Can You Freeze Cooked Chicken?
A chicken dish always lights up your mood when it is on the dinner table, right? Well, it may not be dinner, you might like a chicken taco for lunch or a chicken salad for breakfast. Whatever, the time of the day it is, a cooked chicken recipe never disappoints.
Cooking chicken is easy, but the meat takes time to cook. However, the time to cook chicken depends on the recipe. Chicken can be cooked in a variety of ways. Keeping in mind the time factor, you cannot always devote your time to cooking chicken.
In those cases, have you ever thought of storing the cooked chicken for later use? Can you freeze cooked chicken? Indeed, you can freeze cooked chicken. And the best part is chicken is quite freezer-friendly, so it stays well in the freezer.
Well, yes cooked chicken can be frozen, but the freezing might vary a little depending on the recipe. For example, chicken with a lot of sauce or gravy should be specifically kept in airtight containers. Continue reading the article till the end for more details.
How To Freeze Cooked Chicken?
Freezing cooked chicken is easier than preparing the chicken. Yes, it is a simple process that can be accomplished with a few steps. All you need to do is take adequate precautions while handling the food, otherwise, it might spoil.
Check the following steps to freeze cooked chicken at home:
- Prepare your chicken and set aside the dish at the counter to cool. You must allow the chicken to cool completely at room temperature, or else it will disrupt the freezing process.
- Once the chicken has cooled down sufficiently, you need to transfer the dish into ziplock bags or airtight containers. You can decide on choosing the packaging. I would say choose containers for gravy chicken dishes and ziplock bags for non-gravy chicken dishes.
- Next, seal the chicken packages tightly. This is an important step, as you need to ensure minimum or no air contact with the dish, otherwise, it will develop bacteria and eventually spoil in the freezer.
- After sealing the packages, label and date them with adequate information. This will let you know how long they are to be kept or have been kept in the freezer. After all these steps are done, stack the cooked chicken in the freezer to freeze.
Tip: Do not let the chicken stay at room temperature for too long while cooling. Transfer them to containers immediately after they have cooled down. This is because unnecessary exposure to air will contaminate the dish.
Tips To Freeze Cooked Chicken!
Now that you know how to freeze the cooked chicken effectively at home, I have some tips for you that you just cannot miss! These tips will definitely help you achieve better results when you are freezing cooked chicken the next time.
Check out the tips for freezing cooked chicken below:
- When you are freezing chicken gravy dishes in an airtight container, it is understood that you will be sealing it tightly. However, for better protection of the cooked dish, it is advised that you also wrap the container with cling film.
- If you are freezing non-gravy chicken dishes, it is best if you wrap the bigger chicken pieces separately in several layers of cling film. The multiple layers of cling film will be beneficial as it will effectively stop any air contamination.
- If you have prepared a large quantity of chicken with the motive of storing it for later use, it is suggested that you freeze it in smaller portions. This will help while defrosting the dish later and avoid food wastage. You are anyway not using all of it at a time.
- The chicken freezes quite nicely. But it is still advised that you place your cooked chicken packages at the center of the freezer, instead of the edges. This is because cooked chicken turns tender and might be prone to freezer buns at the edges.
How Long Can You Freeze Cooked Chicken?
The freezing time of cooked chicken is vastly different from the freezing the of uncooked chicken. You know that you can freeze raw chicken for about a year. Unlikely, cooked chicken can be frozen for a maximum of 4 months.
There is a difference in the freezing time because the cooked chicken has a lot of other ingredients, and therefore they react to freezing differently. However, to be able to keep cooked chicken in the freezer for 4 months is a big deal.
If you are making chicken at home, it can be kept for only 2 days in the refrigerator before consumption. Freezing is a great method to preserve the dish for longer. What could be better than this, isn’t it? Further, it is best that you consume your frozen chicken as early as possible.
How To Defrost Cooked Chicken?
Defrosting is a crucial process when it comes to chicken. This is because chicken takes more than overnight time to defrost completely. To thaw the chicken, remove the frozen packages from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator for at least a day. The chicken will defrost properly.
After defrosting, you can keep the cooked chicken in the fridge for about 2 days before consumption. However, keep in mind that you consume the defrosted chicken dish as soon as possible for the best results.
Can You Freeze Grilled Chicken?
Yes, you can freeze grilled chicken. The process of freezing is the same as freezing any recipe of chicken. However, if you are adding any extra ingredients to garnish the dish, it is advised not to add them while freezing. Only grilled chicken will freeze better.
Can You Freeze Roast Chicken?
Roast chicken tastes best when served hot and fresh. However, if you still want to freeze the dish, you can. It is more convenient to have frozen roast chicken in the freezer than to actually roast the chicken every time you want to have it.
Summing it up, that was all about freezing cooked chicken effectively in the freezer. Now you know the best possible way to freeze your cooked chicken at home. So, the next time you are stuck somewhere, I think this article will be helpful for you, right?
