After slaughtering chicken in a modern chicken processing facility, it is cooled to 0 to +4°C and packaged within 2.5 to 3 hours. Some of these chickens pass quality control and are then refrigerated. Some are packaged in bags. Unpackaged chickens are then transported to the cutting and processing area for product diversification.

Chicken is more perishable than red meat. Therefore, when storing chicken at low temperatures, the storage temperature and the initial microbial population directly affect its durability.

Chicken can be stored in two ways: fresh or frozen. Fresh chicken is refrigerated between 0 and 4°C without interrupting the cold chain and has a shelf life of approximately two weeks before reaching the market. Frozen chicken has a shelf life of six to 24 months, depending on whether it is carcass or cut meat and the storage temperature. This process takes place in freezers maintained at temperatures of -35 to -40°C, while frozen chicken is stored in rooms maintained at a constant temperature of -18°C.