How long can a cooked chicken casserole 'sit on the side' for before it's eaten?

[MrsTriangle]

It's 12:45pm now and I want to make a chicken casserole now and then I can get on with some stuff / go out and it will be all done for the kids dinner at 5ish and ours at 7:30ish.

The fridge is rammed and I don't want to put it outside (though could) - can it sit in our room temp/cool kitchen for the rest of the day?

Of course it wil be ok. You wouldnt want to be putting it straight in the fridge while it's hot anyway.

If it is FULLY cooked now, and you FULLY heat it up later, I don't see a problem, but then you should see what was growing in the Stilton Cheese I have just eaten for my lunch!

Yes, as lambanana says once you've made it and let it cool down completely to go in the fridge it'd be 3ish and unless your kitchen is very warm (which you say it isn't) then it will only be out an extra couple of hours, no problem. Especially as everything will already be cooked. I often leave mine out in the kitchen overnight in winter if its a big casserole.

My mum used to leave a big pan of soup on the hob for days at a time.

phew! Thank you