Yeah, chicken (and most any other meat) can be a bear. The date of packaging and expiry are important. The quality and freshness of the packaging is important (ie, no 'puffing-up' of the wrapping, on chicken at the meat counter).
With chicken, particularly, but with any meat, my basic process is:
- Temporarily store the packaged chicken in a double or triple bag, so that no leaking of the juices onto the refrigerator shelf will occur;
- Buy only enough chicken for cooking it that day;
- Cook it with sufficient "hot-climate" type spices in order to help minimize risk of spoilage (typical for me is an oiled cast-iron dutch oven, with spices sprinkled over the top of all pieces);
- Immediately freeze any portion that won't be immediately used (in an air-tight freezer container);
- Consume any frozen chicken within the month;
- Carefully clean and sterilize all surfaces and cutlery used to prepare and cook the meat; have several cutting boards, so can make the meat board a single-use item; prepare simply, to minimize surface and utensil contamination.
On occasion, I've purchased a couple of packages, but then froze one of them. Occasionally, that "spare" frozen container ends up past the expiry date on the chicken, but I've never had issues so long as immediately freezing after purchases and cooking quickly after defrosting. Can't say that I've ever eaten a packaged meat item that I'd frozen for a year or more. Don't want to try.
With veggies and fruits, I buy only fresh. And I try to slice it up within the day, placing into an air-tight storage container for the refrigerator, and consuming it within three days of preparation. Anything longer than that, I'll freeze the excess in freezer bags. Means that I find myself heading to the grocery at least a couple times each week, in order to get fresh leafy greens and possibly the next batch of veggies to slice up, but it helps to avoid "science experiments" in the bins. Invariably, whenever I don't constrain my purchase quantity (ie, 5 onions instead of 2), it often goes bad before I can get to it ... hence, cutting everything up and placing in an air-tight container immediately after purchase.
Certainly isn't a "gourmet" way of preparing stuff. But my days of doing "Michelin Star" dishes at home are long gone. Simple but tasty dishes, simple sauces, fresh ingredients, a handful of dishes and sides that work well in various combinations. And with an iron-clad prep and refrigeration/freezing method, it helps avoid unexpected dramas with food quality.
* May I continue to avoid missing a beat, here, on these steps. Far safer when I keep up with it, like this.