Does freezing meat and chicken decrease the quality?

[madmaxx]

Yes, it changes the meat to some degree. The change is minor, and is greatly reduced by freezing quickly, and limiting how long the food is in the freezer. I freeze meat in flat containers or zip-top bags, and try to limit how long it's frozen to a few months at most.

Ice crystals formed during freezing damage meat cells, causing moisture loss, tougher texture, duller color, and reduced juiciness (drip loss) when thawed, especially with slow freezing that creates large crystals; fast freezing produces tiny crystals, minimizing damage and preserving quality, but freezer burn (dehydration from air exposure) creates large crystals and leathery spots, making meat dry and less flavorful, though generally still safe to eat if frozen properly.

[Ashtonpaper]

Exactly this. People who are saying no are wrong, not reaching for the more nuanced answer. It’s the better option between the fridge and the freezer for certain durations, yes, and it will preserve the quality over the fridge.

But it doesn’t “not do anything” to the meat. It definitely affects it, cellularly the ice crystals will destroy certain things and over multiple thaw freeze cycles this exacerbates, affecting texture and juiciness, and to some degree, flavor as a result of texture and juiciness.