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Knowing the best and quickest way to thaw chicken will ensure that your meal is safe and delicious for everyone at the table. Whether you’re planning a dinner party or creating a weeknight recipe these tips work wonders. However, it can be challenging to determine the best method to thaw your poultry safely. Luckily, this article covers all you need to know about how to defrost chicken with ease and confidence. So let’s dive in!

Thawing chicken is an important step in preparing a delicious and healthy meal, but it can be a tricky process, especially when you’re in a rush. Knowing a quick way to thaw chicken and ensuring that your poultry is ready for cooking the safe way is essential. Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or just learning your way around the kitchen, our guide will teach you the best way to thaw chicken with ease. These methods are perfect for thawing chicken breasts, and chicken pieces and defrosting chicken fast and safely.

If you’re looking for some reasons as to why you should eat chicken, the National Chicken Council goes into detail about the benefits of this source of protein!

Be sure to check out our article that touches on how to properly thaw and store frozen ground beef!

If you’re looking for recipes that use chicken, try these Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry, Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, and Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken.

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Why We Love Chicken

Nutritious: Chicken is highly nutritious and a good source of protein. Adding chicken to your diet may help support weight loss, muscle growth, and bone health.
Versatile: Chicken is very versatile. Cook by almost any cooking method – slowly for a succulent casserole, poached to make a healthy pie, or quickly with a crisp, pan-fried skin. Chicken also takes well to lots of spices and other flavors in different dishes.
Freezer Friendly: Individual pieces of raw chicken stay good in the freezer for 9 months, and whole chickens are good for up to a year when frozen. If you’re freezing cooked chicken, you can expect that to last for 2–6 months. Freezing cooked chicken is a great way to reduce food waste.
Affordable: Chicken is generally the cheapest type of meat. With chicken being so affordable and versatile, you can create a huge variety of dishes.

What is Chicken

Chicken is a type of domesticated bird that belongs to the family of Phasianidae. Raise for its meat, eggs, and feathers. The chicken is one of the most common poultry in the world. Chickens are easy to raise, reproduce quickly, and provide an excellent source of protein.

There are hundreds of breeds of chickens all over the world. Each breed has unique characteristics that make them different from others. Some chickens are bred for their meat production, while others are bred for their egg-laying abilities. In general, chicken meat is leaner and healthier than red meats such as beef or pork.

Prepare chicken in many ways – roasted, grilled, baked, or fried – and can be used in a variety of dishes such as soups, stews, casseroles, or salads. Its versatility makes it a popular ingredient in kitchens around the globe.

Types of Chicken

When purchasing chicken, it may be packaged according to the different types. There are numerous ways you can buy your chicken, below are just some of the ways!

Type 1: Boneless, skinless chicken breast is very popular.
Type 2: Chicken wings and drumsticks are great ways to test different sauces.
Type 3: Whole chickens can be bought frozen or fully done in rotisserie form.

Benefits of Chicken

Benefit 1: Provides vitamins and minerals involved in brain function
Benefit 2: Promotes heart health
Benefit 3: Aids in weight loss

Best Way to Defrost and Thaw Chicken Quickly and Safely

If you’re preparing to cook a chicken that’s been stored in your freezer, it’s important to thaw it properly to ensure that it cooks evenly and remains safe for consumption. While there are multiple ways to thaw chicken, some methods are more effective than others. Here are three of the best ways to thaw chicken fast.

These are the basic steps for the best way to thaw chicken. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.

Defrost Chicken in the Refrigerator

Place your chicken in a large sealed sandwich bag.

Keep the chicken on a lipped plate or bowl to stop any juices from leaking onto other food and spoiling it and prevent food poisoning.

Leave the plate at the bottom of the fridge for around 5 hours per pound, but ideally overnight.

Defrost Chicken Quickly using Running Water

Place your chicken in its original packaging in a large container or bowl in the sink, and let a constant stream of cold water run over it for 20 minutes. This cold water bath will decrease the thawing time.

That should be just enough time to thaw your chicken if it’s in pieces (chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and chicken tenders)

Quickly Thaw in the Microwave to Defrost Frozen Chicken

First, remove any packaging before placing it in a microwave-safe dish or container and covering the dish loosely.

Place the chicken in the microwave. Use the defrosting setting on your microwave to defrost for two minutes at a time, checking the meat and turning or flipping it periodically to ensure even thawing. This method will thaw the chicken safely.

It takes about 2 minutes per pound to thaw and defrost chicken safely and quickly in the microwave.

Chicken FAQs

Poultry needs to be pink or light red in color, and not too pale, as this would indicate that the meat has been on the shelf too long. The meat also has to look elastic, full, and plump; when you press against it, the meat should be somewhat resilient, resuming its shape after a few seconds. When buying fresh meat it is advisable to smell it.

According to the USDA, washing, rinsing, or brining meat and poultry in salt water, vinegar or lemon juice does not destroy bacteria. If there is anything on your raw poultry that you want to remove, pat the area with a damp paper towel and immediately wash your hands.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), raw chicken can be kept in your fridge approximately 1–2 days.

Store fresh, uncooked chicken on a low shelf of the refrigerator so it does not drip onto other items. For convenience and to prevent freezer burn, wrap separate pieces in foil or plastic bags. Then place all wrapped or bagged pieces into a larger freezer bag or foil wrap.

Chicken breasts are susceptible to drying out when overcooked, so they’re best cooked quickly using high heat. That means skillet-cooking, stir-frying, roasting/baking, or grilling chicken breasts are the best routes.

It’s a high-quality, complete protein. It builds muscle and strengthens bones. It supports weight loss and flexes with various diets (Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, Dietary Guidelines for Americans).

Expert Tips and Safe Methods to Thaw Chicken

Tip 1: If you’re planning on defrosting your chicken, the fridge method takes a day of planning so make the necessary steps you need to be ready for this method. It takes about 24 hours for your frozen chicken to defrost in the refrigerator.
Tip 2: If defrosting a whole chicken under running water, make sure cold water goes inside so it will defrost from the exterior and the interior.
Tip 3: When microwaving, make sure you know the amount of chicken you’re thawing since it will affect the time it needs in the microwave.

Chicken Recipes to Try

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Best Way to Thaw Chicken

Prep: 20

Total: 20

Whether you’re planning a dinner party or creating a weeknight recipe, knowing the best way to thaw chicken will ensure that your meal is safe and delicious for everyone at the table. However, it can be challenging to determine the best method to thaw your poultry safely. Luckily, this article covers all you need to know about thawing chicken with ease and confidence. So let’s dive in!

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Equipment

▢
1 Freezer Safe Bag
▢
1 Baking Sheet
▢
1 Container

Materials

▢ 1 whole chicken

Instructions

Fridge
Place your chicken in a large sealed sandwich bag.
Sit on a lipped plate or bowl to stop any juices leaking onto other food and spoiling it.
Leave the plate at the bottom of the fridge for around 5 hours per pound, but ideally overnight.
Running Water
Place your chicken in its original packaging in a large container or bowl in the sink, and let a constant stream of cold water run over it for 20 minutes.
That should be just enough time to thaw your chicken if it’s in pieces (chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and chicken tenders).
Microwave
First, remove any packaging before placing it in a microwave-safe dish or container and covering the dish loosely.
Use the defrosting setting on your microwave to defrost for two minutes at a time, checking the meat and turning or flipping it periodically to ensure even thawing.
It takes about 2 minutes per pound to thaw in the microwave.

Expert Tips

Expert Tips for Thawing Chicken

Tip 1: If you’re planning on defrosting your chicken, the fridge method takes a day of planning so make the necessary steps you need to be ready for this method. It takes about 24 hours for your frozen chicken to defrost in the refrigerator.
Tip 2: If defrosting a whole chicken under running water, make sure cold water goes inside so it will defrost from the exterior and the interior.
Tip 3: When microwaving, make sure you know the amount of chicken you’re thawing since it will affect the time it needs in the microwave.

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Author: Christina Hitchcock