Discover how to quickly and safely defrost chicken using these techniques, including the microwave, cold water, and, my personal favorite, defrosting chicken in hot tap water. Yes, really!.
The size of the chicken pieces you start with will determine how quickly chicken can be defrosted in the first place. No matter what you do, defrosting won’t be very quick if you start with a whole frozen chicken, which is quite large. It can also take some time if you start with a lot of frozen chicken pieces put together, but not too much. However, there are excellent ways to thaw frozen chicken quickly if you’re starting with individual pieces that have been frozen.
To thaw raw chicken more quickly, I’ll first go over how to prepare it for the freezer. I’ll also go over what to do if your chicken wasn’t frozen that way. Then, after explaining the various techniques, I’ll let you know which is the quickest and which is hands-free.
If your chicken is already frozen, skip down. Read this section if you have fresh chicken that you want to freeze so that it thaws more quickly because it will save you time to prepare your chicken.
Try to keep in mind to take the fresh chicken out of the styrofoam when you bring it home from the store and to discard the moisture pad underneath. Removing it beforehand gives you an advantage when it’s time to defrost because the extra packaging frequently freezes to the meat and makes that side more difficult to defrost.
Remove the giblets and anything else that is on or inside the whole chicken. Then freeze it in a ziptop bag.
You should freeze chicken pieces like thighs or breasts so that they don’t stick to one another. They will thaw much more quickly this way. The simplest way to do this is to place a ziptop freezer bag on a sizable plate or tray designed for freezing. After that, arrange the chicken pieces in the bag in a single layer, taking care to keep them apart from one another. Put the bag on the plate into the freezer. You can take the plate off after the chicken has frozen, and the pieces will remain separate.
If you have a lot of chicken pieces, place them in a single, non-overlapping layer directly on a tray that has been lined with wax paper or parchment paper before freezing. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a ziptop bag. From that point forward, even if they are touching, they will remain apart as long as they maintain their frozen state. They might stick together if they slightly thaw and then refreeze.
The rate of defrosting depends on the size and type of chicken. My favorite technique is to use hot tap water to defrost chicken pieces that were frozen separately. It’s actually totally safe to do so. Below, I provide instructions on how to do this safely.
Another quick option is the microwave, which is described below. However, I don’t like it as much because it frequently begins to cook the chicken’s exterior before the interior has fully defrosted. Using water works much more evenly.
Cold water in the sink is my go-to method if you have a whole chicken or chicken pieces that were frozen together. Even though it will take longer than the microwave, Checking on it frequently to see if you can separate the pieces is one way to expedite the process. Once they separate, you can quickly separate them using the hot water method. Similar to this, you can microwave defrosted chicken pieces until they separate, and then use the hot water or cold water methods.
Here are the detailed explanations for how to defrost chicken. Keep in mind that the USDA advises against ever attempting to thaw chicken at room temperature. That permits the chicken to remain in the danger zone of temperature for too long, which promotes the growth of bacteria. Instead, you’ll learn that chicken should be quickly heated with low heat or defrosted in a cold environment.
The refrigerator is one of the safest places to defrost chicken. The meat is evenly defrosted, but it takes the longest and is the safest method. This method is hands-free and does not require special packaging for the meat, so even if you didn’t transfer the chicken to a ziptop bag and simply frozen it in its original packaging, it will still work for you.
Remove the chicken from the freezer and place it on a sizable dinner plate, bowl, or food storage container before placing it in the refrigerator while it is still in the ziptop bag or in its original packaging. To ensure that nothing in your fridge gets wet or condensation on it, use the plate or bowl.
For a whole chicken or a package of chicken pieces, this method can take up to 24 hours, but once you put it in the fridge, you don’t have to worry about it again until you’re ready to cook.
The second-slowest method for defrosting chicken is submerging it in cold water; however, the meat comes out evenly defrosted. This method is mostly hands-off. It functions best if the chicken has been transferred to a ziptop bag and is no longer in its original packaging. This is merely due to the fact that the original packaging, such as styrofoam and absorbent mat, can freeze to the chicken, lengthening the defrosting process. Similar to that, it takes longer if the chicken is frozen and stuck together. But regardless of the packaging the chicken is in and how it was frozen together, it will still function.
Whether the meat is still in the original packaging or not, chicken needs to be in a tightly sealed bag when defrosting in cold water. This is so that no water gets to the chicken. If the meat isn’t already in a ziptop bag, begin by doing so. If the packaging is frozen to the meat, do the same.
Add the meat in its bag to a large pot or kitchen sink filled with cold water. You can periodically open the ziptop bag to check if you can remove the frozen packaging if the original packaging was frozen to the meat. Once you do, the meat will defrost more quickly as the water’s temperature approaches that of the meat.
Use this method to defrost a whole chicken, draining the water and adding cold water approximately every 30 minutes. Just doing this will ensure that the water temperature stays safe.
It takes an hour to defrost a package of chicken thighs or breasts using this method. Depending on size, a whole chicken will take 2-4 hours. It therefore requires a little bit of thinking ahead. If you don’t have to worry about the packaging, it is mostly hands-off.
The quickest method for defrosting chicken is to use a microwave, but this method requires manual labor and does not evenly defrost the meat. Usually, I don’t like this method because I don’t like how the cooked chicken ends up feeling.
Note that I do not advocate using a microwave to defrost a whole chicken. It’s too big and thaws too unevenly. I suggest cooking a whole frozen chicken straight from frozen if you’re in a rush and you have that option. It’s actually safe and very easy to do.
The fastest method for defrosting chicken pieces is the microwave, but it’s not my favorite. I object to this method because the edges of the meat begin to cook as they defrost more quickly than the center.
I’ve adjusted for this by only microwaving the chicken on the defrost setting for one minute at a time, rotating the chicken pieces, and then microwaving for another minute. Continue until the chicken is fully thawed. This allows the microwaving to be happening more evenly. This is not my preferred method because some of it might still start to cook as it thaws. You could complete the defrosting using one of the water methods if this begins to occur. I frequently begin in the microwave until I can separate frozen chicken pieces if I have any. Then I will use the hot water method below.
Even if you’ve just pulled the meat from the freezer, the microwave method can get you started on dinner in about 15 minutes.
The second fastest method is to defrost chicken in hot water; it is largely hands-off, defrosts the meat fairly evenly, and doesn’t cook any of the meat while leaving the rest frozen. This is totally my favorite method!.
This method is only for chicken pieces, not whole chickens. Additionally, you can only apply this technique if the chicken pieces were frozen separately, not clumped together, or adhered to one another.
In the past, it was widely believed that using hot water to defrost meat or poultry was harmful because the higher temperatures made it too easy for bacteria to grow. This is true, but according to recent studies, the meat can be safely heated for a short period of time. Though I make an effort to keep it under 30 minutes, I’ve heard that an hour is safe. Please don’t try this method if you have immune system issues or are unsure. You must be careful when defrosting meat in hot water, and you do so at your own risk.
For this technique to work, it’s crucial that the chicken pieces were frozen separately without packaging and separately from one another. Otherwise, it will be risky for them to take too long to thaw. Similar to this, the hot water method can only be used with a smaller amount of chicken in order to stop the growth of bacteria, making the process quick. If you use a lot of frozen chicken, the water temperature will drop too low and the chicken won’t defrost in the designated amount of time, putting you in danger. Only 6 chicken thighs, 4 chicken breasts, 20 chicken wings, or 4 chicken leg quarters are prepared using this technique.
You will fill your sink or a big pot with hot tap water to defrost in hot water. Place the chicken in the water while it is enclosed in a ziptop bag. It may be useful to keep it submerged and surrounded by water by using a heavy plate or pot. If the chicken doesn’t defrost within 30 minutes, drain the water from the sink and use cold tap water until the chicken defrosts.
You must use this method to cook defrosted chicken right away. You want to immediately cook the meat at a high temperature to kill any bacteria that may have grown there. Placing the chicken in the refrigerator afterward would allow any bacteria to continue growing. As a result, make sure the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F as soon as possible. To make sure the chicken is heated to a safe level, I like to use an instant read thermometer.
Defrosting Method: Defrosted in cold, running water.
This technique uses cold water to hasten the defrosting process, similar to defrosting chicken in a still water bath (method below). However, this technique maintains a gentle stream of water flowing into the bowl to keep it cold and avoid you having to change the water, as opposed to simply putting the chicken in a bowl of potable water and letting it defrost. I always felt like this method, which I used when working in restaurant kitchens, wasted a lot of water, so I was curious to find out if the time it saves is actually worth the water it uses. Results: The chicken took about an hour to fully defrost using this method, which was slightly quicker than the still water bath method. I didn’t have to do anything else after placing the bowl of water and turning on the water, which made it slightly easier. The water just ran right into the sink. The chicken was flawless and unblemished, and the zip-top baggie kept it dry. Only a small amount of liquid from the chicken’s defrosting had collected in the baggie when it was ready to cook. My conclusion: This method used slightly less time than the still water bath method but used a lot more water. Compared to the still water bath, the procedure only reduced the defrosting time by 30 minutes, but the total time to defrost was still about an hour. I don’t think I’ll use this technique going forward because I don’t think the time it saved was worth the water.
Defrosting Method: Defrosted in the microwave.
The quickest way to thaw chicken breasts is unquestionably by microwave defrosting, but I’ve always been concerned that the texture might suffer (or, worse yet, that the chicken breast might begin to cook). But I set those concerns aside for the purpose of this test. I took the frozen breast out of its packaging and put it in a microwave-safe container with a thin cover. I put it in the microwave and turned on “defrost,” then I stood back and watched it work. Results: My microwave instructed me to flip the chicken over and continue microwaving it after about a minute of defrosting; in total, it took four minutes to fully thaw. The chicken’s exterior appeared a little bit dry and slightly white around the edges, as if it had been left out for a while. The chicken was undoubtedly defrosted, but the quality was compromised. The edges were white and the chicken appeared to be cooking in the microwave. It also had an odd, disagreeable “cooked chicken” smell. My main point is that while defrosting chicken in the microwave may be quick, the results aren’t always ideal. I suppose this is a good method if you intend to cook your chicken right away, but the way the chicken looked and smelled turned me off. This method will work in a pinch, but the quality of your chicken will suffer.
How to Thaw in Cold Water
A water bath is the best method to thaw frozen meats if you’re short on time.
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Foods thawed using this method should be cooked before re-freezing. Depending on how long your meat has been out of the refrigerator after thawing, you’ll want to cook it fairly quickly.
For Cutting Chicken into Pieces
If you require smaller pieces of frozen boneless meat, use this technique to partially thaw it before removing it from the bag and cutting.
The meat’s frozen core prevents it from sliding around as you cut, resulting in cleaner, more even slices. Return the pieces to the leak-proof bag, seal it, and allow to thaw completely.
To thaw items more quickly, inspect them and change the water more frequently. Plan to cook the food as soon as it has defrosted because opening the bag exposes it to bacteria that could be breeding inside.
FAQ
How do you thaw frozen chicken breast quickly?
- Run hot tap water into a bowl.
- Check the temperature with a thermometer. You’re looking for 140 degrees F.
- Submerge the frozen chicken breast.
- Stir the water occasionally to prevent the formation of cold water pockets.
- It should be thawed in 30 minutes or less.
How long does it take to thaw frozen chicken breast?
The chicken should be taken out of the freezer and put on a plate so that any drippings that may occur as it thaws can be caught. As a general rule, frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts should thaw within 12 to 24 hours.
Is it safe to defrost chicken in water?
Place frozen chicken in a tightly sealed bag (either in vacuum sealed bags or strong, leak-proof, zipper-top storage bags) and submerge it in a bowl of cold water to quickly thaw it when you’re in a hurry. Do NOT defrost chicken in hot water! It’s not safe.
Can you leave frozen chicken breast out to thaw?
Never thaw frozen chicken in a bowl of hot water or on the counter at room temperature. 1 Bacterial growth can result from letting chicken defrost on the counter or soaking it in hot water, which could make people who eat it ill.
