Chicken is a favorite food to eat by almost everyone in the world. It is popular as it can be cooked in hundreds to thousands of ways, and also, it is highly available, in restaurants, supermarkets, and a lot of other places.
But the biggest question is, can you eat cold cooked chicken? To simply answer this is, yes! Yes, chicken can be eaten when cold but is it safe?
There are a lot of factors to consider, and information to finally assess on whether or not to feed your family with cold cooked chicken.
Storing Cooked Chicken
Storing cooked chicken plays a vital role in terms of safe consumption of the food. Cooling the chicken before keeping it inside the fridge is okay but it should not last for 2 hours.
Some are worried about putting their chicken in the fridge while it is still hot because they are under the assumption that by doing so, their fridge will heat up the same as with the other food in it. If you have the same beliefs as others, it is okay but make sure that your cooked chicken won’t linger around your kitchen top for too long, as it may invite bacteria to stick to it.
Using plastic wrap is recommended not for safety purposes, but to make sure that you can still enjoy the moisture of the chicken even if it is stored in the fridge.
Lastly, to avoid contamination, do not put cooked chicken together with raw chicken. Storing them together can make cooked chicken contaminated.
To add, when cooked chicken is frozen, it can last up to 4 months. Although frozen cooked chicken can probably make it dry, recreating it into a new dish can make the frozen chicken taste even better than its original taste.
Ways To Eat Cold Chicken
Due to the resourcefulness and creativity of professional and home cooks, they find ways to consume cooked chicken in the most exciting and delicious way. Now, if you are still asking, can you eat cold fried chicken, yes and below are the many ways you can do so:
Snack
Getting hungry in the middle of the day is normal, and most of the time, it causes one to eat unhealthy snacks like chips, chocolates, and the like. Instead of grabbing unhealthy snacks, just eat cold cooked chicken together with nuts or crisps. It is full of nutrition and protein to keep you full and up until lunch.
Sandwiches
Thinking of a healthy lunch for today? Choose a sandwich with a hefty chunk of cold chicken. This can guarantee you a delicious meal that is healthy and easy.
Nachos
Shredded cold chicken meat, plus salsas and sauces on top of nachos can definitely give your palate extreme satisfaction.
Salad
Is chicken salad supposed to be cold? If you want to enjoy the salad more, then go for a cold option. Give your cold chicken a nice mix of veggies and salad leaves, and voila, you have a perfect salad to munch on.
Is It Bad To Eat Cold Chicken
Eating cold chicken is not bad at all, but needless to say, some prefer to eat it hot. Eating cold cooked chicken can be consumed safely in as long as 48 hours or 2 days, provided that it was stored safely. It does not matter whether it is BBQ chicken, chicken nuggets, pulled chicken, fried chicken, etc.
But also, you have to consider the ingredients used to cook the chicken as there are ingredients like milk, that are spoiled easily.
The Taste Of A Cold Chicken
How does a cold cooked chicken taste? Is it better than hot? These questions are somehow subjective as the answer to these are dependent on the eater’s preference. Also, the way the chicken is cooked can determine whether the cold or hot chicken is the better choice.
You might be thinking, why do other people opt to eat cold cooked chicken, to help you understand where they are coming from:
– Cold cooked chicken tastes better than hot, at least for some
– It is cheaper as you do not need to use electricity or gas to heat the chicken
– You can eat right away and easily, hence this option is perfect for busy people
– It is versatile, it can be used to make sandwiches, nachos, etc.
One of the usual worries of cold cooked chicken eaters is its nutritional content. Some think that if they eat cold cooked chicken, its nutritional value decreases. Actually, it is not the case as the chicken’s nutritional value will not go down even if it was consumed cold.
A normal 3.5 ounce of chicken breast has around 31g of protein, 165 calories, and 3.6g of fat. With all these, you can enjoy 80% of protein when you consume 3.5 ounces of chicken, may it be cold or hot. This figure is really good for people who want to stay healthy.
Cold Cooked Chicken FAQs
There are a lot of questions surrounding cold cooked chicken, and to summarize and conclude important information about cold cooked chicken, read below:
Is it safe to eat cold cooked chicken?
To answer this question, yes, it is safe to eat cold cooked chicken, provided that it was stored properly. Right after the chicken is cooled, put it straight in the fridge. Leaving it too long outside after cooking may invite bacteria to stick to the chicken.
Can you eat defrosted cooked chicken?
Yes, eating defrosted cooked chicken is okay since the chicken is already cooked. What is not safe is eating defrosted uncooked chicken as uncooked chicken that is defrosted may accumulate more bacteria than usual. For the latter circumstance, it would be best if you cook the chicken after defrosting to kill bacteria attached to it.
Can You Eat Cold Cooked Chicken When Pregnant?
It highly depends on the pregnant woman, as some will have no issues eating cold cooked chicken while pregnant, while others are not allowed to eat chicken at all. For safety, it would be best if you consult your doctor on whether eating chicken is good for you or not. Of course, you do not want your baby to inherit this food sensitivity as well.
Is eating cold cooked chicken okay when breastfeeding?
This is a tricky question as some say it is okay, while others say it is not. This is not an easy question to answer, and actually, it cannot be answered with conviction. If you consider the “general rule of the thumb for breastfeeding moms”, you will not eat anything that you are unsure about, hence, if you are unsure about eating cold cooked chicken, then don’t bother to eat it.
Is it okay to eat cold, cooked or uncooked chicken nuggets?
To answer this question, yes, eating cold chicken nuggets is okay, but will it be as satisfying when you eat it hot and crispy? No. If you want to enjoy your chicken nuggets, even more, cook them.
With everything stated above, the simple answer to the question, “can you eat cold cooked chicken”, is yes. Storage is very important when consuming any cold food, whether it is chicken or not, hence seriously considering this factor is a must if you want to enjoy your food, hot or cold.
