After you have dethawed chicken, can you safely refreeze a portion of it for later use?

Question

I had frozen some chicken and I dethawed it to make a portion of it. I have some leftover that I would like to refreeze- is this safe?

Answer 1

Its safer if you cook it then refreeze the leftover.

For me, I always cut it into various portions, store in separately then keep it in the fridge. Whenever I need to cook, I just thaw the amount I need. In this way, the time taken to thaw it will be shorter and I won't have to throw away any leftovers.

Answer 2

NEVER! chicken is high in bacteria to start with, and if not defrosted completely before cooked you risk getting very ill. No meats should be defrosted and refreeze, without first being cooked. Smaller portions frozen to begin with next time, or double your recipe, cook and then freeze leftovers, so you have a easy meal on hand when you don't feel like starting from scratch.

Answer 3

Steve G is right. But every time you dethaw something and then refreeze it, over and over a couple of times, it compromises the condition and quality of the meat

Answer 4

I have a question, how many people buy "Fresh" poultry? The chicken you buy at the Market unless it say "Fresh" on any label pertaining to it has been frozen already, thawed and placed in the meat/ poultry counter for sale to the consumer who takes it home and puts it back it the freezer whole or cuts it into portions for use at another time. Bottom Line? Refreeze it, cooking it will take care of any bacteria it may have. 165 minimum internal temp

Answer 5

i would never reccomend you refreeze chicken cooked or uncooked to many health risks, crook chicken can make you very ill, and if its dethawed is NO longer frozen

Answer 6

You can cook up the chicken and then freeze it. But you should not thaw the chicken and refreeze it because you did not yet.

Answer 7

If the chicked is raw, then completely cooked, and you don't get food poisoning, then I think it is safe to refreeze the cooked chicken.

Answer 8

It depends on how completely it thawed. If they were still frozen in the center they may be okay, though their shelf life has been reduced and so they should be eaten soon. If they were completely thawed, and if they ever reached temps above about 35 degrees, then toss them out. No matter what, make sure you cook them completely when you do use them, just to be safe.

Answer 9

No, dontcha do it. Once it has been completely unfrozen it is not safe to refreeze it again.

Answer 10

I think dethawed chicken would still be frozen.