Episode 74 Frozen Chicken 101

Posted April 3, 2020

How do you thaw chicken? How do I freeze chicken? What do I have to do to keep from getting foodborne illness? Marie answers these questions and much more.

I use a lot of frozen chicken. I like to buy it on sale and freeze it for quick and easy meals. When you want to freeze chicken there are a few things to keep in mind.

1-Take it out of the grocery store packaging. It is hard to thaw in the Styrofoam packaging from the store.

2- Make it into individual or meal-size portions for your family. You don’t want to thaw an entire block of chicken when you only need one breast.

3- You may want to cut it in cubes or butterfly it for easy use in recipes later.

4- Wrap it and freeze it flat on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a bag or container once it is solid.

There are three ways to safely thaw frozen chicken. I use all of these methods frequently depending on the day.

(The best way in my opinion.) Place in a container in the refrigerator and thaw overnight. I use a Tupperware or a glass pyrex baking dish. If you can put a lid on the container that is even better.
Thaw for 3-4 hours in cool water changing the water every 30 minutes.
Thaw in the microwave. (It is important to cook it immediately after thawing so it does not spend too much time in the danger zone of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit where bacteria grow quickly.)

Links from this episode:

Instant Read Thermometer (affiliate link) This is the one I have and it is inexpensive but works great.