For many housewives, chicken is a real lifesaver. She saves the day if unexpected guests appear on the doorstep or there is simply not enough time to prepare dinner for the family. Chicken cooks quickly, and its dishes always turn out tasty, satisfying and healthy. The only problem you may encounter in the process of emergency cooking is chicken meat is to solve the question of how to quickly defrost chicken. Almost every housewife has her own “proprietary” way of defrosting chickens. And we must admit that not all of them are harmless.
How to quickly defrost chicken
The fastest way to defrost chicken is to use the microwave. Most modern microwave ovens are equipped with defrosting functions. To do this, simply place the chicken in the oven and set the timer for 1-2 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken). After the time has passed, remove the carcass, turn it over, and place it in the oven again for the same period. All! The chicken is ready and you can start preparing the intended dish.
The opinion that chicken defrosted in the microwave loses its taste qualities, nothing more than a myth. Only the most sophisticated gourmet will be able to distinguish the taste of meat defrosted in it from meat defrosted in the usual way. Such gourmets are extremely rare!
But, nevertheless, one should not assume that similar method defrosting is harmless. The microwave “kills” any food, makes it “dead”. This happens at any stage - defrosting, cooking or heating. So when it comes to using this kitchen appliance, which is unsafe in many respects, you need to look at the root of the problem: whether to use it at all or not.
This method of defrosting is categorically unacceptable in families where they care about the health of their household and do not eat food prepared in microwave ovens. The task of quickly defrosting chicken in this case becomes somewhat more complicated. It will not be possible to defrost a bird in a few minutes; at best, in one to two hours. And you can’t do without improvised means.
The easiest way to quickly defrost chicken is to remove it from the bag and place it in a deep, wide pan filled with water at room temperature. It is desirable that the water not only be around the chicken, but also penetrate inside it. Change the water every 10-15 minutes. At most, after 1-1.5 hours the chicken can be cut up and cooked.
Often, to quickly defrost chicken, place it under running cold or warm water directly in the bag. In this case, it will defrost for at least 2-2.5 hours.
Well, the last, not the most useful, but nevertheless used method is to place the chicken in a pan filled with warm, almost hot water, which needs to be changed as it cools. This method allows you to defrost the chicken within an hour or a little less, but some nutrients is irretrievably lost.
The most in a simple way is natural defrosting. If you are going to cook the chicken in the morning, then the evening of the previous day, move it from the freezer to one of the refrigerator shelves. If you are going to cook during the day, just take the chicken out in the morning and leave it room temperature. In 4-5 hours it will completely defrost.
The longer it takes to defrost, the more nutrients are retained in the chicken. And on the contrary, the sooner the bird carcass is defrosted, the less of them remains in the chicken.
Chicken meat is very tasty and useful product. You can cook from it great amount fried, boiled, baked dishes. Tender chicken cutlets, flavorful pieces of fillet under cream sauce, spicy chicken legs with pepper...
Where does the preparation of any dish based on this bird begin?
Many housewives start it with the question: do I need to defrost the chicken before cooking? Answer: yes, it is necessary. Then the taste of the meat will be preserved better, and there will be no problems with cutting. Of course, fresh meat is much tastier and juicier, but it is not always possible to do without a freezer. There is no need to despair when, on the eve of a festive dinner, there is only an ice-cold bird carcass in the refrigerator.
How to defrost chicken quickly: three ways
Chicken can be defrosted in several ways, each of which has its pros and cons. Defrosting in the refrigerator.
This method takes the most time, but at the same time it preserves almost all the taste qualities of a dish prepared from fresh meat.
- First, you need to remove the carcass from the freezer and place it in a bowl, deep and large, so that the chicken can fit in it, and the water that forms during defrosting does not leak out;
- The bowl should be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator;
- The temperature difference between the freezer and the refrigerator is enough to allow the meat to undergo the following processing within a few hours. As a rule, this takes up to five hours;
- Despite such a disadvantage as the duration of the process, harmful bacteria will not have time to appear in the meat. Thawed chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Tip: It is best to leave the carcass to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. The next day you can start preparing your intended dishes from it. If you plan to cook the bird for dinner, you can transfer the product from the freezer to the refrigerator in the morning, for example, before leaving for work.
Defrosting chicken at room temperature
This option is suitable for those who want to learn how to defrost chicken fillet quickly.
- For this method, you also need to take care of a capacious container in which the meat would fit completely, for example, in a pan. Place the carcass in it and fill it with water;
- The water temperature should not be high! Otherwise, the chicken will become a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria and will lose some of its taste. It is advisable to change the water every half hour;
- The disadvantage of defrosting in water is that the process must always be controlled. In addition, the bird should be cooked immediately, otherwise it will spoil very quickly;
- Plus - the time spent on defrosting is half as much as with a similar process in the refrigerator.
Express method using microwave oven or quick defrost.
- The meat must be placed in a microwave-safe container and set to “defrost”;
- Ten minutes is enough for it to become soft.
Anyone who has this household assistant at home knows how to defrost chicken in the microwave. However, they also understand perfectly well that it is better to wait a few hours and defrost it in water or in the refrigerator.
The fact is that the resulting meat cannot be compared with fresh meat. The carcass defrosts unevenly; in one place it may still be covered with ice, while in another it simply begins to cook.
Therefore, it would be correct to cook the meat immediately after such a procedure. This method is perfect if you need to quickly prepare lunch and don’t have time to wait for the meat to defrost on its own. Therefore, to the question “Is it possible to defrost chicken in the microwave?”, the answer is: it is possible, but not advisable.
If you still have at least one hour left, then the options can be combined. Experienced housewives They know very well how to defrost chicken meat quickly without changing the taste.
To do this, just keep it in the microwave for a few minutes on the “defrost” mode. The main thing is not to miss the moment when the chicken starts to warm up. Next, you should lower the bird into the water and complete the defrosting process.
Hello dear readers. Many delicious dishes are prepared from chicken culinary dishes, however, if the chicken is not removed from the freezer in time, cooking will be delayed for an indefinite period of time or even postponed until the next day. How to quickly defrost chicken without losing meat useful properties and taste?
How to properly defrost chicken
Defrosting chicken meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator is considered the most correct, since with this method of defrosting all the beneficial and taste qualities of the product are preserved 100%. Typically, this type of defrosting takes up to 30 hours, the time depends on the weight of the product.
A chicken weighing 1.8-1.9 kilograms takes about 24 hours to defrost. As a rule, the meat is placed in a deep plate, removing the bag in which it was wrapped. Some housewives advise wrapping the chicken in parchment paper or in foil.
It will turn out tasty and juicy only if you use chicken meat warmed to room temperature for cooking, so after you take the chicken out of the refrigerator, put it on the kitchen table for a while so that it warms up a little.
A proven method will help you understand whether the chicken has defrosted enough. Place your hand into the cavity where the tripe was located. If there are still pieces of ice inside, it means that the chicken carcass will take more time to defrost. To defrost the chicken faster, you can put it in warm water for 10 minutes.
How to quickly defrost chicken
- One of the effective types of quick defrosting is soaking the chicken in cold water. The chicken wrapped in a bag is placed in a bowl of water and literally after 2-3 hours the ice, as a rule, it thaws and the meat is ready for use. The water should cover the meat completely, so it is recommended to choose a larger bowl than the chicken. To speed up the defrosting process, rub the chicken with salt; besides, the spice will have a good effect on the taste of the meat. You can defrost chicken faster if you change the water in which the chicken lies every 30 minutes. The bag in which the meat is located must be water-permeable, otherwise, with constant contact with water, the chicken will lose some of its beneficial and taste properties.
- The microwave oven also serves as a means of quickly defrosting food; for this purpose it has a special mode. Some microwave ovens are equipped with a function for selecting the type of meat to be defrosted. The advantage of defrosting in a microwave oven is that the process takes no longer than 10 minutes. The disadvantage of this type of defrosting is that the chicken is defrosted unevenly, so most likely there will be parts left that need to be defrosted again. To speed up the process, into four parts. In this case, it is necessary to carefully monitor how defrosting occurs.
The meat must be turned periodically, every two to three minutes, so that it does not cook in the microwave. You cannot increase the power of the microwave oven, as the chicken will be baked ahead of schedule. To reduce water splashing in the microwave, cover the chicken with a special non-metallic lid.
Before choosing this defrosting method, it is worth considering that the influence of microwaves used when heating the product in a microwave oven changes the taste of the product and the chicken will not be as tasty and juicy as with natural defrosting. - You can also defrost chicken in warm water. To defrost, you will need a bowl (sink) and warm water, which will have to be replaced as soon as it gets cold. This will significantly speed up the defrosting of the bird. The bag must be carefully closed so that water and bacteria from the sink do not get into the meat. If there is a layer of ice on the chicken, it is advisable to remove it. Hot water cannot be used, it will ruin the quality of the product.
- You can defrost chicken by simply placing the carcass on a plate and leaving it at room temperature. The process will take a long time, but defrosting the product will happen faster than in the refrigerator, since the meat melts under the influence of elevated temperatures. Chicken cannot be defrosted in the air for more than two hours, as the product risks deteriorating under the influence of harmful microorganisms, so for further defrosting, place the chicken meat in the refrigerator, on the bottom shelf.
- You can quickly defrost chicken by placing the bird in the oven; this process takes 15-20 minutes. In this case, the temperature in the oven is set to 30 degrees, otherwise a golden brown crust, but inside, as you understand, it will remain raw.
- To quickly defrost chicken, you can also use a slow cooker. The meat is placed on the grill, the mode is turned on and the chicken is exposed to steam for several minutes. Then turn the chicken over to the other side and turn on the multicooker again.
Remember that defrosted chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days, but this does not apply to meat defrosted in water; such a product cannot be stored in the refrigerator, you just need to cook it.
The chicken should be placed in the coldest place possible to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria. It is not recommended to refreeze meat; by refreezing chicken, you will lose the nutrients that were in it before freezing.
Chicken meat is rightfully classified as dietary. It contains a minimum of calories and fat, and at the same time 90% of its composition is amino acids and vitamins that are vital for the human body. Strengthening the nervous system, normalizing metabolism and improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system is what the vitamin B and proteins found in chicken can do. However, in order to preserve all these beneficial substances in chicken meat, it is necessary to properly defrost the product before cooking.
What the correct methods for defrosting chicken depend on (or don’t depend on)
You can prepare a lot of delicious dishes from chicken, and it doesn’t take much time. However, if you do not first remove the meat from the freezer, the cooking will take quite a long time. Therefore, every housewife should know approximately how long it will take to defrost a product and what affects this process.
From the size and shape of the piece
Defrosting time directly depends on the weight of the bird and whether you are defrosting part of the chicken or the whole carcass. For comparison: whole chicken, weighing up to 2 kg, defrosts in about a day, but its parts (fillets, legs, thighs) take from 3 to 9 hours. And this is subject to compliance with all defrosting rules. Of course, there are faster ways, but they can affect the quality of the meat and its nutritional value.
Whole chicken can be defrosted in the right conditions at least 24 hours
The defrosting time for chicken meat does not depend on whether it was cooked or left raw. Another thing is that the taste of defrosted chicken may greatly disappoint you. Many housewives complain that the meat becomes almost tasteless, and its fibers disintegrate, which makes the dish not very appetizing.
From the type of freezing
There are several types of freezing:
- homemade - the meat is simply put in the freezer;
- fast homemade - using a special mode for freezing;
- deep industrial freezing.
The speed of defrosting chicken is practically independent of the type of freezing. Frozen at home (usually freezer and using blast freezing), the meat is defrosted in the same amount of time. The only thing that differs is the number of preserved useful substances- with quick freezing, 90% of the entire microelement composition is preserved. Industrial freezing also preserves everything useful qualities product, while glazing with ice, if available, can slow down the defrosting process.
Thanks to industrial freezing, all the benefits of chicken meat are preserved
How to quickly defrost a whole chicken carcass, fillet or legs
All housewives, of course, want to please their loved ones with exceptionally tasty and healthy food, including chicken dishes. This is possible only if all defrosting and cooking rules are followed, but in some cases chicken needs to be defrosted quickly. How to do it?
In hot water
This method is one of the most incorrect, but at the same time the fastest. The frozen carcass is immersed in boiling water or under running hot water. The result will be in just a few minutes, but once cooked, the meat will be as tough as a shoe and dry.
If your goal is to make broth, but the carcass itself does not interest you, then this method is perfect. By the way, when using this method, very little useful remains in the chicken.
One of the most quick ways which makes chicken dry and tasteless
In cold water
This method of defrosting is the closest to the correct one, since when used, almost all the benefits of meat are preserved. To defrost chicken in this way, cold water is poured into a large bowl or bowl, and the carcass or its parts are placed in a bag and lowered into the container. And after 1 – 5 hours the meat is ready for cooking.
Placing the bag of meat under running cold water will make defrosting faster.
In the oven
Also a very quick method of defrosting, but not very beneficial for the meat itself. To implement this method, the chicken is placed on a baking sheet and placed in the oven, setting the temperature to 30 degrees or, if you don’t have a thermometer, to the lowest setting. Otherwise the top of the carcass will be covered golden crust, and its inside will be damp.
In the microwave
This is one of the most quick methods defrosting. At the same time, it must be used correctly, since mistakes are fraught with loss of juiciness of the meat and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. To defrost correctly, take a container in which you place the chicken and close it with a lid. The product is placed in the microwave and the defrost function is activated. After 3 minutes, turn the meat over in the container and put it in the microwave again. The whole process takes 15–30 minutes, and the time depends on the weight of the piece taken.
Chicken defrosts the fastest in the microwave, but there is little benefit left in it.
The main problem with such defrosting is that when the piece is large, it is heated unevenly - it remains frozen inside, but the outside can begin to bake. In this case, modern models of microwave ovens with the option of automatic defrosting control are optimal. On the display you set the weight of the product, and after that the device itself gives a signal about the need to turn the meat.
The disadvantage of this method is the huge loss of nutrients contained in meat and the lightning-fast proliferation of harmful microbes.
Video: scheme for defrosting chicken in the microwave
In a slow cooker
To use this method, the chicken is placed in the steamer included with every multicooker. Then pour some water into the bottom of the bowl and turn on the desired program. The time spent on defrosting depends on the weight of the chicken carcass or its parts. To avoid overcooking the meat, constantly look under the lid. Defrosting in a slow cooker takes up to 10 minutes. This is one of the best “quick” methods, but the downside is that the edges of the chicken may be scalded, as is the case with the microwave.
In a convection oven
To defrost chicken this way, it is placed in a roasting bag that can withstand very high temperatures. Then the meat is placed on the middle rack, setting the second speed and temperature to 65 o C. Set the timer to 6 minutes. After this time, if the meat is not defrosted enough, the procedure can be repeated. If your air fryer has a “Keep Warm” function, use it.
Meat in this device can be defrosted at a maximum temperature of 80 o C. At this temperature conditions Open the air fryer lid slightly. For this purpose, you can insert a skewer between the flask and the lid.
An air grill is a simple device in which you can not only cook, but also defrost chicken
Using steam
For this method, put water in a saucepan, place it on the stove and bring to a boil. Then open the lid and, holding the chicken carcass by the legs, bring it to the steam. When the meat is tender, turn the chicken so that the legs are above the steam. If you have parts of the carcass, first hold them in water so that the meat softens slightly, and then prick the meat on a fork and keep it over the steam. A fairly quick and gentle defrosting method, taking about half an hour.
Combined method
If you have at least an hour left, you can use the combined defrosting method. For example, defrost meat in the microwave for a few minutes using the "Defrost" option. The main point is not to miss when the chicken is heated. After this, you will need to put it in cold water and defrost completely.
Video: ways to quickly defrost chicken
How to defrost chicken correctly and how long does this process take?
The correct way to defrost chicken is to defrost it in the refrigerator. The meat removed from the freezer is transferred to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (the temperature should not be higher than +4 o C to prevent bacteria from multiplying). If the meat is not vacuum packed, place it in a ceramic container, cover it with a plate, and place a paper towel or napkin under the dish.
This option takes a lot of time - it takes a day to defrost 3 kg of chicken meat. Pieces thawed using this method can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 1–2 days.
If the meat is defrosted correctly, liquid should not leak out of it. For greater effectiveness, chicken can be wrapped in a waffle towel for better “breathing.”
Video: how to defrost meat correctly
It is very dangerous to eat re-frozen poultry. The fact is that you cannot know what bacteria have already appeared in it when it was defrosted before. For the same reason, it is risky to buy frozen meat on a spontaneous market (as well as non-frozen meat). Appearance This kind of chicken will not give away its poor quality, but when defrosting, you will see that the muscle fibers in the carcass have a brownish color, and when cut, water with blood flows out of the meat. In addition, do not forget that poultry can be stored in the freezer for no more than a year, but after 8 months of freezing it loses its taste and benefits.
Defrost errors
Wanting to quickly defrost the chicken, housewives often make many mistakes that lead to spoilage of the meat. Here are the main ones:
- temperature contrast - contributes to the destruction of muscle fibers, loss of taste and beneficial vitamins;
- defrosting without a bag - the meat becomes airy and bacteria multiply in it;
- quick defrosting (in the microwave, hot water) are the most dangerous methods, since they most contribute to the emergence of microbes.
It is worth noting that properly thawed chicken can be stored for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. But thawed express-methods should be cooked immediately. By the way, to find out that the chicken has defrosted, you will need to stick your hand into the gutted carcass. If you feel pieces of ice there, defrosting is not yet complete. Also, the readiness of the chicken for cooking is indicated by the mobility of the joints - legs and wings.
As you can see, there are many options for thawing chicken. Some of them are very fast, but can also pose a danger to your health. Therefore, try to plan your meals in advance and defrost meat in advance in the correct and safe way. Bon appetit and good health to you!
How to defrost chicken in the microwave.
The chicken can be defrosted in the refrigerator, in cold water, in a bowl at room temperature, or in the microwave. The most useful defrosting for any meat is considered to be defrosting in the refrigerator. The most harmful is in the microwave oven. Very often, when there is not enough time for defrosting, housewives resort to the microwave for help. How to properly defrost chicken in it?
Why is it undesirable and harmful to defrost chicken in the microwave?
Defrosting chicken in the microwave is not recommended due to the fact that it may not defrost evenly. Already defrosted places begin to prepare. And the chicken can still have ice inside. Therefore, it is best to defrost small portions in the microwave.
Step-by-step instructions for defrosting chicken in the microwave:
1. Remove the bird from the packaging and remove the giblets;
2. Place the carcass on a large plate upside down and cover it with cling film;
3. On the microwave, select the low setting. If your oven allows, set the chicken's weight. On average, it takes up to thirteen minutes to defrost a carcass weighing one and a half kilograms. After four minutes of microwave operation, turn it off and turn the chicken upside down and continue defrosting;
4. It is also important to let the chicken rest. For example, for a chicken of one and a half kilograms, it takes fifteen minutes to defrost - it thaws for seven minutes, then settles and defrosts for another five.
Important! Make sure that the chicken does not move from the defrosting stage to the cooking stage. If this happens, proceed as follows:
If the carcass is still very frozen, the places that are ready to cook should be covered with pieces of paper;
If the chicken is almost thawed and is already entering the cooking phase, you need to remove it from the microwave and let it defrost completely at room temperature.
If you don’t know how much the chicken weighs and how long it needs to defrost, defrosting proceeds as follows:
1. The chicken is placed in the microwave and the defrost mode is set for two minutes;
2. Then turn the chicken over to the other side and continue defrosting for another two minutes;
3. You need to alternate defrosting on both sides until the chicken is completely defrosted.
Thawed chicken should be cooked immediately. If you didn't have time to cook it right away, you can put it in the refrigerator, but no more than twenty-four hours after defrosting.
