Defrosting chicken I'm doing something wrong

[Rich Dahl]

Ran into a problem again, did a couple of rotisserie chickens yesterday and yes that was the post of my old brain couldn’t remember the temps to pull the chicken.
Well the issue was the breast was sailing past 175 and the thighs were at 165 a little bass akwards.
Of course the problem was the birds weren’t completely defrosted, everything came out okay because I cut the legs and thighs off and finished them in the oven. Breast was fine also.
Question is how do you guys and gals defrost your whole chickens? These were a little over five pounds each and I took them out and let them sit in the refrigerator for four days.
They were frozen in a regular refrigerator not a sub zero.

 

[timothy]

In my spare side by side fridge, top shelf only takes 3-4 days, bottom shelves 5-6 days. I usually brine mine for a day after, and that helps with any leftover defrosting.

Tim

 

[Pete in PG]

For me it takes a minimum of two and a half days in the fridge for a 5lb bird. I'll pull it and rinse it a couple hours before cooking as well as let it sit at room temperature. This Sunday I'm deboning a whole chicken and it's much easier to work with when fully defrosted.

 

[Bob Correll]

The whole chickens I buy are usually sealed, like in a cryovac package.
I partially defrost, on the counter, by wrapping them in several sheets of newspaper for a few hours, or until I can tell they have started to thaw.
Then unwrapped and in the fridge.
Cold tap water helps if still partially frozen when ready to cook.

Usually, for me, the breast is the last to thaw, so it's okay if it's still a little frozen since it cooks to temp faster.

Another thing is coal setup if using baskets.
I start the cook like this to get a start on the dark meat:

Then bring the baskets to the sides:

Hope that helps Rich.

 

[Bob Sample]

I'm bad at planning meals ahead of time so we usually decide in the morning what we are having for dinner. I take the whole chicken and drop it in a sink full of cool water. I check it through the day and when it's just about thawed I put it uncovered in the fridge to air dry.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Hey thanks guys for all that info it helps. I do my defrosting in the garage fridge (as in big beer cooler) and it dawned on me that I keep it pretty cold for the beer and that may be why it still didn't defrost in four days. I'll try the inside one and use some of your ideas to speed it along.

Have a great weekend!

 

[Rick Body]

I do what Bob Sample says by defrosting in cool water. If you try that though, I have heard you are supposed to change the water frequently to keep it from growing bacteria.

I don't know if you live near a grocery but lately I have only started buying meats the day or two before I plan to cook, sometimes an hour or two before I am ready to eat (unless smoking of course) . It isn't the best plan financially since you don't always get what you want on sale, but I have a bad habit of forgetting to thaw something when I want to cook it, or thawing it then getting busy and not cooking it then it is a complete waste since I wont refreeze it (don't even know if you can)