How long can you keep a rotisserie chicken in the fridge?

Grocery-store rotisserie chicken can be hard to beat. Eat it as is, shred leftovers for tacos, enchiladas, salads, sandwiches, dumplings or savoury pies, and use the bones to make stock after you’ve picked them clean. Rotisserie chicken is cost-effective and versatile — it’s no wonder Costco alone sold more than 137 million globally in 2023 — but how long does it last in the fridge?

There are posts on the unofficial Costco subreddit exploring how far you can stretch a rotisserie chicken before tossing it by people who, admittedly, “like to live life on the edge.” For the rest of us, the advice is clear. Health Canada recommends using refrigerated poultry leftovers “as soon as possible, within two to four days.”

But let’s say you’re the only chicken-eater in your household. How can you safely stretch a budget-friendly rotisserie bird?

Raw chicken can be contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, which Health Canada says are among the country’s leading bacterial causes of food-borne illness. To keep leftovers safe, the agency recommends refrigerating or freezing cooked poultry within two hours.

One option to extend the life of your rotisserie bird is to freeze some of it once you get home. Portion it for ease in recipes by cutting and deboning the meat from the carcass. Refrigerate some in an airtight container to eat over the next two to four days, and freeze the rest in single-serve containers or freezer bags, expelling as much air as possible.

Cooked chicken can last in the freezer for up to six months, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cold Food Storage Chart. This guideline is “for quality only” — the longer you keep rotisserie chicken in the freezer, the more likely it is to lose flavour and texture. “If kept frozen continuously, it will be safe indefinitely.”

Whether cooked chicken is on or off the bone doesn’t seem to affect its shelf life, so the choice is yours. Some food safety experts have noted that taking the meat off the bone allows the meat to cool down quicker, meaning less time in the “danger zone.”

Temperature is key to keeping your rotisserie chicken safe. Bacteria thrive in the danger zone, between 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) and 60 C (140 F). Exposing your poultry to these temperatures increases the risk of food poisoning, so make sure to either eat it or store it within two hours. Check that your fridge is at 4 C (40 F) or lower and your freezer is at -18 C (0 F) or lower.

When you’re ready to eat your frozen leftovers, defrost the airtight container or freezer bag in the fridge overnight and consume it within three to four days of defrosting. You can eat your leftover rotisserie chicken cold, but if you reheat it, use a meat thermometer to ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 74 C (165 F). Health Canada recommends against reheating the same leftovers more than once.

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