Unsurprisingly the "best" way tends to be the "least convenient" way. If you have time to let the chicken thaw slowly in the fridge that's generally considered to be the method least likely to encourage bacteria development.
Soaking a sealed chicken or cut of chicken in cold water, either running or changed periodically, can speed the process significantly, but you don't want the water to come in direct contact with the meat or it can srat absorbing a lot of liquid and become soggy.
Unsurprisingly the "best" way tends to be the "least convenient" way. If you have time to let the chicken thaw slowly in the fridge that's generally considered to be the method least likely to encourage bacteria development.
Soaking a sealed chicken or cut of chicken in cold water, either running or changed periodically, can speed the process significantly, but you don't want the water to come in direct contact with the meat or it can srat absorbing a lot of liquid and become soggy.
Generally, slowly in the refrigerator. Boneless chicken breasts can be thawed quickly in a warm water bath. Check out http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713508002491 if you're interested in the science.
Thaw it in the fridge. Length of time will depend on size of chicken, or the cuts that you are thawing. Whole birds take quite a while to thaw. Cut up chicken, not as long. If the chicken is still slightly frozen when I need to use it, I will immerse it in a bowl of cold water for a little while. I let the cold water run at a slow trickle in order to keep the water moving in the bowl and avoid any contaminants.
5 Comments
The New York Times, Harold McGee
A Hot-Water Bath for Thawing Meats
June 6, 2011
It works wonderfully and saves a lot of time.
Soaking a sealed chicken or cut of chicken in cold water, either running or changed periodically, can speed the process significantly, but you don't want the water to come in direct contact with the meat or it can srat absorbing a lot of liquid and become soggy.
Soaking a sealed chicken or cut of chicken in cold water, either running or changed periodically, can speed the process significantly, but you don't want the water to come in direct contact with the meat or it can srat absorbing a lot of liquid and become soggy.