Storage guide
How long chicken keeps in the freezer
At 0°F (-18°C) or below continuously, frozen chicken remains safe indefinitely; listed freezer durations are for quality.
U.S. home food-safety guidance.Check the source and scope
What to do
- For best quality, USDA lists up to 1 year for a raw whole bird, 9 months for raw parts, and 3 to 4 months for ground chicken or giblets.
- Cooked chicken is best within about 4 months in USDA’s chicken-specific chart; package tightly and date it.
- If the freezer warmed or food thawed, use its measured temperature and outage history instead of the quality dates.
Conditions and limits
- Freezer burn changes quality, not automatically safety.
- Do not apply the indefinitely-frozen rule to chicken with an unknown thaw-and-warm history.
Source and scope
Primary reference: USDA FSIS Chicken from Farm to Table. Equipment-specific steps and quality suggestions are practical guidance; check the appliance or product instructions for your model. How this site uses sources.