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I boiled a whole chicken, then froze the cut up parts. I then cook different meals but want to know if I can refreeze the leftovers from the dinners.

Jolenealaska
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  • possible duplicate of [Rules for refreezing food](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/42968/rules-for-refreezing-food) – Chris Steinbach Jan 23 '15 at 20:01
  • @ChrisSteinbach I'm going to disagree that this is a duplicate of that question. I think it could be if the answers addressed chicken specifically, but they don't. And poultry has its own weirdness as far as refreezing. – Jolenealaska Jan 24 '15 at 11:15
  • @Jolenealaska Do you mean that refreezing poultry is somehow different to freezing other types of meat? If so I'd be interested in the details. – Chris Steinbach Jan 24 '15 at 12:39
  • @ChrisSteinbach Yes, I do mean that. The quality issue of refreezing poultry has (IMO) been much more heavily stressed, even though it probably is not all that much different. It's to the point that I could totally understand someone thinking it's a safety issue, when in fact it's only a quality issue. – Jolenealaska Jan 24 '15 at 12:42
  • @ChrisSteinbach I just talked to a mod in chat about it, and she agrees with you, that it is probably a dupe. So it probably will be closed. Oh well, I can be satisfied that I addressed the question in good faith. – Jolenealaska Jan 24 '15 at 15:07
  • @Jolenealaska Ok I see. Whether the question stays open or not I at least understand what you were driving at. – Chris Steinbach Jan 24 '15 at 16:09

1 Answers1

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Yes, you can. You're not facing a food safety issue at all except possibly for violating the "time in the danger zone" rule, and then only if, in fact, the rule has been violated. Look at What do I need to know about temperature and food safety? for more on that. For what (admittedly little) it's worth, I find the strict interpretation of that rule (2 hours, cumulative) overly conservative in a home environment assuming healthy, non-pregnant, adult eaters, but that's not my call to make concerning your food.

What you may face is a quality issue. The texture of your chicken may be negatively effected by refreezing. The smaller your pieces of chicken, and the saucier the dish, the less likely it is that you will notice this negative affect on the chicken.

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Jolenealaska
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