How long can chicken be left unthawed in the fridge?

Answer 1

If you are thawing chicken you need to do one of the following:

A) Thaw in the bottom of the refrigerator in a bowl to collect the juices that run off

B) Thaw in the microwave( last resort and depending on size)

C) Thaw in the sink in a container under cold running water (not hot). Hot water will cause the chicken to start to cook or bacteria to grow. While thawing you should discard the water about every 45 minutes to an hour.

D) in an ice bath discard ( water every 45 minutes to an hour)

Do not just leave the chicken on the counter to thaw because bacteria doubles every 20 minutes when it reaches ideal conditions. However, if it reaches the temperature danger zone of 4-60 degrees Celsius then bacteria grows even faster than that.

This could potentially, cause food borne illness.

Answer 2

You should cook thawed chicken within 1 to 2 days.

Answer 3

3 days