Best way to defrost chicken?

[mommy22pumpkins]

Hello. I know this sounds really stupid. But we buy the chicken tenders. And when we put them in the freezer they always get pushed back and wind up throwing them away because I don't know how to defrost them So my question is:

How long does it normally take to thaw in the fridge?
Or is it possible to thaw them at room temperature safely?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[mrsboz]

You're really not supposed to but I do it every day and we are all still alive and well. I take out something every morning and it is thawed out by dinner time.

I used to buy chicken tenders but I don't buy them anymore. I buy the chicken breasts and cut them up. The meat is always better and it is a much better price. Much better. Just an idea for you.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

You can thaw them safely in cool water, which would be a matter of hours rather than days in the fridge. As long as you cook it thoroughly, I think it's OK to thaw on the counter as PP said. I have done this and not gotten sick.

 

[Leeanne]

I defrost a couple different ways. The first is in the fridge. I would put something underneath as it does 'leak' when defrosting. Rather the water will come off. This would probably be overnight at a minimum. Another way is using the defrost button on your microwave. I usually stick tenders, breast, any meat in a bowl or plate then punch the defrost button and then imput the lbs and hit start. This may take 10 min or so. The last option, I can think of, is put the meat in a sink full of cold water. Usually, takes an hour or less. I do this all the time. I buy in bulk or in a box (www.angelfoodministries.com) and freeze. Good luck!!
Leeanne

 

[Mouseless2Long]

My brother is a chef and when he needs to defrost chicken quickly, he puts the package of chicken in the sink, fills the sink with enough cool water to cover the package, places a bowl on top of the chicken and then weighs the bowl down with additional water or a glass filled with water. In 30 minutes, (unless it's a really huge package) he has safely defrosted chicken.

Works every time!

 

[pixiewings71]

I do defrosting in the fridge (overnight) on the counter (all day but not in the summer because we turn the AC off when we aren't home and it gets really hot here) or in the microwave. I don't do the sink of water thing but my Mom used to. Which reminds me, I need to take the chicken thighs out of the freezer and put them in the fridge so I can crock pot them tomorrow with BBQ sauce.

 

[sweetsusannah]

Not sure how you are preparing them but I often cook frozen chicken. If I am cooking a whole chicken I will put it in the crockpot in the am and by dinner it is perfect. For breast or tenders I put them in the oven at 25 degrees lower than normal and half way through the cooking I pull them back out and put the spices on it then put it back in at the normal temp, for about 10 minutes longer than I would have thawed chicken. Works great every time!

 

[DMickey28]

I also don't buy Chicken Tenders but breasts at $1.99/lb on sale and freeze. It depends on what I am using the chicken for as to how I defrost it. I either defrost them in the microwave (don't prefer that) or I do the cold water in the sink method, changing it every 15 minutes or so or leave it running for a little while.

 

[branv]

Well OP, I want to thank you for tonight's best laugh...

I was scanning through the new threads too quickly, so when I saw yours, what I read was:

"Best way to defrost children?"

You can imagine the "uhhh...what?" that ripped through my head. Then came the giggles.

Thanks, and hope your chicken and your children stay room temperature

 

[schoen]

There are only four safe and acceptable ways to defrost any food that requires temperature control for saftey

1. The fridge- This is the very best way because the product never goes above 41 degrees

2. Under running water that is 70 degress or less, this is the worst and most dangerous way to do it. Many folks will omit the running water part of this, and that is dangerous because raw meat in stagnate water is a breeding ground for pathogens

3. In the microwave, however; if you are going to thaw food in the microwave you MUST cook it immediately, you can't return it to the refridge

4. As a part of the cooking process


Chicken in particular is a dangerous item to defrost, because salmonella is naturally occurring in poultry. These are really and truly the only safe a industry approved methods of thawing frozen food.

 

[SandrA9810]

scheon is right...

Running water usually works the best and fastest. But make sure it's cold water.

If you plan on sticking them in the oven or something, then I wouldn't even worry about it. But I would leave the seasonings off of them till they're near done so you don't cake the seasoning on and have it tasting a bit burnt.

 

[mommy22pumpkins]

Okay thank so all the great tips. I guess we will use the safest method of defrosting in the fridge overnight. and then if they are still partially frozen we will just lower the cooking temp. and cook a little longer. I'm so glad I asked- you all are so wonderful. thanks for helping a clueless chicken defroster. I feel much better now

 

[All American]

In addition to opening a can of Biscuits from their air-tight container and cooking bacon (Pop! Pop! Burn! Ow!), thawing then cooking frozen chicken scares me. I am always afraid of food poisoning, so I toss it and go to the store for more. Thanks for the tips on what to do.

 

[Leader of the Club]

scheon is right...

Running water usually works the best and fastest. But make sure it's cold water.

IF you do this method, stay in the darn kitchen with the running water. My DH (and I don't mean dear!) has flooded my house twice doing this. The bowl will slide in the sink, blocking the drain, causing the sink to overflow and will ruin your newly finished basement causing thousands of dollars in damage. It will ruin the new kitchen floor you just had put in and cause you to need to replace the subfloor too.

did I mention he did this twice!?