Besides a good supply of ice cream and loads of frozen vegetables, the one thing we always have in the freezer is chicken. It makes a delicious dinner—if we remember to thaw it in time.
Thawing chicken isn’t hard, but you have to do it correctly in order to ensure it is safe to eat, says Jacob R. Tuell, PhD, assistant professor at Northwest Missouri State University and member of the Institute of Food Technologists’ Muscle Foods Division.
There are three methods of thawing chicken that are recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. The first two offer the best quality.
“It has been shown that thawing chicken in the refrigerator minimizes the amount of liquid coming out of the product during both thawing and cooking compared to methods like the microwave, submerging in warm water, and thawing on the counter (with the latter two not being acceptable for food safety),” says Tuell.
Thawing Chicken in the Refrigerator
Using the refrigerator is the easiest and safest way to thaw chicken, but it definitely requires a little patience. Make sure your chicken is in a zip-top bag or its original packaging and then place it on a plate to catch any drips. It may have to sit overnight or longer before it’s thawed.
“While thawing chicken, it is important to minimize the potential for cross-contamination,” Tuell says. “The liquid that escapes from chicken during thawing, known as purge or drip, is an excellent medium for pathogenic bacteria to grow. Chicken should ideally be thawed in a container with a lip that will stop purge from spilling, as well as on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to avoid contaminating other foods should a spill occur.”
If you thaw chicken in the refrigerator, use it within 1 to 2 days after thawing.
Thawing Chicken in Cold Water
Make sure chicken is in a leak-proof bag or in its original packaging if it’s airtight. Place it in a big bowl of water so that it is submerged. Change the water every 30 minutes to make sure the water stays cold.
The USDA says an entire chicken or a pack of chicken parts should take 2 to 3 hours to thaw. A 1-pound pack of boneless breasts should thaw in about an hour. Be sure to cook chicken as soon as it is thawed.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Thawing Chicken in the Microwave
Thawing in the fridge and in cold water are the best methods if you have the time. “However, it is understandable that we sometimes do not plan ahead and need a quick solution to get dinner on the table,” says Tuell.
To defrost chicken in the microwave, remove all packaging and place it in a microwave-safe dish. Use the defrost function on your microwave which is typically about 20% to 30% of the typical power. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes per pound, depending on whether you are thawing parts or an entire chicken.
There’s one important safety step if you’re defrosting your chicken this way. “If thawing in a microwave, chicken needs to be used immediately, as parts of it may have warmed into the ‘danger zone’ (40 to 140°F) in which pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella can begin to grow and multiply,” says Tuell.
How Not to Thaw Chicken
Although it can be tempting to just leave frozen chicken out on the counter, it’s not safe to thaw it that way or in a bowl of warm water, says Tuell. “The outside of the product can be within this unsafe range for hours prior to the interior of the product fully thawing, leading the product to harbor an unsafe number of pathogens by the time you are ready to cook.”
Can You Refreeze Chicken?
If you’ve thawed chicken in the fridge, it’s OK to refreeze it from a food safety perspective. “Although refreezing can result in quality deterioration such as excessive moisture loss and the development of off-odors,” Tuell says.
It’s not a good idea to refreeze chicken that has been thawed in cold water or the microwave,” Tuell says. “Those thawing methods can expose the meat to temperatures within the danger zone, so thorough cooking is recommended prior to refreezing to kill any potential pathogenic bacteria that has started to gain a foothold.”
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