How To Freeze Chicken

Follow these instructions to safely freeze chicken for up to a year.

Sandwich Baggies Look for the thin sandwich baggies that fold over rather than the zip-top bags. You can also use plastic wrap.
Zip-Top Freezer Bags Zip-top freezer bags are a great choice because they are thicker and usually have a double zipper, allowing you to freeze chicken longer. Gallon-sized bags will hold several chicken breasts.
Permanant Marker Always label each bag with the date, contents, quantity, and use-by date.

Gather your supplies and determine how to want to divide the chicken.
Label each bag with the date, contents, quantity, and use-by date, then set aside.
Wrap individual chicken pieces with sandwich baggies or plastic wrap and fold over, removing as much air as possible. For mess-free wrapping, invert a sandwich bag over your hand and use it to pick up the raw chicken. Use your other hand to turn the bag over the chicken and seal without ever touching raw chicken.
Place the individually wrapped chicken into the large freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.
Place the bags of chicken into the freezer.
When ready to use, remove what you need and place it on a plate in the fridge to defrost overnight.

The exact process works to freeze other chicken cuts like chicken tenders, chicken thighs, chicken wings, and chicken legs.
Because it can be challenging to remove all the air from bone-in chicken, you should use these cuts within 6 months.

Freezing whole chicken is really easy. Just pop it in the freezer in the packaging it came in. Whole chickens can easily be frozen for a year.
To defrost whole chicken, place it in the fridge for at least 24 hours for every 5 pounds of chicken.

Make sure you have plenty of room in your freezer before purchasing large quantities of chicken.
Have all of your supplies ready, then prep and label each bag before you begin working with the chicken.
Remove as much air as possible from each bag to reduce the risk of freezer burn.
Make a list of what you freeze and keep it on the freezer door to know exactly what’s inside without opening the door.
Wrapping the chicken in the extra baggie helps protect the chicken from freezer burn and makes it easy to grab just what you need instead of having to thaw large amounts of chicken.
Always wash your hands with warm, soapy water after handling raw chicken.