How to quickly defrost a chicken: 5 ways

Every housewife strives to ensure that in her refrigerator there are always stocks of products that can help her out at the most unexpected moment. One such product is chicken carcass. Chicken is an indispensable way to feed a family quickly, tasty and satisfying. However, the chicken has one drawback - it defrosts for a long time. Of course, there are methods that can defrost a chicken in a few minutes, but the quality of the meat suffers from this. So, let's try to understand all the methods for defrosting chicken meat.

How to defrost a chicken

To make the chicken juicy, tasty and healthy, it needs to be thawed as long as possible. A sudden drop in temperature kills the fibers of the fabric, and the meat becomes soft, like porridge. Therefore, the most correct way to defrost chicken is a refrigerator. This usually takes about a day, depending on the size of the carcass. A large chicken can thaw for 30 hours. If you plan to cook chicken dinner tomorrow, do not forget to transfer chicken from the freezer to one of the shelves of the refrigerator tonight.

You need to get the frozen carcass, pull it out of the packaging film and transfer it to a cup. The container should be deep enough and wide so that melting water does not leak. You can cover the cup with the chicken with a film or a lid so that the smell of chicken does not spread throughout the refrigerator. In addition, it protects the meat itself from odors.

If you do not have so much time to defrost, you can speed up the process by leaving the chicken not in the refrigerator, but just at room temperature. To do this, remove the carcass from the freezer, remove the packaging, put in a cup and leave it on the table. Thus, the chicken will thaw for about 4-5 hours. The chicken will defrost even faster if a few incisions are made on the chicken. However, this will be relevant only if, in the future, the chicken is butchered and not baked. Incisions on the whole carcass will spoil the appearance of the dish.

How to quickly defrost a chicken

If guests suddenly arrived, there are several ways to quickly defrost chicken.

1. Fill the chicken with water. This is the most optimal way to defrost chicken in the ratio of "time-quality". The fact is that water melts ice better than air. Dip the frozen chicken carcass into a container of cold water, and the ice will thaw after a couple of hours. To make the process faster, you can lower the meat into warm water, and then periodically change the liquid as it cools. There is much debate about whether to remove the bag when defrosting chicken in water. Still, packaging does not need to be removed, so the chicken will not lose its taste and after cooking it will be more juicy and tasty. Pouring frozen meat with hot water is not recommended, otherwise the fibers will simply weld and lose their structure. In addition, the meat will become tasteless and useless.
2. The most popular way to defrost chicken is microwave. All modern microwave oven models have a defrost function. Just put the chicken on a plate and turn on the microwave for 3-4 minutes. After the specified time, the carcass must be turned over and thawed again for 3 minutes. Then the carcass needs to be removed and check if the meat has thawed completely. To do this, lower your hand into the belly of the chicken - to where the entrails were. If you found pieces of ice there, repeat the procedure. However, this method of defrosting should be resorted to as rarely as possible, while the chicken loses the lion's share of its beneficial properties.
3. You can defrost chicken in a slow cooker.To do this, place the carcass on a special stand, which is intended for the preparation of manti and steam cutlets. Then pour water into the multicooker bowl and set the steaming mode. To defrost a medium-sized chicken, usually 10 minutes is enough.
4. Another chicken can be thawed in the oven. Usually this method is used if in the future you plan to bake chicken. Remove the frozen chicken from the freezer, free it from the packaging and place on a baking sheet. The fire should be minimal so that the carcass thawed rather than baked. Usually even the largest carcass defrosts no longer than 20 minutes. After that, the chicken can be pulled out and done, all that was previously planned. Pickle meat or stuff it with vegetables and fruits, and then send it back to the oven, setting the desired temperature.

Remember, chicken turns out to be much tastier and more juicy if it has room temperature before heat treatment. If the chicken thawed in the refrigerator, let the meat warm on the kitchen table before cooking.

Is it possible to bake frozen chicken

This question excites many housewives, especially when guests are on the doorstep. And you need to do not only the main course, but also salads and even dessert. You can bake a chicken and frozen. However, some sequence must be observed. First, the temperature in the oven should be minimal, at least 10-15 minutes. After that, get the chicken, rinse it from ice with blood, grease it with spices, add fire and again send the carcass to the oven. If you put the chicken immediately in a hot oven, it will bake unevenly.

Some housewives prefer to pickle chicken in advance. If you bought a fresh chicken, rinse and pickle it before freezing - grease with salt and spices before sending the carcass to the freezer. Then, when an emergency comes and you need ready and tasty food in an hour, you can wrap the chicken carcass in foil and send it to the oven. First, keep the meat on low heat until the chicken thawed, then just open the foil and add fire. A tasty and ready meal will be ready in 40 minutes.

How to defrost minced chicken

If you have minced chicken in the fridge, you don’t have to worry about a sudden dinner. However, so that it is always at hand, it must also be quickly thawed. When cooking minced chicken, it is better to divide it into small portions before freezing, so as not to thaw too much if necessary. Defrosting minced chicken is better in the refrigerator or at room temperature. If there is no time for this, dip a piece of minced meat in a waterproof bag and fill it with warm water. Or put the minced meat in the microwave for 5 minutes.

Chicken is an excellent product, not only tasty and easily digestible, but also easy to prepare. But in order to preserve its taste and benefits, the carcass must be properly defrosted. Shock defrosting in the form of using a microwave oven and warm water is extremely undesirable and can be used only in emergency cases. The rest of the time, try to defrost the chicken for a long time, while maintaining the taste and healthy qualities of white meat.

Video: how to chop chicken