How long can you let chicken sit defrosted before you cook it?

Question

I took out chicken around 9:30am to let it defrost yesterday. I had an emergency and left I didn't get home until 10:30pm. The chicken was completely defrosted, I cooked it right there and then. I haven't eaten the chicken yet, I was going to eat it for dinner...do you think that it is ok to eat or was it out too long before I cooked it?

Answer 1

when you want to defrost things, best to put them in the fridge rather than just out on the counter.. that way they wont get to the dreaded room temperature in which bacteria thrives...

according to the FoodSafe courses I took, its ok to leave food at room temp for 2-3 hours, after which it needs to be stored properly again...

the chicken is probably ok for you to eat, and you likely won't get sick...  

Answer 2

believe me, you can tell when a piece of poultry is bad.  if it had no perceptible odor when you prepared it, it was probably good.

especially with a whole chicken/turkey, it's best to throw those into the refrig a day or so before.  if you leave that out, the center will still be frozen while the outside is sitting next to warm air.  the refrigerator will bring up the temp slower.

Answer 3

I wouldn't risk eating it when you cook chicken you make sure the internal temp reaches 180 degrees F

Answer 4

If the chicken was 40 degrees or more for more than 4 hours it is considered not safe to eat.

Answer 5

If it was not very, very cold when you touched it, you should pitch it, cooked or not.

Answer 6

never defrost chicken on the counter,allways thaw out in frige ,take out in am put in it to cook it in pm