Raw chicken is generally good in the fridge for 1 to 2 days after purchase , even if the sell-by date is a little later or earlier than that. If it has already been in your fridge longer than that, the safest move is to cook it or freeze it immediately —and when in doubt, throw it out.

What the date means

  • Sell-by is mainly a store inventory date, not a safety guarantee.
  • For raw chicken, food-safety guidance consistently points to 1–2 days refrigerated at 40 F or below.
  • Cooked chicken lasts longer: 3–4 days in the fridge.

Don’t rely on smell alone

Chicken can look and smell okay and still be unsafe. If it’s slimy, unusually sticky, gray-green, or the package is bloated, it should be discarded.

Safe rule of thumb

  1. Check how long it has actually been in the fridge.
  2. If raw chicken is past 2 days , don’t keep gambling with it.
  3. If you won’t cook it right away, freeze it.

Kitchen example

If you bought raw chicken on Monday and today is Wednesday, it’s still within the usual safe fridge window. If today is Thursday or later, freezing or discarding is the safer call.

TL;DR

Raw chicken: 1–2 days in the fridge. Cooked chicken: 3–4 days. Sell-by date is not the same as a safety date.