How long is vacuum-sealed chicken good for eating?

Chicken is a very delicate meat. You have to be able to deal with it not only when preparing it but also when storing it. Surely you've put a chicken in the fridge more than once and found it broken the next day. How to prevent it? We recommend vacuum-packing the chicken!

Why is it worth vacuum-packing chicken?

It's also worth mentioning that if you vacuum packs your chicken, you can choose where to store it. To keep the chicken longer, you must freeze it raw. It's different if it comes to vacuum-packed chicken. You can store it in the refrigerator and the freezer.

Now you're probably asking yourself why it is worth vacuum packing a chicken. Our answer is - because then you can store it longer. We will briefly describe how long vacuum-sealed chicken is good for eating. Before we do that, however, we want to mention a few more benefits of vacuum packaging.

Vacuum packing your food is a way to keep your fridge and freezer tidy. Packed food takes up less space and is easier to fit wherever you like. Moreover, vacuum packing will help you take care of balanced meals. In addition, a good organisation makes it easier for you to arrange the menu and shopping list. It is also very important that vacuum packaging prevents food from being thrown into the trash. Thanks to this, you do not waste money (food).

Why does vacuum packing make a chicken last longer?

Vacuum packing has its own rules. This process is done so that the food is exposed as little as possible to factors that cause its spoilage. Below we will describe what this looks like with chicken.

The first important part of vacuum packaging is the removal of air. If the meat is exposed to air, germs are produced, which spoil the product. That is why it is essential to pack the meat tightly and remove air from the packaging. In addition, vacuum-packed chicken is not exposed to external factors. By these factors, we mean mainly water and steam. Therefore, after vacuum sealing the chicken, you can be sure that no water can get into it.

It's also worth mentioning that if you vacuum packs your chicken, you can choose where to store it. To keep the chicken longer, you must freeze it raw. It's different if it comes to vacuum-packed chicken. You can store it in the refrigerator and the freezer.

How long is vacuum-sealed chicken good for eating?

How long your chicken will last for consumption depends on how you pack it and where you store it. Let's start with raw meat. If you vacuum pack raw chicken, you can refrigerate it for up to four days. We know some people love jerky. However, remember that putting a chicken in the oven is not the same as keeping it in the fridge. You should consume vacuum-packed and dried marinated chicken within 24 hours (maximum 36 hours, depending on the condition of the meat). Of course, you can also store the vacuum-packed raw chicken in the freezer. In that case, you can keep it for about nine months and sometimes even a year.

Some people prefer to vacuum-pack chicken meat that has already been cooked. One option is to bake the chicken. Such meat, after vacuum packing, can be stored for up to four days. The same is true for cooked chicken. After vacuum packing, it is also suitable for consumption within three to four days. Vacuum-packed chicken smoked and placed in the freezer can be stored the longest. Then it may be good for consumption within a month.

How to vacuum pack chicken meat?

Vacuum food packing is effortless. Unfortunately, many people fail this process because they do not use the right equipment. There are home methods of vacuum packing food, but they are usually ineffective. Therefore, before you vacuum pack your chicken, get the necessary accessories. The ideal choice is a vacuum food sealer. Such a device will allow you to suck the air out and heat the package.

Additionally, you will need a special foil or bags for packaging. They should be of good quality. Be sure to check if they are made of BPA-free plastic.

Suppose you have all the necessary components. You can then proceed to vacuum pack the chicken. First, pay attention to the freshness of the meat. If it has already started to break down, there is no point in packing it. It is impossible to undo the process of spoilage.

Before you vacuum packs the chicken, it's a good idea to divide it into portions. Why? Because if you pack a whole chicken, some air may be left in its chest. In this case, the meat will spoil faster. What's more, it will be easier to open small portions of chicken you need for a meal than to open the whole chicken right away. Before vacuum packing, you can also pre-cook the chicken meat; for example, boil or bake it.

When the chicken is ready, place it on foil or in a wrapping bag. The next step is to remove the air from the packaging. This is best done with a food vacuum sealer. The last step is to seal the package tightly. The most effective method of closing a vacuum package is welding its edges.

How to find a suitable food vacuum sealer and accessories?

The instructions for vacuum packing chicken are straightforward. However, many people need to learn how to find a suitable vacuum packaging machine. Therefore, we will quickly discuss this issue here.

Before buying a vacuum food sealer, consider where and what you will use it for. This is very important because it allows you to determine what size device you are interested in. In addition, also consider how often you will use such a vacuum sealer. With large quantities of products, you will need an efficient device with a lot of power. For our part, we highly recommend European products. They are of a very high standard and are extremely practical.

When buying a food vacuum sealer, also pay attention to whether you will have access to spare parts or services. These are essential elements, as repair is often cheaper than buying a new device. You also need to know if you will find suitable packaging bags and foils for your chosen device.

How can you check if your chicken is good after unpacking?

Even people who are very good at vacuum packing food sometimes make mistakes. Then, despite the packaging, the meat may spoil. It is enough that external factors get into it. So how can you be sure your chicken is really good?

If you want to check whether chicken meat is good carefully, pay attention to its taste, smell, texture, and appearance. Let's start with the taste of the chicken. You can taste it if you forget that the meat is fresh. Bad chicken tastes sour. It is unpleasant to taste, so you can rest assured that you will sense when the meat is spoiled.

Another way is to check the smell of the meat you unpack. As already mentioned, chicken is a very delicate meat. Therefore, the smell of rotten chicken is very intense. Such a smell is pungent and downright disgusting. You will feel it if your meat is spoiled.

Another way to check the freshness of a chick is to examine its structure and appearance carefully. As for the structure, it is enough to check that no additional growth has appeared on the meat. You must discard the meat if any part of the chicken has an unpleasant fluff or is black or green. It will mean that it just got mouldy. The appearance of the chicken itself is also of great importance. Raw chicken is usually pink, so the meat is spoiled if it discolours. You can use the same method on cooked meat. As you know, cooked chicken is rather white. Therefore, any discolouration or greying of the meat may be due to the meat being spoiled.

Additional benefits

Vacuum-packing chicken has additional benefits that we have yet to mention before. They relate directly to the preparation of delicious dishes with chicken meat.

The first advantage is that you can marinate the meat quickly! The vacuum-packed chicken meat and the marinade will marinate much faster than usual. In addition, the marinade will better penetrate the meat and give it an even more intense flavour and aroma. This is the perfect way to prepare a well-seasoned dish. In addition, vacuum packing allows you to cook with the famous sous-vide method. It is a unique method of cooking used by the most eminent chefs worldwide. It involves cooking vacuum-packed food very slowly.

As you can see, vacuum-packing chicken meat has many advantages.

Summary

Especially for you, we present a summary of all the information gathered in our article:

•   Vacuum packing your chicken helps you organise your supplies and expenses and saves you money.
•   Vacuum-packed chicken is longer usable as it has been deprived of oxygen and is not exposed to external factors.
•   The shelf life of vacuum-packed chicken depends on where it is stored. You can keep frozen raw chicken the longest - up to a year.
•   You can vacuum pack the chicken with the help of a vacuum food sealer.
•   You can test the freshness of a chicken by learning its smell, colour, appearance, texture, and taste.

Remember that vacuum packing is the best form of food preservation. It can also be used with other types of meat.