How to thaw chicken fast

Thaw meat in the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter.

Raw chicken breasts garnished with rosemary and garlic on a white surface. — Photo: Leeloo The First / Pexels

Area: KitchenFrom age 14Time to learn: 15 minutes

The fastest safe way to defrost chicken or ground beef is in a sealed bag under cold water changed every 30 minutes; a pound takes about an hour and must be cooked right away.

SafetyRaw chicken can carry Campylobacter, Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens. Do not rinse it before cooking; wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling it. Older adults, pregnant people, children under 5 and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of food poisoning. A food handler certificate course covers safe thawing and cooking temperatures in depth.

Why it matters

As soon as the outside of frozen meat warms above 40°F (4°C), bacteria that were there before freezing begin to multiply, even while the center is still frozen. On the counter or in hot water, the outer layer sits in the danger zone of 40°F to 140°F (4°C to 60°C). Fridge, cold-water and microwave thawing keep meat out of that range, or keep its time there short.

How to do it

Fast: cold water. Check that the meat is in a leak-proof package, or seal it in a zip-top bag. Submerge it completely in cold tap water in a clean bowl or a sanitized sink.
Change the water every 30 minutes. A package of about a pound (450 g) may thaw in an hour or less; a 3- to 4-pound (1.4 to 1.8 kg) package may take 2 to 3 hours. Cook it as soon as it has thawed.
Fastest: the microwave. Remove store packaging such as foam trays and plastic wrap unless it is labeled microwave-safe, put the meat in a microwave-safe dish to catch juices, use the defrost setting, and cook it immediately, because some areas may begin to cook while others are still frozen.
Slowest and safest: the fridge. Set the meat in a sealed container or on a plate on the bottom shelf, so juices cannot drip onto other food. Even a pound of ground beef or boneless chicken breasts needs a full day; a whole turkey needs about 24 hours for every 5 pounds (2.5 kg).
After fridge thawing, cook ground meat and poultry within 1 to 2 days, and red-meat cuts such as steaks, chops and roasts within 3 to 5 days.
No time at all: cook it from frozen. USDA says this is safe; plan on cooking about 50% longer. Health Canada warns that partly frozen meat can cook unevenly, so check the temperature in several places.
Cook to a safe internal temperature on a food thermometer. USDA: all poultry to 165°F (74°C) and ground beef to 160°F (71°C). Health Canada uses the same numbers for chicken pieces, ground poultry and ground beef, but 180°F (82°C) for a whole bird.
Can you refreeze thawed meat? USDA says meat thawed in the fridge can be refrozen raw, with some loss of quality, while meat thawed in cold water or the microwave must be cooked before refreezing. Health Canada is stricter: refreeze raw meat only if it still has ice crystals on its surface. Once cooked, it can be frozen as a leftover.
Afterward, sanitize the sink, bowl and surfaces that touched the meat or its thawing water.

Common mistakes

Thawing on the counter, in hot water, or in a garage, basement or car.
Leaving the package in the same water for hours, or using a bag that leaks.
Thawing in the microwave or in cold water and then putting the meat back in the fridge for tomorrow.

You can do this when …you can take a frozen pound of chicken to the pan in about an hour using cold water, and explain which thawed meat may go back in the freezer raw.