How to store chicken nuggets, patties
Best place: the freezer. USDA lists chicken nuggets, patties with a freezer time of 1 to 3 months; keep them cold and use them promptly.
No guideline
No guideline
1 to 3 months
best quality within
How to tell chicken nuggets, patties have gone bad
General signs for poultry: cooked or processed, the group USDA lists chicken nuggets, patties under.
- Sour or sulfur-like smell replacing the usual roasted scent
- Slimy or tacky film on the surface of sliced poultry
- Dry, greyish patches on meat left uncovered in the fridge
- Mould spots, often white or greenish, on cut edges
- Juices that look cloudy or smell off when reheating
More on poultry: cooked or processed. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
Storage habits that make the difference
Refrigerate cooked or processed poultry within two hours of cooking or opening, in a shallow covered container. Use within three to four days, or freeze for longer storage in an airtight bag. Reheat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through before serving.
How to store other poultry: cooked or processed
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.