If you happen to love chicken, perhaps you have decided to pick chicken broth as an addition to your meals. It gives your food the tasty chicken taste that you are used to and love. This is why I stocked on chicken broth, but then I asked myself the big question: Does chicken broth go bad?
We will discuss such a question in detail, as well as explaining the shelf life and the storage of chicken broth. This article will also explain how you can tell if you have spoiled chicken broth. So, follow along!
Table of Contents
Does Chicken Broth Go Bad?
Maybe you are looking at the package and wondering if this ingredient does ever spoil. The answer is kinda shocking, chicken broth does go bad.
The unopened packages of broth will last for extremely long times compared to open ones, which go bad quite rapidly. Air is not a friend for broth and causes it to spoil faster when opened.
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How Long Does Chicken Broth Last?
Now that we know that chicken broth can go bad. The period before going bad can differ a lot, different brands and different storage conditions could mess up the shelf life of your ingredient.
But here is a general estimate of how long chicken soup can last:
Unopened chicken broth packages
This can last for the longest time, This is because there are plenty of preservatives in the average package of chicken soup. They can allow it to last for over a year beyond the expiration date that is written on the package. The aseptic container even makes this better as it protected it from living organisms that could spoil your broth.
However, you need to take care of the Date on the package because the quality could easily degrade the longer it’s stored. The old broth will definitely taste worse than the newer one.
Opened chicken broth package
Once the package is opened and the shelf life drops massively. From the year of shelf life to about 5 days. This is because air interacts with some ingredients in the broth that cause it to go bad much faster than the sealed container. We will Explain How you can store the broth while keeping it as fresh as possible. So, stay tuned.
Homemade chicken broth
It’s kinda similar to the opened broth packages in terms of shelf life, lasting around 5 days as well. but here is the difference:
Homemade chicken soup lasts longer if it has fats in it.
This is due to the fats collecting on top of the broth, making a film-like structure that protects the broth further and extends its shelf life up to 10 days.
Frozen chicken broth
Companies like Brodo makes a liquid chicken soup that is freezable for up to a year. it’s almost like the best of both worlds in terms of taste as well as longevity.
If you decide to keep in the fridge, you can expect it to last for up to 7 days. but once you decide to freeze it and you have a broth that can last as long as a full year in the freezer.
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Chicken Broth Shelf Life [Full Chart]
| Chicken Broth | Pantry | Fridge |
|---|---|---|
| Canned - Unopened | 1 – 2 years | |
| Canned - Opened | 4 – 5 days | |
| Homemade | 4 – 5 days |
How To Store Chicken Broth?
After explaining the shelf life of a chicken broth, there must be a way to extend its shelf life. This is done by storing your it just like beef broth, they are both broths after all.
Here is how to do it to ensures the quality of it.
Unopened chicken broth packages
These have the longest shelf life as well as lasting in plenty of storage conditions. all you need is a simple pantry in a cool dark place and your package is good for the extra year of storage.
opened chicken broth packages
This is kinda tricky, as we have already established that air can cause the broth to spoil easily. This is why it’s quite essential to store in away from air and humidity, as those factors always can ruin things up and make matter worse. Seal the package of the broth tightly then tuck it safely in the fridge.
Homemade chicken broth
You can go through this either by storing it in the fridge in an airtight and trusty container. or by freezing, which we will explain in the next dialogue.
Also, avoid the storage of broth directly in the fridge. Waiting for it to cool down is important in the process of storage to ensure proper shelf life.
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How To Freeze Chicken Broth?
If you happen to have plenty of broth that you aren’t willing to throw away anytime soon, freezing seems the way to go. With a little bit of patience and you have enough chicken broth for later use.
Here is how to store it properly:
- Make sure the broth has cooled down from the cooking process.
- Pour the broth into an ice cube tray.
- Put the tray in the freezer for some time.
- Once the broth started to freeze, take the container out.
- Put the broth ice cubes into an airtight container.
- Store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
How To Tell If Chicken Broth Has Gone Bad?
Knowing how to store chicken broth might be handy, but telling if it had spoiled due to bad storing condition is necessary to avoid food poisoning.
You can easily avoid that by taking care of these signs that tell you of broth spoilage:
Look
Taking a small look might be all you need to tell that this broth has spoiled. Signs of mold that appear green, blue, or even white, can be enough to indicate spoilage of the broth.
Smell
Once you open the seal of your chicken broth, it’s supposed to smell like chicken. So, if you take a whiff and you feel dizzy or disgusted of the smell, discard it immediately as it has spoiled already.
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Conclusion
Chicken broth can make your rice or other meals much tastier, but we have to make sure it hasn’t gone bad. We can do so by learning the average life span of it as well as how to store it properly.
Last but not least, being able to spot the ways that broth can go bad in can save you from food poisoning.
If you have a question that’s concerned with the broth, leave it in the comments and we will reply to it as soon as possible. Thanks for reading.
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