Experts reveal how to safely store and defrost chicken

Plenty of people steer clear of cooking with chicken simply because of the risks associated with it.

It's one of those foods where you have to be really careful with the way it is stored, handled and cooked, otherwise, it could end up making you seriously sick.

While there's lots of conflicting information out there about the proper way to handle chicken, 9honey Kitchen has spoken with the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) to settle the debate once and for all.

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A spokesperson for the ACMF says when you first get chicken home from the supermarket, it's important to decide when it's going to be eaten.

If eating it within two days, it's fine to pop in the fridge, but if you're going to be waiting any longer than that it's best to go in the freezer.

As far as how long chicken can last in the freezer, the ACMF says, "You can store frozen meat for years [in the freezer], however with time there will be loss in nutritional value and quality."

When it comes to defrosting chicken, there are two methods the ACMF recommends, and one they say to steer clear of.

"It is OK to thaw or defrost chicken in the fridge, at 5°C or less, or microwave," a spokesperson for the ACMF says.

"Importantly, do not thaw chicken at room temperature on the kitchen bench as it will allow bacteria to multiply."

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When defrosting chicken in the fridge, it's best to put it in a container on the bottom shelf to stop any juices from leaking onto other produce, and once it's defrosted, it should be eaten within a day.

Now, there's a common notion that it's never safe to refreeze chicken once it's been defrosted, but according to the ACMF, that's not entirely true.

"Providing chicken has been properly defrosted in the fridge (at or below 5°C) it's safe to refreeze," a spokesperson tells 9honey Kitchen.

And if you'd rather defrost your chicken in the microwave, that's totally fine – just make sure you start cooking immediately after thawing.

The main issue with defrosting chicken in the microwave is the fact the edges can sometimes start to cook and go a greyish colour, but the ACMF says that's no issue.

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"Slight cooking of the edges during microwave defrosting can occur," a spokesperson says.

"As long as the chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature (75°C), it is safe to eat."

There's no need to panic when cooking chicken any longer, now you know exactly how to handle it to ensure you don't get sick.

So go forth and make your schnitzels and pesto pasta, unafraid of the poultry on the bench in front of you!

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