Chicken dilemma

[yesterday]

I bought a chicken at the end of January put it in the freezer and forgot all about it. Would this be safe to cook and eat or should I throw it?

[albaqwerty]

Thaw it and smell it. If it's a bit pongy, get rid.

[~Wingnut~]

It'll be fine! So long as when you defrost it properly, it smells ok and is cooked hot throughout you will be fine! Enjoy! :o)

[pretty_snowdrop]

It will be fine. enjoy!

[an_eagle]

Not safe to cook and eat better you should throw it away....

[TonyV]

depending on your freezer temp - should be fine to cook once thawed

[Giggsie]

if perfectly fresh when put in freezer it will be no problem to cook an eat

[carolegif]

Make sure you defrost it properly and it will be perfectly fine. When freezers first became available to the masses, they were advertised as being able to keep food up for at least a year. As long as the defrost is done right, there is no problem.

[pastafreak]

>an_eagle
Not safe to cook and eat better you should throw it away....<

What do you base this on?
Of course it is fine. Freezing halts any deterioration or bacterial growth.
As others have said-defrost properly IN the fridge,then cook straight away.

[woofgang]

I have joints in my freezer from this time last year. They were properly wrapped for freezing, I thaw them carefully and they are fine.

[woofgang]

Next time you are in the supermarket, an eagle, take a look at the use by dates on the frozen joints and poultry!!

[yesterday]

Many thanks for all your replies, I did cook it and it is very nice indeed. Unfortunately I have a terrible habit of of going for all the bargains and often get carried away. Ive done the same with mince and steak. Once again many thanks the chicken was a sucess.

[TonyV]

ifs its frozen then the mince and steak will be ok as well

[boxtops]

I've got meat in my freezer from last year, we'll still eat it.

[Vimto]

I find meat is fine in the freezer for years. Fish on the other hand "burns" after around 3-6 months and whilst still edible it loses its taste somewhat.
We still have a few 7lb.tins stamped " Fray Bentos, Uraguay" corned beef which were supplied to the troops in the Great War and are dated 1916. They came down via my grandfather and are still perfectly edible. It's just not everyday you can justify opening a 7lb. tin. It's an awful lot of corned beef.
Ther's far too much food wasted these days by the "throw out" brigade. The foods to be careful about are dairy produce such as milk, yoghurt and eggs etc.

[RATTER15]

Ive seen Turkeys in the freezers in Morrison's with a sell bye date 3 years away!

[Ratty2E]

I'm always fishing stuff out the back of the freezer that i'd forgotten about, and I have no idea how long it's been there. As with any food you just need to use your senses: sight, smell and common. As long as it looks and smells OK and if frozen you defrost it thoroughly and ensure it is cooked right through then there should'nt be any problem. I rarely take any notice of dates especially as on more than one occasion when I used to buy supermarket well in date 'fresh' chicken i have unwrapped it and it's nearly knocked me backwards with the stink. Just because it still had 4 or 5 days on it didn't meant it was OK to eat, it was rank and it went straight in the bin.

[yesterday]

What fascinating reading from you all, enjoyed reading your comments. I know where to come when stuck, I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to cooking etc:. Thanks again.