It’s a Sunday morning, and you decide to try that recipe of a perfect chicken sandwich, only to find that the leftover chicken is spoilt. Now begrudgingly you need to find something else to eat, and you lament over the amount of food and nutrients that was wasted. A skinless, cooked chicken breast contains over 54 grams of protein, great for fitness and weight goals.
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However, these things are common, and with a few simple tricks, you can preserve leftover cooked chicken, intact for use in other recipes or to be consumed as they are. Let’s take a look.
Put cooked chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag right away, preferably within 1.5 hours of cooking. Label this so that you remember what it is, and when it was put into the freezer. When you are ready to use it again, make sure you defrost in the microwave or place it in the fridge overnight. Reheat it till it is piping hot.
At -18°C, domestic freezers delay the chemical reactions in foods to prevent bacterial growth. However, bacteria are still present in the food and can be triggered to grow again on defrosting. This is why it’s recommended that you defrost the chicken inside the fridge. Cooked chicken can be left frozen for up to 2 days if you are doing everything right. Once defrosted, you can use the leftover chicken in a new meal, and freeze that again to eat later on. However, resist the urge to do this many times, or you will catch a stomach bug.
While you can freeze most types of leftover chicken, there are exceptions. If the chicken was an ingredient in a meal, you need to consider the state of other ingredients. For instance, fried chicken? Yes, you can seal fried chicken in airtight containers and bags and store it in the freezer. What about chicken dumpling soup? The soup can be stored too in a similar manner. You just need to leave space in the airtight pouch for expansion. It’s also best to store the dumpling separately.
However, you can’t freeze something like chicken salad if it has mayonnaise. The mayo will ‘split’ after it is thawed, lending the dish a bad taste and appearance. The same goes for chicken soups with cream and potatoes, which also can’t be frozen.
Never taste the dish to confirm your suspicions. You will end up with a bad case of stomach flu. There are few signs to indicate chicken gone bad, in case you don’t remember when it was put into the freezer.
Image source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-tell-if-chicken-is-bad
Fried, roasted, plain, on its own, or used in a tasty dish, chicken is a versatile food that lets you get inspired to use it in many dishes. It’s a great source of protein, niacin, selenium, and other important nutrients essential for repairing tissues and building muscle mass. Easy to cook, liked by kids, it can be served on any occasion.
However, make sure to defrost food properly, out of the ‘danger zone’. That is, above 8°C and below 63°C where most microbial growth takes place. Reheat food only once, and you are good to go.