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I took out Frozen Perdue chicken breast on Sunday afternoon and put them in the fridge to thaw. They are each pre packaged. Today is Thursday are they still good to cook today?

Luciano
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Shelby
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  • Related, but not the same question (you're asking about leaving it in the fridge, rather than at room temperature), this answer does a great job at explaining how you need to consider the cumulative lifetime of the food: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/34671/45339 – AMtwo May 14 '20 at 12:06
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    This question more directly addresses your scenario as well [How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/21068/how-long-can-i-store-a-food-in-the-pantry-refrigerator-or-freezer) – AMtwo May 14 '20 at 12:07

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It's impossible to answer this for sure, it depends on how fresh they were when they were frozen and other factors. If they were frozen quickly after you bought them and they were well within their sell by date they are probably still good.

The easiest way to tell is to smell them, your nose is the best detector you have. If they smell bad get rid of them. If they smell okay feel them, if they are super slimy it's not a good sign, although they still may be edible (wash them in cold water first). A bit of sliminess is perfectly normal.

GdD
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  • I bought them from amazon delivery fresh and froze them as soon as they were delivered to me. I will smell them and check how slimy they are when I cook dinner tonight then. Thank you so much for answering me. – Shelby May 14 '20 at 11:26
  • If it smells bad, it probably is bad. However, food can be unsafe and still smell ok. Smell alone is not a reliable indicator of spoilage. – AMtwo May 14 '20 at 12:10
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    I agree smell alone is not the sole indicator, which is why I've said to touch it was well @AMtwo. – GdD May 14 '20 at 12:11
  • Non-smelly, non-slimy food can certainly cause food poisoning. IMHO "just sniff it and make sure it's not slimy" is DANGEROUS advice – AMtwo May 14 '20 at 22:00
  • If you get chicken from the supermarket and it isn't smelly and isn't slimy are you still going to throw it out @AMtwo? If you take a piece of chicken out of the freezer and thaw it and it isn't smelly or slimy are you going to throw it? Any food is potentially dangerous, eating is part risk management. – GdD May 15 '20 at 07:12