How long is chicken good after the sell-by date?

Answer 1

Well, if you haven't cooked it, frozen it, or taken a preservative measure, you probably aren't going to want to keep the chicken much beyond the sell by date. If there's any smell, even the faintest odd whiff, get rid of it. Its not worth eating bad chicken.

Obviously, freezing it is the best way of preserving the life of your chicken. The second best way is by cooking it, cooked meat will last longer than raw meat because being thoroughly cooked will have killed most of the bacteria in the meat. One of the ways you can extend raw meat a little bit is by salting it, either through a dry brine or soaking it in a salt water solution. (Its obviously better to do this when you first buy the chicken, rather than when it may be on its last legs, because salt is a preservative.) You could use a salty marinade, but you have to be careful how long you leave the chicken in the marinade, more than 24 hours, and it'll do bad things to the taste and texture of the chicken. And if you have a cold spot in your refrigerator, like I do, that's where I put anything I want to keep especially cold without freezing.

Answer 2

That's a crap shoot. Usually about a day, but if it smells "iffy" I wouldn't eat it. Stores play a lot of games with "sell by" dates. Some stores remark unsold packages with later "sell by" dates, while other stores always shave a day or so off the dates they know the meats will still be fresh, to get you to buy meat more often.

Answer 3

1-2 days if stored at 45 degrees or lower

Answer 4

When properly stored, the shelf life of fresh chicken past its sell by date is approximately …

1-2 DAYS

Answer 5

Probably not that long.