The recipe called for half a cup, so you opened a whole carton of chicken broth, and now the rest has been in the refrigerator since the last time anyone made soup. Or there is a pot of homemade stock from the weekend that you can’t quite remember cooling. It still looks like broth. But how long does it really last? Here is what USDA and extension guidance says about opened and unopened broth, homemade stock, freezing, and when to pour it out.

Does chicken broth go bad?

The Short Answer
Yes. Unopened shelf-stable broth keeps according to the date and storage directions on the package, and USDA says dates are about quality rather than safety. Once opened, USDA gives 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator for opened low-acid canned food, which includes soups, for leftovers, and for chicken broth or gravy. We use 3 to 4 days as our default for opened and homemade broth or stock. Some labels give a longer time, so follow the label when it has one. We found no guidance that stores stock and broth differently. Don’t leave perishable broth out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Freezer times of 2 to 3 months are about quality. Throw out broth with mold or a sour smell, or in a bulging or leaking container.

For a complete pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. For a related kitchen staple, see whether gravy goes bad.

How Long Does Chicken Broth Last?

Unopened shelf-stable broth keeps to the date on the package and often longer. Opened broth keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator by USDA guidance unless the label says otherwise, and homemade broth keeps about 3 to 4 days. USDA’s Shelf-Stable Food Safety page lists low-acid canned goods, including soups, at 2 to 5 years on the shelf. It says opened low-acid food keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. That page has no broth row, but USDA’s Chicken from Farm to Table chart lists chicken broth or gravy at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. USDA’s Keep Food Safe cold storage chart gives the same figures for gravy and meat broth. These are rows for cooked broth, so applying them to an opened carton is our own reading. USDA’s leftovers guidance gives the same 3 to 4 days for cooked leftovers. New Mexico State University Extension, in an undated fact sheet, says homemade broth, including bone broth and stock, should be kept at 40°F or below for up to about 3 days. Penn State Extension says finished chicken or turkey stock can be refrigerated for up to three days. FoodSafety.gov’s cold food storage chart, reviewed in 2023, has no broth row. It lists soups and stews with vegetable or meat added at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer.

Those timings assume the broth went into the refrigerator promptly and the refrigerator is at 40°F or colder. The 3-day end for homemade is our own conservative choice. For store-bought broth, the time on the package is the manufacturer’s direction for that product, so follow it when it gives one, and use the USDA figures when it doesn’t.

Does Unopened Chicken Broth Go Bad?

Eventually, but slowly, and the date on the package is mostly about quality. USDA’s food product dating guidance says that apart from infant formula, product dates are not an indicator of safety. A sealed shelf-stable carton or can that has been stored properly and is intact may be usable for some time past the date. USDA says to store canned and shelf-stable foods in a cool, dry place, and that temperatures below 85°F are best. The same page lists low-acid canned foods, including soups other than tomato, at 2 to 5 years on the shelf. That is a shelf-storage figure, not time past the printed date. USDA defines aseptic packaging as a process that keeps microorganisms out of a package, with a commercially sterile food sealed in a sterilized package. The page names broths among aseptically packaged products, which are the shelf-stable cartons, but gives no shelf life for them, so for cartons we’d use the best-by date and the package’s storage directions as the guide.

Check the package before you use it. USDA says not to eat from cans that are bulging, leaking or badly dented, and not to taste the food. It also says the foil layer in an aseptic carton eliminates the need for refrigeration, but check the manufacturer’s instructions, because some broths are sold refrigerated.

How Long Does Opened Chicken Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator. That is USDA’s figure for opened low-acid canned food, a category that includes soups, and it matches the leftovers rule. USDA’s chicken broth or gravy row gives the same 3 to 4 days. Neither is a carton-specific rule, so we treat 3 to 4 days as our default. Check the label first, because some give a different time: retailer listings for Swanson and Stater Bros. chicken broth reproduce directions to refrigerate after opening and use within 14 days, and the Swanson listing says to refrigerate promptly below 41°F. Pacific Foods’ FAQ says to use opened broth within 7 to 10 days, and Kitchen Basics’ site says stock should be used within 7 days. If your carton gives a time, that is the manufacturer’s direction for that product. If it gives none, we’d stay with 3 to 4 days. Once the carton is open it is no longer sealed, so refrigerate it promptly. We’d pour what you don’t use into a clean jar or airtight container, or keep it in the carton with the cap tight, and write the opening date on it. Those handling tips are our own.

Is Chicken Stock Stored Differently From Chicken Broth?

We found no storage guidance that separates them. OSU Extension’s Chow Line column describes stock as generally made from bones and simmered for two to six hours, and broth as made with meat and generally simmered for no more than two hours. It says nothing about storage. NMSU’s fact sheet lists “homemade broth (including bone broth/stock)” as one category. Because both are cooked, liquid, protein-containing foods, we apply the same 3 to 4 day rule to chicken stock, bone broth and chicken broth, store-bought or homemade.

How Long Does Homemade Chicken Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator, per USDA’s leftovers rule and its chicken broth or gravy row. NMSU says up to about 3 days and Penn State Extension says up to three days for finished stock, so we’d plan on 3. The bigger risk with homemade is how it cools. USDA says to divide large amounts of food into shallow containers so they cool quickly. The CDC says C. perfringens outbreaks most often involve food cooked in large batches and held between 40°F and 140°F, and that poultry, meat and gravy are commonly involved. Improper cooling of a large pot is the kind of handling problem that makes rapid cooling important.

So cool it fast, and don’t wait for it to reach room temperature. USDA says hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating, and Penn State Extension says to divide stock into multiple small containers. We’d ladle the broth into several shallow containers rather than refrigerating the whole pot. Get it into the refrigerator within 2 hours, or 1 hour when the air temperature is above 90°F.

Can You Leave Chicken Broth Out Overnight?

No. USDA’s Danger Zone guidance says bacteria grow most rapidly between 40°F and 140°F and that food shouldn’t be left out of refrigeration over 2 hours, or over 1 hour above 90°F. USDA’s leftovers guidance says to throw away perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. USDA’s rule has no exception for boiling it again, so we would pour it out. This applies to perishable broth, meaning homemade, refrigerated or opened broth. An unopened shelf-stable carton in the pantry is a different case, and the CDC says to keep food heated to 140°F or hotter until serving.

Can You Freeze Chicken Broth?

Yes. FoodSafety.gov lists soups at 2 to 3 months in the freezer, and USDA’s Chicken from Farm to Table chart lists chicken broth or gravy at the same 2 to 3 months. USDA says food stored constantly at 0°F remains safe and that recommended freezer times are for quality only. USDA’s leftovers page gives 3 to 4 months for frozen leftovers, and says they are safe indefinitely but can lose moisture and flavor. Broth that was handled safely before freezing and has stayed at 0°F remains safe past the quality window, though flavor and texture may fade. USDA says freezing makes microbes dormant and that they can become active again once thawed, so it does not repair earlier mishandling. Cool the broth rapidly in shallow containers or an ice-water bath first. Penn State Extension says to leave space at the top of the container for expansion. Freeze it in small portions. A Swanson direction reproduced in a retailer listing says not to freeze in the carton, so pour it into a container or ice cube tray. Freezing in ice cube trays or small jars is also our own suggestion. Thaw it in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days, like any leftover.

How Can You Tell if Chicken Broth Is Bad?

Look for mold, a sour or off smell, or a package that is bulging, leaking or badly dented. These are reasons to discard broth, and their absence does not prove it is safe. USDA’s package warnings are written for cans, and we apply them to cartons ourselves. USDA’s mold guidance says not to sniff a moldy item because it can cause respiratory trouble. We don’t suggest tasting broth to find out, and USDA says not to taste food from a suspect can. A normal look and smell don’t prove opened broth is safe, so rely on the number of days since opening and how it was stored.

How to Reheat Chicken Broth

USDA says to reheat sauces, soups and gravies by bringing them to a rolling boil. It separately says leftovers should reach 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Reheating is for flavor and a safety margin on correctly stored broth. It does not rescue broth that has been left out too long or kept too many days.

How Long Do Soups Made With Chicken Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer, per FoodSafety.gov’s soups and stews row. If the broth was handled safely, the finished soup has its own 3 to 4 days from when you cook it, so refrigerate it promptly. Cooking does not make broth safe that was stored too long or left out. If you plan to make soup, see common soup mistakes.

What Can You Make With Chicken Broth Before It Goes Bad?

Opened broth has a short window, so plan to use it within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. Soup is the obvious use, and we have several recipes on the site: red lentil soup, tortilla soup, cauliflower soup with scallops, clam corn chowder and New Orleans seafood gumbo. Check each recipe for the type and amount of broth it calls for. If a soup comes out thin, see how to thicken soup without cream. Cooking rice or grains in broth instead of water, or thinning leftover gravy with it, are our own suggestions for using up the last cup. If the broth was within its time and handled safely, refrigerate the finished dish promptly and use it within 3 to 4 days. Cooking does not make spoiled or improperly stored broth safe.

How We Checked This
In November 2026 we read USDA’s Shelf-Stable Food Safety page, its leftovers guidance and its Danger Zone page. We also read its Freezing and Food Safety page, its Keep Food Safe page and cold storage chart, its food product dating guidance, its Chicken from Farm to Table chart and its Molds on Food page. We read FoodSafety.gov’s cold food storage chart, reviewed September 2023. We read an undated New Mexico State University Extension fact sheet on homemade bone broth storage and OSU Extension’s Chow Line column on broth and stock. We read the CDC’s C. perfringens page, last reviewed October 28, 2026. FoodSafety.gov’s chart has no broth row, but USDA’s Chicken from Farm to Table chart lists chicken broth or gravy, and its Keep Food Safe chart lists gravy and meat broth. Applying those cooked-broth rows to an opened carton and to stock is our own reading. For store-bought broth we also use USDA’s soup, canned-food and leftover figures and say so. NMSU’s fact sheet covers homemade broth, including bone broth and stock, at up to about 3 days, and Penn State Extension’s page on homemade chicken or turkey stock says up to three days, updated July 2026. We also read the FAQs of Pacific Foods and Kitchen Basics, and retailer listings of Swanson and Stater Bros. chicken broth labels, which give a 14-day after-opening direction. We did not link the retailer listings. The 3-day end for homemade broth, the cooling tips, the freezing portion tip and the signs checklist are our own judgment. Our own suggestions say we’d or we suggest. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Does Chicken Broth Go Bad FAQ

Further Reading