Thawing chicken

[lbb87]

I want to cook some boneless chicken breasts on the grill. The chicken I want to cook is in the freezer. Should I thaw the chicken before grilling it? It seems like I should. With the weather being weird around here I wouldn't know if I would be able to cook on the grill until maybe an hour or so before. That doesn't give me enough time to thaw it unless I do it in the microwave.

Any suggestions on what to do? Is thawing/defrosting it in the microwave ok? I never really liked doing that. I always thought that it would change the way it cooked and tasted. But I don't know.

 

[marmalady]

I would never put frozen -anything - on the grill to cook it. You're going to end up with burnt chicken on the outside and raw in the middle. Why don't you just thaw the chicken breasts as you normally would; if you can't grill outside, do them inside on the stove. I also would never thaw them in the microwave - but perhaps other folks would; I've just never had much luck with it.

 

[Run_Out]

I would thaw the chicken in the frig. I would never try to grill frozen food... The microwave is an option but when I try it it seems to try to cook the food.

later

 

[thumpershere2]

You could put the chicken in a sealed bag and place in cold water. I have done that with a whole chicken and it thawed well. The microwave will work too. Just defrost it on low as not to cook the meat and turn it over a couple times.

 

[Gretchen]

Definitely thaw using the methods already suggested. You can thaw in the microwave using the low power (#3) for short periods of time. Be sure the package is open so that edges don't start to cook. You could do some thawing in the microwave and finish in the water. If you can't cook it outside, there is always the oven or stove top.

 

[GB]

I hate hate hate thawing in the microwave. No matter what power level I use, the edges always start to cook.

I like the cold water idea. Place the chicken, wrapped well, in cold water. Change the water every half hour until the chicken is thawed. believe it or not, this is one of the fastest and safest ways to thaw chicken. As a matter of fact, this is even faster than if you were to put the same chicken in a hot oven. The cold water chicken would defrost quicker than one put in the oven. Try it and you will see. One hour should be enough (probably) to thaw those breasts.

 

[Andy M.]

Not as fast as water thawing but still good is to place the chicken breasts on a heavy aluminum surface such as a cast aluminum griddle or heavy aluminum pan. The high conductivity is great at heat transfer, defrosting the chicken very quickly.

I agree with the suggestion to thaw and cook it either on the grill or in the kitchen.

 

[SizzlininIN]

This is how I thaw my chicken. Its a trick my mom taught me. Put your chicken breasts in a stainless steel bowl and cover with water. I then pour a generous amount of salt over it. Not sure but something between the stainless and salt makes it thaw quickly. Once its thawed be sure to rinse off the salt.

I agree with the anti-thawing in the microwave. GB is right it cooks the edges.

 

[jennyema]

Not as fast as water thawing but still good is to place the chicken breasts on a heavy aluminum surface such as a cast aluminum griddle or heavy aluminum pan. The high conductivity is great at heat transfer, defrosting the chicken very quickly.

I agree with the suggestion to thaw and cook it either on the grill or in the kitchen.

I have found this method (I use my all clad griddle) to be way faster than cold water thawing!

 

[Constance]

I use my aluminum griddle also. It's amazing how fast it thaws things.

 

[Andy M.]

I have found this method (I use my all clad griddle) to be way faster than cold water thawing!

It depends on several factors. If the chicken is in a cryovac package so that the meat is getting fuller contact with the circulating water (no air pockets), the water process is really fast. I can defrost a one pound cryovac pack of chicken breasts in water in less than an hour (cold running water).

If the chicken is frozen flat so there is a high percentage of the chicken surface in direct contact with the aluminum surface rather than a breast frozen in a twisted shape so only a couple of points touch the surface, the aluminum method is pretty fast.

In my experience, the water method is faster. I have never done a direct comparative test.

 

[GB]

If you place the chicken on an aluminum surface and cover with cold water then you run the risk of going back in time. Be VERY careful.

 

[urmaniac13]

If you are really pressed with time, here is a trick for microwave thawing. Put the mike on the lowest setting, then place a glass of water inside together with the chicken. The steam comes from water regulates the even flow of heat, and prevents the edges from getting cooked.

 

[Andy M.]

If you place the chicken on an aluminum surface and cover with cold water then you run the risk of going back in time. Be VERY careful.

Just how far do you think I can go? Is 1985 a possibility?

 

[GB]

Well that depends on the size of the chicken you are defrosting Andy.

 

[vagriller]

If you place the chicken on an aluminum surface and cover with cold water then you run the risk of going back in time. Be VERY careful.

That's good to know. Never can be too careful.

 

[mudbug]

never heard of the cast aluminum thing before - and a griddle made out of the stuff?

I inherited some "Club aluminum" stuff from MIL (cookie sheet and Dutch oven). will they work?

 

[TATTRAT]

only thing I have not seen mentioned, when thawing in water, leave the faucet on a trickle so the water is always flowing. It sholdn't be in standing water, the chicken will act like an ice cube and chill the whole area.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I always defrost boneless skinless chicken breasts (& turkey cutllets, & anything similar) in my microwave & have never had a problem with the edges cooking before the pieces are defrosted.

While all microwaves differ as far as settings & power, mine (Panasonic, purchased 12 years ago) has an excellent defrost system that allows for such minute time increments that it's possible to defrost anything perfectly.