Within how many hours should chicken be chilled in the first step?

The correct answer emphasizes the critical importance of food safety in handling cooked chicken. According to food safety guidelines, chicken should be chilled within 2 hours of cooking to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. The risk of foodborne illness increases significantly if cooked foods are not cooled to safe temperatures rapidly. Keeping the chilling time to within 2 hours ensures that the chicken reaches a safe temperature quickly, minimizing the risk of bacterial contamination.

Options suggesting longer chilling times, such as 4, 6 hours, or even longer, would not align with best practices in food safety and could leave the chicken in the temperature danger zone too long, which allows pathogens to grow. Therefore, the recommended chilling time for cooked chicken is 2 hours to ensure both safety and quality.