It’s understandable to think that you should never leave chickens out. Raw chicken is known to carry salmonella bacteria, which can lead to food poisoning if not handled properly. As such, it might seem like the safest choice is to cook chicken and then throw it away as soon as possible once it’s finished. But there are a few reasons why you might want to leave the cooked chicken out overnight occasionally. In some instances, leaving cooked chicken out overnight can help reduce the risk of food poisoning from raw chicken. However, this only applies in specific circumstances, so you shouldn’t assume that it is safe to leave the cooked chicken out overnight on a regular basis. Read on for more information about when it’s okay and not okay to leave the cooked chicken out overnight.
Can You Leave Cooked Chicken Out Overnight?
Most people are used to cooking chicken in the oven, but did you know that you can also leave it out? The smell of a cooked chicken can be a bit overpowering, but if you leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for about two hours, it will start to smell like it’s been cooking all day. In fact, you might even forget that it’s been cooking all day until you go to eat it.
How To Safely Leave Cooked Chicken Out Overnight?
- Remove cooked chicken from the oven and place it on a plate or cutting board.
- Cover the cooked chicken with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator for about two hours or until you’re ready to eat.
- Take out the cooked chicken from the refrigerator, uncover it and eat! You can even use this method if you want to grill a whole chicken. Just make sure that you cover your whole chicken with aluminum foil and cover it with a lid before placing it on your grill.
- Place the whole chicken in the oven and cook it for about an hour.
- Take out the cooked chicken from the oven and let it sit for about two hours in the refrigerator before you eat it. Cooking Tip: You can also roast a whole chicken by placing its breast-side up on a large baking sheet, in an oven preheated to 350°F (177°C). Bake it for 1¼ hours or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 165°C (74°F). Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- Take out the cooked chicken from the refrigerator, uncover it and eat! You can even use this method if you want to grill a whole chicken. Just make sure that you cover your whole chicken with aluminum foil and cover it with a lid before placing it on your grill.
- If you want to sauté the chicken in the oven, place it in a baking pan and cook it for about an hour.
- Place all ingredients in a pan and heat them over medium-high heat until they are hot enough to sizzle but not burn. Season them with salt and pepper as well as any additional herbs or spices that you like.
- After cooking everything for about five minutes, add oil or ghee if using butter and reduce heat to medium-low or medium so that the ingredients are lightly browned without burning them completely yet.
- Remove pan from heat once finished cooking everything, add water if needed so that all ingredients are covered by a liquid, cover the pan and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- After adding water, add a few tablespoons of butter or oil to the pan and heat them over medium-high heat until they are hot enough to sizzle but not burn. Season them with salt and pepper as well as any additional herbs or spices that you like.
Tips For Safely Storing Cooked Chicken
- If you plan on storing the cooked chicken for a long time, then you should make sure that it is tightly sealed in a plastic bag so that air cannot enter.
- Cooked chicken should be kept in the coldest section of your refrigerator, usually the bottom shelf. Each time you cook chicken, place it back into its original packaging and place it back into the refrigerator to prevent food poisoning from developing.
- Cooked chicken should be cooked using only clean utensils or cutting boards and not shared with other people unless they have been thoroughly washed beforehand.
- Cooked chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before cooking it again or freezing for later use but no longer than 7 days after cooking it.
- Cooked chicken can also be frozen if they are thoroughly cooked first but do not thaw them before cooking them again or freezing them for later use because this will damage the meat and make it less nutritious and tasty than when freshly cooked.
- If you plan on freezing cooked chicken, then you should cook them first at least through step 6 in this article: How To Freeze Chicken? This prevents freezer burn which is when foods lose their flavor and nutrients when frozen improperly because they were not properly stored beforehand or were improperly thawed afterward due to improper handling by consumers themselves or by other people who did not know how to handle frozen food properly before cooking them again after thawing them out.
- If you plan on cooking cooked chicken, then you should buy only fresh, properly refrigerated chicken from a local butcher shop or grocery store.
- If you want to cook your cooked chicken at home, then use only clean utensils and cutting boards that have not been used for raw meat or for any other type of food.
- Cooked chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (73°C) as measured by a meat thermometer. If you do not have a meat thermometer at home, then use the following method instead: Place the cooked chicken in a preheated oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 30 minutes before removing it from the oven and checking its internal temperature with a food thermometer.
- For safety reasons, the cooked chicken should never be left out on the counter or table because it can easily become contaminated if it is not kept properly refrigerated or if people are eating it without washing their hands first after handling raw meat like other foods in their homes before eating them like they would wash their hands when they eat other types of food.
Final words
There are certain instances in which it is okay to leave the cooked chicken out overnight. However, it is important to keep in mind that bacteria can grow on the inside of the chicken even if the outside doesn’t look or smell bad. That’s why it’s important to keep cooked chicken refrigerated and follow the two-hour rule if you plan to leave it out for more than a few hours. All in all, it’s best to err on the side of caution and always cook your chicken!
