Having people over tonight, and I am preparing 3 5 lb. birds. Didn’t plan ahead, and the chickens I bought this morning (.88/lb!!) are still partially frozen. The back, back of thighs, and inner cavity are still frozen under the surface.
Should I attempt to defrost in the microwave? If so, how?
Or should I just cook them as-is and let it take longer? Will I be in danger of over-cooking the parts that are already defrosted?
I’m doing them on the grill with a can shoven in the cavity (Beer Can Chicken), so I need it to be defrosted enough by the time I prepare to accomplish that.
Need answer kind of fast…they need to start cooking in about 2 hours!
Put them on a pot, put the pot in the sink, fill pot with cold water and then leave the water running so it over flows into the sink. Not only will this thaw them very quickly, it’s the correct, proper and safe way to do it as it’ll keep the chicken outside of the danger zone (under 41 degrees F). This is how the FDA recommends it be done and it’s how most states (including Wisconsin) require thawing to be done (well, they have a few methods, but this is the quick one) in a restaurant setting. It’ll probably take less then an hour to finish thawing them this way, I’d guess closer to a half hour. When they’re done, toss them back in the fridge until cooking time.