Purchasing

Get tips from Perdue on buying and freezing chicken safely. Frozen chicken should be rock hard and fresh chicken cooked within two days.

Buy a trusted brand like Perdue at the end of your shopping trip.
Make sure the packaging is:
- Clean
- Cold
- Sealed tight without rips or leaks
- Sold from a refrigerated poultry case
- Rock solid to the touch if frozen
Choose poultry marked within the sell-by or use-by date.
Overwrap in a store-provided lightweight plastic bag and knot it closed.
Bag separately from unwrapped foods like fresh fruits and vegetables.
Estimate a lb. of chicken per adult for boneless cuts; a pound per adult for bone-in parts and roasts. Estimate 1 lb. of raw, bone-in turkey per adult (10 adults = 10 lbs. of turkey).
Plan to cook fresh poultry within 2 days of purchase or subdivide bulk buys and"freeze"what you won't use quickly.

Refrigerate or freeze fresh or frozen poultry ideally within 30 minutes of purchasing to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Keep poultry wrapped until you are ready to prepare.
Cook refrigerated fresh poultry within 2 days or freeze immediately.
If purchased on the sell-by date, prepare or freeze immediately.
If freezing, mark with the purchase date.
Prepare frozen meat the day it thaws.
Keep the freezer at 0°F and the refrigerator at 36°F.
In the freezer, pack items together so they can keep each other cold.
In the refrigerator, pack items loosely so air can circulate.
Pack fresh poultry on the bottom shelf and in the back where it is coldest and so that any juices won't leak onto other foods.
If your refrigerator has produce drawers at the bottom, consider placing the poultry on a plate.