Defrosting poultry: What you need to bear in mind

If you have frozen chicken, there are a few things to bear in mind when defrosting poultry. We have summarized what is particularly important and what you can do wrong in this article

Thawing chicken

Thawing the meat correctly is important to prevent the formation of harmful germs.

• Optimally, defrost the meat slowly overnight in the fridge. Allow five to six hours to defrost around 500 grams of poultry. You should cut larger pieces into smaller pieces beforehand or freeze the poultry in smaller pieces.

• During defrosting, you should place the poultry in a sieve and hang it in a bowl or cup. This allows the defrosting juices to drain easily and prevents your poultry from lying in the liquid for several hours.

• Defrosting in the microwave is also possible. It is best to use the automatic program of your appliance and make sure to turn the meat frequently. Ideally, the meat should be evenly thick in all areas. Otherwise, it can happen that one part is already cooked while another part is still frozen. It takes about 10 minutes to defrost 500 grams of poultry

• Tip: Use a steamer basket for defrosting in the microwave. Place the meat on the steamer basket. Do not close the container. This will defrost the meat without it lying in the defrosting liquid.

Freezing chicken: What else you should know

Process defrosted poultry immediately if possible, at the latest after a few hours.

• If the meat is left for longer, dangerous germs will form.

• Do not defrost poultry meat for consumption if it has been frozen for longer than six months. The taste suffers from the long time in the cold, but the quality also deteriorates over time.

• It is important that you continue to chill the poultry even when defrosted. It should not be taken out of the fridge before the actual preparation, not even to leave it for half an hour. If you marinate it and do not prepare it immediately afterwards, put it back in the fridge.