Can Chicken Be Refrozen After Thawing?

Can you refreeze chicken that you've already defrosted, or does this increase your risk for foodborne illness? You can safely refreeze previously thawed chicken after following a few important food handling safety rules.

You planned on making chicken for dinner and placed some frozen chicken breasts into the fridge to thaw. At dinnertime, something unexpected comes up, and you’re unable to use the chicken. Can you refreeze chicken that you've already defrosted, or does this increase your risk for foodborne illness?

You can safely refreeze previously thawed chicken after following a few important food handling safety rules. Read through the information below to determine whether the chicken in your kitchen is safe to put back in the freezer and thaw a second time before you eat it.

It’s not safe to refreeze and re-thaw all chicken. You can freeze cooked chicken without a problem if it’s still fresh (you should plan to use cooked leftovers within four days). If you’ve thawed a piece of raw chicken and plan to put it back in the freezer, follow these guidelines:

It’s been in your fridge for less than two days

Raw chicken should be put in the fridge immediately when you arrive home, and it should be cooked or frozen within two days. The same rules apply to chicken you’ve thawed in the fridge (not on the counter or in the microwave). You should plan to refreeze thawed chicken as soon as possible, but preferably within two days of thawing it.

It’s completely raw

It’s safe to freeze cooked leftovers, even from chicken that has been previously frozen, within four days. Plan to use raw chicken, regardless of whether you’ve just brought it home or thawed it, within two.

If your chicken is partially cooked — maybe you tried thawing it in the microwave or in hot water — you’re out of luck. You should cook the chicken thoroughly or throw it away to avoid potential food poisoning.

It's cold enough 

Only chicken that has been thawed in the fridge can safely be refrozen. Thawing on the countertop in cold water (while changing the water every 30 minutes so it remains cold) is safe, but if you thaw your chicken this way, you’ll have to cook it immediately. If you’re unsure if you can use your chicken right after it thaws, it’s a good idea to defrost it in the fridge — and nowhere else.

Don’t refreeze your chicken if it’s half-cooked or if it’s been sitting out on the kitchen counter (or anywhere else for longer than two hours). Similarly, don’t thaw your chicken in hot or warm water. Putting the meat in warm water — even if it's lukewarm — can cause bacteria to grow and contribute to your risk of food poisoning.

Eating raw or undercooked meats isn't always bad for your health, but if it's poultry, this act can have life-threatening consequences. The most common adverse outcome is food poisoning, which lasts a few hours to a few days. People who are immunocompromised or elderly can get very sick and even die from this type of foodborne illness.

Salmonella poisoning

Salmonellosis, or salmonella poisoning, is one of the most common types of bacterial infection you can acquire from poorly cooked or handled chicken. You’ll notice symptoms within one to three days of ingesting contaminated chicken. Fever, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea are common. If your illness gets worse, or if you’re in a high-risk category (such as being very young, old, or immunocompromised), you should seek medical help immediately.

Campylobacter poisoning

Raw or improperly handled chicken is also known for causing campylobacter (another type of bacteria) infection. Like salmonella poisoning, this illness feels like a bad case of the stomach flu: vomiting, diarrhea, and headache are common symptoms here. Unlike salmonellosis, campylobacter might not make you sick for up to seven days after you eat contaminated chicken.

If the chicken was thawed in your fridge and hasn’t been outside the fridge for more than two hours, it’s fine to store it safely in the freezer. The cost here may be quality: Your chicken cuts may lose moisture due to the freezing, thawing, and refreezing. In short, your refrozen chicken probably won’t make you sick, but it might not taste as good as if you only thawed it once (or cooked it when it was fresh). 

Though it used to be common practice to wash chicken breasts before cooking them, the CDC recommends against doing this now. Experts warn that you can contaminate your kitchen when water splashes from the raw chicken onto the counter, utensils, or nearby food you’re preparing. The best way to make chicken germ-free and safe to eat is by cooking it thoroughly to the recommended internal temperature (165 degrees Fahrenheit).

You know now that washing your chicken and defrosting it in warm water isn't safe. Take the following additional steps before, during, and after thawing or refreezing your raw chicken to avoid serious infections:

• In the grocery store, put your pack of raw chicken in its own bag rather than stacking it on your other food items.
• Keep raw chicken in a tightly sealed container and separate it from other foods in your fridge.
• If you touch the raw chicken, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap.
• Take care to cut and prepare the raw chicken for cooking separately (even if you refreeze it after this).
• When refreezing raw chicken, ensure that the chicken does not smell bad and has not been in your fridge for more than two days.
• If your chicken doesn’t look completely cooked, it’s probably not. Use a meat thermometer or cook it for a few more minutes until you don’t see any pink spots.

Chicken presents a serious danger if it’s eaten undercooked or raw — especially for people who are vulnerable to illness. If you’re unsure how to tell if your chicken is ready to eat, purchase a food thermometer to ensure it’s fully cooked to the right temperature.