Thaw a whole chicken?!
Answers: I have two boys that are sick right now and I wanted to make some chicken soup. Unfortunately I have a whole chicken and I just pulled it out of the freezer. Does anyone have suggestions on how to defrost it quickly, im not in an immediate hurry, but within a few hours would be nice.
if your making chicken soup just put the whole thing in a stock pot with your liquids and cook away..you don`t need to defrost it..
Plug the sink and fill it with cool water. Change the water frequently and gradually warm it (but not make it hot). Once it is mostly thawed you can go ahead and started to stew it just give it a little extra time.
Hope everyone feels better soon!
best way is to fill sink or other vessel that is large enough to submerge the chicken with water and let it stand. Here's a blurb with full instructions from USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service website:
Chicken may be defrosted in cold water in its airtight packaging or in a leak proof bag. Submerge the bird or cut-up parts in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes to be sure it stays cold. A whole (3 to 4-pound) broiler fryer or package of parts should defrost in 2 to 3 hours. A 1-pound package of boneless breasts will defrost in an hour or less.
You can try defrosting it in the microwave, or what I would do is put it in a big bowl of cold water, and change the water every 1/2 hour.
you can fill your kitchen sink up with cold water and put the chicken in it and let it sit. if it is not thawed by the time you need it go to store if possible and buy one or a can of chicken soup.
Had to do that last week myself. First I micro unthaw for a short time. After that I put I put it into a large bowl and put some water in. I changed the water a few times. Within an hour the chicken was workable. To hurry it I used my kitchen shears to cut it up when it is still partially frozen. It cooks faster when in pieces than a whole bird.
I always thaw mine in a pot of warm water. NOT hot but it will thaw in about 2 hrs if you keep and eye on the water and keep it warm. As long as you are cooking it today it will be fine.
Defrost in sink