Yesterday, I bought £10 worth of chicken breasts. I cooked them all in the oven at around 5.30pm and took them out at around 6pm. I left them to cool in a tupperware box on the kitchen cabinet, with the lid half on to let any steam evaporate. However, I forgot to put the lid back on and to put them in the fridge. My mother said she placed them in the fridge at 7am this morning.

Will they be ok to eat if I heat them thoroughly, or should I bin them?

suppose it depends how warm you kitchen was overnight.

Please don't sue me but If it was me, at this time of year, I'd risk it. I wouldn't after a hot summer night though.

Yeah, I'd eat them. Cold, though. I wouldn't reheat them. I never reheat meat.

This happened to me a few months ago with chicken drumsticks - I risked it because I hate wasting food and the heating in my kitchen diner goess off during the night so assume they were kept at a coolish temp - I was fine

I'd eat them, but probably cold rather than re-heat in this instance. Keeping them at one temperature in your kitchen overnight would be better than putting them in the fridge whilst still slightly warm.

You should be fine. If you are going to reheat then make sure they are pipping hot through to the center.

I'd eat them.

They'll be fine, assuming they were cooked properly initially.

I personally wouldn't eat them and I'm not even very squeamish when it comes to leftovers and sell by dates and stuff like that.

Here's an interesting article about it: http://recipes.blurtit.com/q323186.html

How was the chicken?

I threw them out after reading the above link. Didn't want to risk it.

Thanks for the responses.

That article is the most scare-mongering bunch of crap I've ever read. Chicken not safe to eaten after leaving out for more than two hours? What nonsense. After cooking a chicken I leave it to rest for at least half an hour. I've then sliced it, had dinner and only in the evening do I even think about putting it in the fridge. Imagine this scenario: You roast a chicken, let it cool, slice it for sandwiches, make the sandwiches and put them on a plate. Is anyone suggesting those sandwiches have about an hour before they poison you? I would happily leave a cooked chicken at room temperature, covered with foil all day. I have done and never had the slightest ill effects.

Why are people so frightened of food?

I do that almost every other week.
Cook it. Leave it out covered with foil. After dinner maybe shred some up for a sandwich. Cover with foil and leave on counter to in fridge until next day.
Either make another sandwich, wrap, stirfry curry. Leftovers go into a stew.

It's this kind of food safety that gives food safety a bad name......

My personal rule is if it smells or looks bad, I won't eat it.

Other than that- down the hatch.... no matter how far past it's use-by or how long it's been left in the open.

I've only ever been ill from food once- after eating at an IHOP in the US. Maybe I've built up some immunity

Common sense- we should all rely on our noses. I roast a chicken and leave to rest, then reheat leftovers in a curry and often in a soup that might get a thrird warm up. Never been ill yet.

...because of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli bacterial species. At best they can cause debilitating stomach and intestinal illnesses and at worst they can kill you.

There is some good advice here http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygie...odhygiene.aspx and it's never worth taking a risk with food safety for the sake of a few pence.

i eat chicken 3 days after cooking it!

while I have no problem leaving cooked chicken out for a few hours or even overnight but do not just rely on your nose. Food can be contaminated to levels that can make you ill and not smell or look any different.