Can you leave cooked chicken out of the fridge overnight and eat it? Many people want to know if they can eat their cooked chicken left out overnight. Consider this situation: you prepare a dish of fully cooked chicken and leave it on your kitchen counter, uncovered. Your apartment isn't air conditioned, but you believe the temperature is not over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you think you can eat it the next morning, after 12-14 hours? You may think it's hard to answer this question, but it is not. Keep reading to find out what to do if you left cooked chicken out overnight.
Can I Eat Cooked Chicken Left Over Night?
If you left cooked chicken out overnight, you just cannot eat it. Your health is always more important than the money you've invested on preparing your chicken. There is a time limit for cooked chicken left out overnight, and it is usually no more than 4 hours. What it actually means is that you can eat your chicken if you left it outside for a couple of hours, and maximum for 4 hours. It is still a good idea to throw it away if it was out in the open for 4 hours. The reason is that bacteria will multiple at temperature somewhere around 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit. After 4 hours in the open, the chances are quite low that you can salvage your chicken. Eat it the next morning, probably after 10-12 hours, and you will most definitely become sick. So, don't take any chances – throw it away!
