When it comes to storing food and trying to prolong the shelf life of your meal, the effectiveness can vary massively depending on how it is done. While it may not work for everything, the optimal storage containers will be airtight containers that are safe to go in the fridge and freezer. Let’s have a look of the shelf life of chicken salad. Until when is it safe to consume?
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How To Store Chicken Salad
As mentioned, storing chicken salad whether it is homemade or store-bought is best done with an airtight container. You can keep the salad in a bowl or on a plate and wrap it with plastic wrap, although a container would be much more efficient and easier to do.
Storing at Room Temperature
Chicken salad, store-bought or homemade, should only be stored at room temperature for around 2 hours. Room temperature is the perfect climate for bacteria to start breeding and growing, any longer than 2 hours and it is likely that there will be a large number of bacteria in your salad so it would be advisable to discard it.
Storing in the Fridge
Storing chicken salad in the fridge is very easy.
All you have to do is let the chicken salad rest until it is at room temperature and then place it in an airtight container. After this, simply place it in the fridge and let it stay there until you are wanting to eat it.
A chicken salad in the fridge can last between 3 to 5 days before it is no longer recommended to eat it. This is because the fridge slows down the production of bacteria, not entirely pauses it.
We’ve got a post about salad shelf life in the fridge, if you want to learn more.
Storing in the Freezer
Chicken salad can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. This should only be done once as refreezing food like this can lead to it being covered in bacteria or just having an unappealing taste and texture.
It is worth mentioning that freezing a salad will noticeably decrease the quality of the dish as the vegetables in the salad will have a worse texture once they are thawed. The chicken and sauce should be relatively fine.
Shelf Life
| Room Temperature | Refrigerator | Freezer | |
| Shelf Life | 2 Hours | 3-5 Days | up to 3 months |
How to Know when your Chicken Salad is Bad
Knowing when your food is no longer safe to eat is an incredibly important skill to learn. This is even more helpful when you are starting to freeze and store food for longer periods of time.
A decrease in food wastage is amazing. But it also brings forth the risk of food poisoning as you are keeping food around longer and risking it getting covered more in bacteria.
The best way to know if your food is bad or not is by using your senses.
Firstly, smelling the food is the easiest way to know if it is bad. Bacteria and mold produce a rancid and bitter smell that is very unpleasant. If you can smell this, then you should throw away the food and not eat any of it.
The other sense to use is your sight. If there is any discoloration or mold formation on your food, that is also enough for you to throw it away. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to food poisoning, so do not take any unnecessary risks.
Need help making a chicken salad? We have tips for mincing chicken on the blog!
FAQs on Chicken Salad Storage
How can you tell if chicken salad is bad?
Smell and look at your chicken salad. Any slight discoloration or mold on your food is a key indicator that it is gone off. Smelling your food is also very helpful as bacteria will produce a bad smell which can alert you to the food being bad.
Is chicken salad good after 5 days?
After 5 days, it is recommended that you should not eat the food anymore. Being in the fridge only slows down the growth of bacteria and 5 days is enough for it to reach the point where it is unsafe to eat.
Can chicken salad make you sick?
Chicken salad can make you sick if it is left out too long or stored for too long. Another cause of sickness from this is your chicken being undercooked.
How many days does chicken last in the fridge?
Chicken can last up to 5 days in the fridge. This is the longest you can safely store it in the fridge before it is considered unsafe to eat.
Is chicken salad healthy?
Chicken salad is quite healthy, depending on your definition of healthy. It has a lot of fiber, protein, and carbohydrates in it which shows that it is quite a balanced meal. If you were to cover it in salt and sauce, it would be significantly less healthy.
