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USDA-based guidance

Poultry

“Poultry” covers chicken, turkey, and ground forms. Raw vs cooked, and whole vs ground, follow different FoodSafety.gov / USDA refrigerator windows — open the page that matches your fridge. Past a fridge window, discard it. Fridge = safety; freezer = quality. (Narrower chicken-only hub: chicken.)
Raw chicken fridge 1–2 days · freezer 9 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Uncooked pieces or a whole bird — short refrigerator window; cook to 165°F. Cooked chicken fridge 3–4 days · freezer 2–6 months standard windows Leftovers, rotisserie, or home-cooked — longer fridge window; still discard past it. Turkey fridge 1–2 days · freezer 1 year spoils fast — cook or freeze Whole bird or pieces, raw or leftover — open the turkey page for thaw and storage windows. Ground chicken fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Ground poultry — short refrigerator window; cook to 165°F throughout. Ground turkey fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Ground poultry — short refrigerator window; cook to 165°F throughout. Chicken nuggets fridge 1–2 days · freezer 1–3 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Cooked nuggets or patties — shorter leftover window than plain cooked chicken.

Fridge vs freezer

Raw poultry and ground poultry share short refrigerator safety windows on the cold chart; cooked leftovers share the longer leftover window. Turkey thawing has its own FSIS basics (cold-water and fridge methods — never the counter). Freezer months are quality, not a safety cliff at 0°F (FoodSafety.gov; FSIS turkey / chicken pages).

How to tell poultry is spoiled

Sticky slime, sour or sulfurous odor, and gray-green discoloration mean discard it. Absence of those signs does not prove safety: Salmonella and Campylobacter can be present without a smell (CDC chicken page). Never taste raw or questionable poultry to “check.”

Storage tips

Safety notes

Stuffing cooked inside a bird must also reach 165°F. Leftover cooked poultry still needs the leftover fridge window and 165°F reheat ( leftovers reheat). Not medical advice.

Sources

Related: don’t wash raw chicken · chicken hub · meat & poultry · all foods