Short Answer
To determine the safety of the chicken salad made with grilled chicken cooked on July 20th, it should be consumed or discarded by July 24th, adhering to the FDA’s guideline of consuming leftover cooked chicken within 3 to 4 days. The last safe day to eat the salad would be July 23rd.
Step 1: Determine the Cooking Date
The first key step is to identify when the chicken was cooked. In this scenario, the grilled chicken was prepared on July 20th. This date is crucial as it marks the beginning of the safe consumption window for leftovers.
Step 2: Understand the Safe Consumption Window
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, leftover cooked chicken should generally be consumed within 3 to 4 days of cooking. Given that the chicken was used in a salad on July 22nd, you must count the days from when it was originally cooked, not when it was repurposed.
Step 3: Set the Expiration Date for the Salad
Based on the cooking date and the consumption guidelines, the chicken salad must be consumed or discarded by July 24th. This means that the salad is still safe to eat within this time frame; however, July 23rd would be the last day to safely consume the chicken salad. Always follow safe food handling practices!