Oh No . . . I Put the Chicken in the Pantry!

Not only do you say the chicken is mostly frozen still, you will not be eating it raw but will actually cook it before you eat it, so whatever super germs could possibly have grown on the defrosted cold portion you will be killing it when you cook it. So put it in the fridge or freezer and you will be fine.

I would stick it in the fridge and let it defrost the rest of the way. Then cook it. You could always freeze it after it's cooked. I often use it for tacos or quesedillas or casseroles. You definitely should not put it in the freezer unless you cook it first.

It's still good. Maybe you could have some for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow.

If it is still basically frozen, you can re-freeze it... you may lose some of the texture, though.

You can also go ahead and cook them all up, and freeze them after they have been cooked.

I wouldn't worry about the bacteria.... it is still plenty cold.

Just driving home from Costco in the summer they are in that condition. They are fine.

If the outside is still cold and the inside frozen, it should be fine.

I leave mine on the counter overnight to thaw and then cook the next day, have been for years, that's the way my mama did it and her mama did it and we are all ok. If it were me and I wasn't going to cook it that day, I'd just pop it in the fridge to let it thaw completely and then cook it all up and freeze whatever I wasn't going to use. I say you are all good!

if it is still cold - I would use some of it for dinner tonight and cook and then freeze all the rest.

I would NOT scrap it. That's a HUGE waste of money.

It's safe to put it in the freezer. It's mostly still frozen. What has defrosted is still cold, as it would be if thawed in refrigerator.

As per U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, "Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing." (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Basics_for_Handling_..., September 8, 2006).

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_defrost_and_refreeze_ra...

Hey, you're doing good. I usually don't notice that sort of thing til the next day, when the food is room temp, meat juice dripping all over my other food and stinking up the whole kitchen.

I agree. Cook it all up and then freeze it. To throw it out would be such a waste! I've done stuff like this before so try no to beat yourself up to bad, ok? :)

Oh--I thought you meant a LIVE chicken.....LOL

I, personally would cook it. A pain, I know....but probably better safe than sorry. :(

I think it would still be good. You might want to cook it though, i'm not too sure about re-freezing it.

7 lbs of chicken is a lot to throw away!

I would just cook it up in the next day or so and freeze it cooked. :-) It will be fine.

It will be fine to put in the fridge and start cooking. Then freeze what you cooked.

Do not worry, sounds exactly like something I would do..

if the inside is still frozen then the outside is still cold right? just cook it up. put it in a pan and boil it and use it for soups, casseroles and sandwiches. it will be good.

We Americans are germ freaks. My in-laws live in another country and have a very small fridge with limited space, and they don't believe in refrigerating cooked food ... they just cover it to protect it from flies and eat it within 24 hours. Even in intense summer heat. And I swear their fridge never gets above 50 degrees anyway! As far as I know they have never gotten any food-borne illness.

I tend to leave cooked food out overnight and then refrigerate if it isn't gone by lunch ...if it's really hot in the summer I don't do that though. I am just careful not to leave food on or near the stove after it's been on because the heat can cause food to go bad quicker. Just my 2 cents... The chicken is fine!

Cook it! then freeze

Dont throw it away! Its fine imo. You had a H. moment for sure!!

By now you've decided what to do...I am responding to the post about how in other countries they leave cooked food out of the fridge and it's fine..... My relatives (in and from another country) used to do that all the time because they had a tiny fridge (what we'd call a mini-fridge). And then they spent years wondering why my brother-in-law's digestion had such problems....yes, they and the doctors eventually figured out that it was because he was eating food that had been sitting out unrefrigerated, even though it was cooked! I too got sick when visiting them - the ONE time I ate something that I later found out had been sitting out on the counter all night and half the next day. Rule of thumb: After two hours, food -- even cooked food -- begins the period when it can start developing problems. Refrigerate cooked food after two hours, if not earlier. Maybe Americans are germ-phobic as someone posted but I just know from experience that saying "it's culturally acceptable" to leave food out all the time doesn't make it SAFE.

cook it now, don't try to refreeze it.

I'd totally keep it. Just throw it back in the freezer. But I you're that worried you can cook it all up and then bag and re-freeze it.