Raw chicken and turkey: fridge and freezer times from two Extension charts
Raw poultry is where the two charts agree most closely on the refrigerator and differ most on the freezer. The fridge column is short and identical for every cut. The freezer column is long, and the charts print it differently for pieces.
Clemson lists chicken and turkey pieces on one line; Pacific Northwest Extension gives chicken and turkey pieces their own lines with different freezer times. We show each chart’s figure rather than merging them.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Whole chicken or turkey, raw | 1–2 days | 1 year (12 months) |
| Chicken pieces, raw | 1–2 days | 9–12 months Clemson HGIC9 months PNW 612 |
| Turkey pieces, raw | 1–2 days | 9–12 months Clemson HGIC6 months PNW 612 |
| Giblets | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
✓ 2 sources checked per row A single figure means both charts print the same time. Red cells show each chart’s figure where they differ; we do not average them.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Food Storage: Refrigerator & Freezer (HGIC 3522) (revised March 31, 2020) — checked 2026-09-27
- Pacific Northwest Extension (University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University), Storing Food for Safety and Quality (PNW 612) (revised March 2023), Table 2, p. 15 — checked 2026-09-27
Good to know
- Freezer times in both charts are about eating quality. Clemson notes that food kept frozen past the listed time loses flavor and texture; Pacific Northwest Extension calls its times useful guidelines rather than set rules.
- For the freezer, Clemson asks for moisture-proof, freezer-weight wrap (foil, freezer bags or freezer paper) and a label and date on every package.
- Pacific Northwest Extension says food thawed in the refrigerator, and kept there, can be refrozen without cooking, though some quality is lost.
Both charts give these times for best quality and call them guidelines, not hard limits. How the rows are matched: our method. Spotted a row that does not match its chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.