoil.
How Long Can You Freeze Whole Chicken?
Whole chicken can be preserved for about 12 months in the freezer. It is a very long time to use up your frozen chicken. You need not worry about it. Freezing whole chicken means you simply have a year-round supply of chicken in your freezer. Isn’t that great?
Additionally, if you are concerned about any loss of flavor or texture in your frozen chicken, it is much less likely to happen. This is because the chicken is not cooked before freezing. While the frozen whole chicken might not retain its original freshness, it will still be plump.
Can You Freeze Cooked Whole Chicken?
Yes, you can also freeze cooked whole chicken. The process of freezing the cooked chicken is similar to freezing raw whole chicken. You do not need to follow any extra steps to do so. However, cooked whole chicken will last in the freezer for around 4 months.
Summing it up, that was all about freezing whole chicken at home. So, the next time you are buying chicken from the store, buy some extra because now you know how to store it effectively for a long time.
