Avoiding Freezer Burn

"My frozen chicken doesn't look so great anymore. Why not?"

If you've taken out your chicken and it looks a little dried out and discolored, it may be freezer burned. Don't worry, it's still safe, but it's definitely not top-quality anymore. Just cut off the parts with freezer burn and use the rest.

There are a number of reasons why chicken might have freezer burn. One is that it has remained in your freezer too long. Sometimes it's easy to shove a package back and bury it under other items in a freezer, especially if you have a chest freezer like me. I love my chest freezer dearly, but sometimes I curse it. I can't tell you how many times I've taken out just about everything and put it on the floor just to find that one item. A great trick that some people use is one where they get different sized plastic storage containers or trays and place like items inside each. It's a brilliant way to keep things organized and rotate out food so it doesn't get freezer burn. Plus, it's much easier to take out a half-dozen or so trays than it is to take out 50 individual items when you're looking for something.

Another reason chicken might get freezer burn is that it wasn't repackaged or wasn't repackaged correctly. Chicken kept in the original package (except for tightly wrapped whole chickens), tend to have a large amount of air pockets. You'll notice that it's especially in these areas that the chicken gets most dried out and looks like it has freezer burn. You may even have repackaged in ziplock freezer bags, but if you didn't remove all of the air, that could be the problem. 

The trick to avoiding freezer burn is to remove all the air surrounding the food. You can do this by filling your bag with chicken to be frozen. Zip the bag until only a small part remains unzipped. Take a clean drinking straw and insert it into the bag into the part with air. With one hand, zip the bag tight up to the straw. Now suck out the air (it shouldn't be much). Immediately pull out the straw and zip it simultaneously. Now label the bag with the contents and the date. 

And don't forget to use that chicken up within the next 9 months to avoid freezer burn.

Freezer Storage

"How long should I store my frozen chicken? I want my family to be safe."

As long as chicken stays frozen, you're safe. Freezer storage is basically a quality issue, not a safety issue. Remember, bacteria only thrive, grow and multiply between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. And it's always advised to cook to 165 degrees to be safe, of course.

At freezer temperatures, bacteria isn't killed off as some people believe. Freezer storage simply causes the bacteria to go dormant. So whatever bacteria was present in your chicken at that time it was frozen simply remain in a frozen state. Their date of execution is the day you cook your chicken to the proper and approved temperature.

So although you don't have to worry about freezer storage of chicken as a safety issue, you will have to worry about it in terms as how good your chicken will taste when you cook it. 

Whole chickens will keep about 1 year if they are properly packaged. This usually means packaged in their original tight wrapping. Obviously, the closer to the 1 year mark of freezer storage, the lesser the quality and flavor will be for them. You theoretically could keep the chicken for years and safely eat it, but by then you probably wouldn't want to. Best cook it and give it to your dog at that point.

Chicken parts such as legs, breasts and thighs have a somewhat shorter acceptable term for freezer storage if properly packaged. You shouldn't keep these in the original pack, but re-wrap to ensure maximum protection from freezer burn. Good quality zip-lock bags either vacuum sealed or sealed using the straw-method is best. Expect to chicken parts to remain usable and tasty for around 9 months maximum.  


Chicken freezes very well and keeps reasonably long in freezer storage. Enjoy your chicken to the max and use it before you lose it. Bon appetit!