I just came back from Save A Lot and I am soooo excited LOL! They had Tyson chicken on sale for a $1 a pack YES $1 a pack so I got 3 whole chickens and 4 packs of skinless boneless chicken breast and 5 packs of the legs. Now, the thing is it was all marked down because the date was marked for the 25th which was today. I was worried about buying any of it. But, there was a older lady there buying most of it and she said Oh this is such a good deal I said Yes it is, then I said but the date is for today and she said Oh, don't worry just freeze it or cook it and freeze it, it will be fine. The thing is I don't have no idea about cooking and freezing things because I just never done it before. I always just cook it and we eat it and if there is leftovers we eat them or I throw it away. So, what do I do with all this chicken. I bought it and just put it in the freezer for now. Will it be ok to just keep it frozen and then cook it within this week or do I need to cook it and freeze it. What do I do with all this chicken when the expiration date was today. I thought afterwards maybe I shouldn't have bought all of it and just one pack for today to cook and eat. Help!
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Wendy, you can freeze it with no problems. Here's what you do. I just got this tip from the Real Simple magazine over the weekend...
If you have meat in its original plastic, wrap it in a TIGHT, very TIGHT layer of aluminum foil. Freezer burn is a real bi&$c. Aluminum foil keeps oxygen out, and prevents freezer burn. Alternatively you could put it in a Ziploc freezer bag. I usually take mine out of the wrapper and wrap in plastic wrap, then put in a Ziploc bag. I haven't had a problem with freezer burn doing this, but time will tell I guess.
Don't let the expiration put you off. Just make sure you thaw it IN the refrigerator (take it out the day before and put in the fridge to thaw). If you put it on the counter (which I am VERY guilty of doing), then you'll risk bacteria growth. Just make sure with chicken you cook it thoroughly and you won't have any problems.
I always rinse mine thoroughly before I use it (chicken is just gross). I tend to overcook chicken because for some reason I like the drier texture.
Navi & Annie- Thanks so much for your help! I appreciate it. I had no idea about cooking and freezing things. I am glad that just freezing it and cooking will work, that is what I normally do buy it put it in the freezer and take it out to unthaw when ready to cook. Annie glad you mention about unthawing it overnight in the fridge because of the risk of bacteria, I do sometimes put it in the fridge to unthaw but I also just leave it out on the countertop to unthaw. I took out skinless boneless chicken breast to make homeade chicken soup. Thanks for your help ladies!
__________________ Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
Just a general FYI, once meat is frozen and then thawed out, the period of time for which it is good is a lot less than if you kept the fresh meat in the fridge. I take my meat out two days before I'm going to use it. Even doing this, the chicken legs we had for supper last night weren't completely thawed after two days in the fridge. Also, once you freeze and thaw, it isn't a good idea to refreeze if you decide to not use what you took out or you took out too much. Good luck, sounds like you got a great deal
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Cooking & Freezing Queshtions... Please Help!! 
