How Long Does Chicken Sausage Last?
Raw chicken sausage lasts 1–2 days in the fridge and 1–2 months in the freezer. Fully cooked packaged chicken sausage lasts 2 weeks unopened and 1 week after opening.
Chicken Sausage — raw
shelf life- Unopened: 2 weeks in the fridge
- Opened: 1 week in the fridge
- Cooked: 3–4 days in the fridge
Fridge at 40°F (4°C) or below · freezer at 0°F (−18°C). Freezer times are for best quality; frozen food stays safe longer.
Chicken sausage is ground chicken seasoned and stuffed into casings, in flavors like apple, spinach-feta or Italian. Most packaged brands are fully cooked and vacuum sealed, but meat-counter and some tray-packed versions are raw. Raw chicken sausage is ground poultry and highly perishable; the fully cooked kind keeps like hot dogs.
How to store chicken sausage
- Look for the words fully cooked or uncooked on the front or near the cooking directions. If you cannot find either, assume raw and use the 1–2 day rule.
- After opening a pack of precooked links, transfer the rest to a zip-top bag with the air pressed out; the torn vacuum pack lets them dry and pick up odors.
- Freeze extra links individually wrapped or spaced apart in a bag. Precooked links can be sliced while still partly frozen and browned straight in the pan.
- Chicken sausage is lean, so freezer burn shows up faster than on pork sausage. Keep air out and use it within 1–2 months for best flavor.
How to tell if chicken sausage has gone bad
- A slimy or tacky coating on the casings, the most common sign in opened packs of precooked links.
- A sour or sulfur odor, which fruit or herb flavorings can partly disguise.
- Raw links turning gray or greenish, or a cloudy liquid collecting in the package.
- A puffed-up vacuum pack, or any mold spots.
Bacteria that cause food poisoning usually do not change the look, smell or taste of food. Go by the time limits first, and the signs above second.
Chicken Sausage shelf life chart
| State | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 1–2 days | 1–2 months | Not safe |
| Uncooked links or bulk from the meat case. Cook to 165°F (74°C). | |||
| Unopened | 2 weeks | 1–2 months | Not safe |
| Packages labeled fully cooked; or until the use-by date if one is printed. | |||
| Opened | 1 week | 1–2 months | Not safe |
| Fully cooked chicken sausage after the vacuum pack is opened. | |||
| Cooked | 3–4 days | 2–3 months | Not safe |
| Raw sausage you cooked at home, or sausage cooked into a dish. | |||
Not safe = perishable: no more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour above 90°F / 32°C). Not recommended = possible, but quality suffers or it serves no purpose.
Frequently asked questions
Is chicken sausage already cooked?
Most vacuum-packed chicken sausage sold in the hot dog and deli section is fully cooked and only needs reheating. Fresh chicken sausage from the butcher counter or a foam tray is usually raw. The label must tell you: look for fully cooked, or for safe-handling instructions and a cook to 165°F statement, which indicate raw.
How long does chicken sausage last after opening?
Fully cooked chicken sausage lasts 1 week in the fridge after opening, no matter how far off the printed date is. Raw chicken sausage gets only 1–2 days whether the package has been opened or not. Freeze either kind if you will not use it in time.
Can you freeze chicken sausage?
Yes. Both raw and fully cooked chicken sausage freeze well, with best quality for 1–2 months. An unopened vacuum pack can go straight into the freezer. Thaw in the fridge, or cook precooked links gently from frozen, making sure they are hot through to 165°F (74°C).
Does chicken sausage go bad faster than pork sausage?
The fridge times are the same: 1–2 days raw, and 1 week opened for fully cooked links. The difference is the cooking target, 165°F (74°C) for raw chicken sausage versus 160°F for pork, and that lean chicken sausage dries out and freezer-burns a bit sooner.
Related foods
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sausage Raw |
1–2 days | 1–2 months | Not safe |
| Ground Chicken Raw |
1–2 days | 3–4 months | Not safe |
| Hot Dogs Opened |
1 week | 1–2 months | Not safe |
| Bratwurst Raw |
1–2 days | 1–2 months | Not safe |
| Turkey Bacon Opened |
1 week | 1 month | Not safe |
| Chicken Breast Raw |
1–2 days | 9 months | Not safe |
More chicken: Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken Thighs, Chicken Wings, Rotisserie Chicken, Whole Chicken.
Reviewed 2026-09-20. Times follow published USDA FoodKeeper / FSIS, FDA and CDC storage guidance; where sources differ we use the shorter time. How we compile this data.