Maybe you used half the can of chicken broth for that soup you cooked up the other day.
Maybe you forgot to use the other half for your stew.
Maybe you’re sitting there wondering:
Oh no, is my chicken broth off? How do I tell? Have I even stored it properly?
We’ll answer all of these questions and more.
For those of you who are in a hurry: yes, chicken broth does go off.
A great storage place for your chicken broth would be somewhere cool and dark, such as the fridge. This means your chicken broth can last from 4-5 days without going off.
Or, if you’re looking for long-term preservation for your chicken broth, pop all of it into an airtight bag, and place it in the freezer.
This will allow your chicken broth to last about six months without losing any of its complex flavors.
How To Use Leftover Chicken Broth
Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot you can do with your leftover chicken broth. These are a few of the many ways you can use up the remaining half a can of chicken broth:
- Chicken soup. Because of the rich taste of broth, a lot of people love to drink it plain. In actual fact, hot broth helps to clear any mucus in your throat. It’s even more effective in the form of chicken soup!
- Quick and easy quinoa. Cook your quinoa in chicken broth – just replace the water with broth.
- Egg fried rice. Just replace the water with the chicken broth; it’ll leave your quinoa moist and flavorful.
How To Tell If Your Chicken Broth Has Gone Bad
So you want to use your chicken broth, but you can’t figure out whether it’s still okay to use.
The good news is we’ve got you covered. There are many easy ways to tell if your chicken broth has expired:
- Smell: Trust your instincts! If you can smell a rancid odor from your chicken broth, you know it’s time to chuck it!
- Sediment: If there’s some dusty white matter clouding your chicken broth, then you know it’s definitely off. Your chicken broth should be clear and yellowish, with no signs of any mold.
Remember: homemade chicken broth is often cloudy and may have sediment, which doesn’t mean it’s off.
However, if your homemade chicken broth started off clear and then turned cloudy, be warned: it’s probably gone bad.
In terms of visuals, if your chicken broth container appears bulging or swollen, it should probably be discarded. Spoilage of yeast and bacteria releases gases that fill the broth’s container (airtight bag), causing it to expand and open.
Chicken broth is a basis for many good recipes, but if it’s gone bad, it can spoil the whole dish and make you very ill.
Food poisoning from chicken broth can often cause extreme nausea and sickness, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, and numbness. If you have any of these symptoms, please go to your local doctor.
How To Store Leftover Chicken Broth
Like other canned goods, unopened cans of chicken broth have quite a long lifetime, and it can even stay safe to use even after its expiration date.
If properly stored, chicken broth can generally stay at its best for about three to five years.
But there’s bad news: once the cans have been opened, there’s no going back.
Chicken broth, even if it is kept in the fridge, only lasts for 4-5 days once opened.
While the fridge can keep your chicken broth fresh, we recommend putting your chicken broth in the freezer in an airtight bag.
Quick Pro Tip: if you’ve got some chicken stock bone broth, instead of putting it into the bag, equally divide it up into an ice cube tray, and freeze it. After that, place it into a tight sealable bag.
Depending on your type of chicken broth, the amount of time it lasts also varies; to find out how long your chicken broth will last, keep scrolling.
How Long Your Chicken Broth Will Last
How long your chicken broth lasts depends on the amount of preservatives included.
For instance, chicken broth that is canned at home can remain consumable for a year when kept in a cupboard or pantry.
Whereas, commercially canned chicken broth can last between 2-5 years because it has more added preservatives.
The Truth About Chicken Broth
So, does chicken broth go off? Sadly, the answer is yes.
However, there are many ways to store and use your chicken broth. Don’t forget a cool and dark environment, such as a fridge, will never do any harm to your chicken broth!
Or, for longer preservation, try putting your chicken broth in an airtight bag and placing it into the freezer!
