- The best methods for thawing chicken are in the fridge, in cold water, and in the microwave.
- Food safety is crucial when thawing chicken since warm temperatures can spur bacterial growth.
- For thinner cuts of chicken, in a pinch, it is safe to skip thawing altogether and cook it from frozen.
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Opening the freezer to defrost chicken seems to always come with a flurry of questions about how to do it properly and when it will be ready to cook with. Part of this doubt is rooted in the looming threat of contamination and the importance of food safety when it comes to cooking poultry.
When thawing chicken, following proper protocol will ensure you avoid what the USDA calls the "danger zone," which is when food is left out too long at room temperature, resulting in food temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees. Bacteria thrives and multiplies faster in warmer temperatures within the danger zone.
If you use an improper thawing method — like leaving chicken out on the counter to defrost — the outside can thaw faster than the inside and reach high, unsafe temperatures, leading to bacterial growth.
According to Hervé Guillard, director of education at the Institute of Culinary Education, chicken can be subject to lots of contamination, be it "salmonella possibilities" or food poisoning. Luckily, the best ways to thaw chicken are straightforward.
In the refrigerator
Guillard says leaving chicken in the refrigerator to defrost is hands-down the best and safest thawing method. "If it's just a couple of pounds of chicken in pieces…that should be defrosted fully overnight," he says.
Once the chicken is thawed, he recommends using it within two days of defrosting. To avoid contamination in the fridge, simply leave the chicken in its original packaging, he says. If you're concerned, you can always place the packaging in an extra bowl to catch and stray drips.
For a small to medium whole chicken that's four to five pounds, Guillard recommends leaving it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight or up to two days.
In cold water
This is the best method if you need to cut down your thawing time. According to Guillard, 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 (think: chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and chicken tenders).
You can transfer it to the fridge and cook it the next day, a few hours later, or you can cook it right away after that," Guillard says.
In the microwave
While the microwave isn't the most reliable method, it can work when done properly. The cardinal rule of thawing chicken in the microwave is to only use the defrost function. Using the presets on your microwave, make sure you enter the accurate amount of pounds you're defrosting since this will determine how long it stays in.
"The defrost cycle on a microwave goes through ups and downs of power while it's moving the item," Guillard says, "It's the best way to defrost so that it's not too much energy, which may lead to hotspots and only some parts of the chicken being defrosted." This can be dangerous because it can lead to the development of microbes in parts of the chicken, he says.
For that reason, he says you need to immediately cook the chicken since it will have warm spots. Luckily, this thawing method "should not affect the texture" or flavor of the chicken, says Guillard.
Cook from frozen
Guillard only recommends cooking flat cuts of chicken from frozen: chicken steaks, butterflied chicken breast, chicken tenders, and deboned chicken thigh meat.
"Something like a full-size breast will not necessarily cook in the middle while it's already finished cooking on the outside," he says. Guillard recommends increasing cook time to about 30 percent more than you would while cooking fully thawed chicken.
However, the best way to know your chicken is finished cooking is by making sure an infrared thermometer reaches the USDA-recommended 165 degrees, he says. Plus, one benefit to cooking from frozen is that the extra moisture makes your chicken more juicy and tender.
What not to do
- Don't thaw at room temperature. Leaving chicken on the counter to defrost at room temperature is not a safe thawing method. The outside will defrost faster than the inside. Guillard says you'll end up with a gradient of temperatures, which ultimately leads to bacterial growth, posing health threats.
- Don't thaw in hot water. Thawing in hot water also leaves you with a gradient of temperatures — the chicken will defrost faster on the outside than the inside, Guillard says. "You can have microbial development on the outside of the chicken while the center is still frozen," he says.
- Don't wait to cook microwave-thawed chicken. If you defrost your chicken in the microwave, Guillard says you must fully cook it right after it's defrosted. This will help avoid further bacterial growth.
Insider's takeaway
If not thawed properly, chicken that's been exposed to higher temperatures can lead to bacterial growth and, therefore, pose serious health threats like salmonella and food poisoning. To avoid food safety hazards, thaw chicken in the refrigerator. If you're under a time crunch, thawing chicken in cold water is the best in-a-pinch method.