How Long Can You Freeze Chicken Broth For?

We've all been there. A leftover roast chicken carcass becomes a delicious homemade chicken stock — but then what? You make a lemony chicken noodle soup but you have broth left over, or you planned to make soup but then plans changed. A lot of time went into making that chicken broth, so you don't want it to go to waste. But how reliable is chicken broth in the freezer? The good news is that chicken broth freezes exceptionally well. It's a great way to avoid potential food waste and it also serves as the base for a future easy meal when you don't want to put in too much effort.

According to the USDA, chicken stock is fine in the refrigerator for three to four days. However, if you plan to hold onto it for longer than that, then you'll want to transfer it: Chicken stock will keep in the freezer for two to three months. It is worth noting that, while the USDA's recommendation for the refrigerator is related to safety, for the freezer, it's all about quality. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service points out that "freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely." While the taste and nutritional quality of the stock might degrade if kept longer than the suggested two to three months, it should still be safe to consume — and act as a potential soup base in a pinch.

While it's all very well to reduce food waste by throwing things in the freezer before they go bad, freezer space often comes at a premium. Having big tubs full of chicken broth that you hope to use in the next couple of months isn't exactly something that sparks joy. But there are ways to optimize your freezer space and keep as many containers available outside of the freezer as possible. The easiest solution is to use resealable freezer bags. You can prop the bag up in a plastic tub, a large glass, or a tall bowl, and fill the bag with the stock (Be careful not to fill too generously or it will spill out when you try to close it). The bag can be laid flat in the freezer until solid and then filed away as a tall narrow ice cube somewhere convenient in the freezer.

Alternatively, as another great effort-saving freezer hack, if you have a silicone muffin tray, you can take your chicken broth freezing game up a notch. Pour about ½ cup of broth into each section of the muffin tray. Place it carefully in the freezer and wait for it to freeze solid. Then, simply pop the frozen chicken broth cubes out of the muffin tray, drop them into a large freezer bag, and label it with the date. Now you not only have a space-conscious solution, but when you need a certain number of cups of broth, you can just grab out the requisite number of chicken broth cubes without worrying about whether you're thawing enough chicken broth or not.

When it comes time to use that frozen chicken broth and you just want to get dinner done, it can be tempting to thaw food in the worst way by dropping your bag of frozen chicken broth into a bowl of hot, steamy water. However, this should be avoided as it can encourage bacterial growth. Because some of the broth is brought up to a high temperature very quickly while the rest of the broth is still thawing, the defrosted liquid becomes a great home for dangerous bacteria.

In an ideal world, you should put frozen broth in the fridge the night before you plan to use it and let it slowly thaw in that chilled environment. Doing that will ensure that it doesn't warm all the way to dangerous temperatures until you're ready to cook with it. However, if you're still in a bit of a rush, put the broth in a bowl of cold water on the counter so that it thaws faster, but still at a safe temperature. Of course, if you have smaller ice cubes of frozen chicken broth, you can put these straight into a pan as they'll melt much faster and come to a safe boiling temperature much more quickly.