Defrosting chicken isn’t as simple as taking it out of the freezer and letting it thaw. In order to make sure the chicken remains bacteria-free and avoid contaminating kitchen surfaces and tools, you should approach the defrosting process carefully.
There are various methods that will help you defrost chicken efficiently, but not all of them are quite safe. For example, defrosting chicken in the microwave causes an uneven thawing and requires you to cook it straight away. This is why you should use one of the following methods.
Refrigerator
The safest and most efficient way to defrost a chicken is to use your refrigerator. This will allow the chicken to thaw without reaching a temperature that causes bacteria growth. But in doing so, you need to pay attention to a few things. First of all, you need to put it in a deep container so the juices don’t spill out. Secondly, make sure to put it on a bottom shelf in case some juices do splash out, as it will minimize the contamination of the fridge.
Running Cold Water
If you need to defrost your chicken fast but in a safe way, then placing it under running cold water will do the trick. Make sure to keep the water running until the chicken thaws completely. Don’t use hot or warm water because it can cause the outside of the chicken to reach the critical temperature fast while the inside will still be frozen.
