Can I just cook frozen chicken in a frying pan as is?
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Question by Rc Potter: Can I just cook frozen chicken in a frying pan as is?
I read somewhere that you can simply place chicken completely frozen in a frying pan with ~an inch of water, blast the heat and cook it like that without having to thaw. Is this true? I’ve never cooked a day in my life but now that I live alone I’m constantly searching the Internet for ways to feed myself.
What do you think? Answer below!
4 Responses to Can I just cook frozen chicken in a frying pan as is?
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Bad idea. Chicken must be thoroughly cooked in order to be safe to eat. If you poach your frozen chicken in a shallow pan, it will take a long time for the water to become hot enough to kill bacteria, and the interior will remain frozen long after the outside of the chicken is thawed, overcooked and unpleasant.
Thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator, then cook it promptly when it is completely thawed.
You can brown and stir a frozen chunk of ground meat in a pan with a bit of cooking oil over medium-low heat, say if you are browning hamburger for Sloppy Joe sandwiches. Drain before continuing with your recipe, once the meat is browned.
@Neon: NEVER, EVER thaw chicken in a bowl of room temperature water!!! This will give you a nice bacterial soup. It is completely against recommended sanitary practice. Under cold, running water OR in the refrigerator only, please. No leaving it out on the counter overnight.
Alice
January 13, 2013 at 5:14 pm
While cooking frozen chicken, it is essential to allot some time for the process of thawing. According to the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) of the United States Department of Agriculture, there are three safe options to defrost a frozen chicken.
You can defrost frozen chicken
cold water
microwave
refrigerator
Boneless chicken breast will usually defrost overnight while bone-in parts and whole chicken will require a day or two or longer for the process. You can refrigerate the raw chicken after defrosting for an additional day or two, before cooking.
To defrost chicken using cold water, you could use a leak proof bag. Submerge the chicken in cold water and ensure that you change the water for every half hour. This is done to make sure that the water stays cold. It will usually require 2-3 days to defrost a package of parts or a whole pound broiler fryer, using cold water. If the chicken is a one pound package of boneless breasts, it will need only an hour or less to defrost.
If you choose to defrost your frozen chicken using a microwave, remember that you need to cook it immediately after defrosting because, some of the chicken may start cooking while in the microwave itself. It is inadvisable to hold partially cooked food because some of the bacteria present may not be destroyed completely. So, after defrosting you will have to cook the chicken before refreezing it again if you choose to do so.
Frozen chicken can be cooked directly on the stove or in an oven but the cooking time required might be 50% more than the usual time.
Baking Frozen Chicken
The following simple steps are involved in the process of baking frozen chicken.
First, preheat the oven to 350 ° Fahrenheit.
Next, take a baking dish. Add small slices of butter to the baking dish. Now, add freshly chopped garlic. Add some lemon juice to these ingredients and then, place the frozen chicken breasts in the baking dish. You can add a dash of lemon juice over the chicken breasts also.
Keep the following tips in mind while cooking frozen chicken.
Do not use warm water to thaw the frozen chicken. This can lead to the growth of bacteria and so, always use cold water.
Do not thaw frozen chicken at room temperature because this is ideal for bacterial growth. Use the refrigerator, cold water or the microwave for defrosting the chicken.
While using the microwave to defrost frozen chicken, make sure that you read the manual and check the defrost settings. Also, give adequate space for the chicken when placed within the microwave because if you place a very huge chunk of it, it may not thaw evenly. Give your chicken the air circulation required for the process.
Ensure that the utensils, knives, plates, cutting boards and other surfaces are clean before you start cooking. Raw chicken can contaminate surfaces and so, clean all the surfaces and utensils with warm soapy water. After rinsing the chicken in cold water, pat it dry using paper towels.
Always check the expiry date before purchasing frozen chicken. Also, remember that frozen chicken, when fresh, is practically odorless. If it has a distinct smell that permeates despite the package, do not buy it.
Cooking frozen chicken is quite simple. All it requires is time and planning. You can keep the above mentioned points in mind and irrespective of whether you cook frozen chicken directly (using a stove or oven) or if you choose to defrost and then cook it, make sure you do not compromise of hygiene and quality.
Charles
January 13, 2013 at 6:04 pm
You can, but the results won’t be that great. It’s easier to do with half frozen chicken rather than right out of the freezer, rock solid, frozen. If you must do it that way, though, DO NOT blast the heat. put it on very low and let it sort of defrost in the pan, when all but the middle looks like it is still frozen, increase the heat to medium. Stick a fork in the middle to check for complete thawness, and if it is not frozen anymore, continue cooking on medium to medium high until it is done all the way.
You should really just take the chicken out the night before and set it on the counter before you go to bed, it will defrost slowly over night and when you wake up, throw it in the fridge and leave it there until you are ready to cook it. You can leave it in the fridge for up to 2 days before it goes bad.
Sometimes I forget to take my chicken out, and an hour before dinner, I remember. In that case (I recomend this option to you), take out the chicken, leave it in the package, and run it under ROOM TEMPERATURE water in the faucet. It is very important the water is not warm in any way, or it will cook the chicken. Leave this run for about 25-30 mins and your chicken will be mostly defrosted. (If you are worried about the water bill, fill up a large bowl or plug up the sink with room temp water and put chicken in the package in there for a while instead of letting the water run).
When completely or (at least everything but the middle) is defrosted, but a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, and if you like fresh garlic, chop up a clove very finely and add that too. Heat up the butter and olive oil until the meld together, and the oil starts sizzling slightly (best on medium-high heat). Move it around the pan until completey coated. Add the chicken (add as many pieces as you can fit, but don’t put them on top of eachother.), wait about 4 mintues until 1 side of the chicken is slightley browned, and flip ONE time. reduce the heat to medium-low. At this time if you want some more flavor, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of wine (I like white wines the best for chicken!), and but the lid on and let finish cooking for 10 minutes. No need to flip the chicken again. This will help retain moisture.
Oh forgot to mention, before you throw the chicken on a pan, put the pieces in a bag (if you are using boneless breasts) and pound them with a mallet until the are about 1/4 inch thick. This will tenderize them if you didn’t have time to marinate. Also my prefered method because I like thin chicken, it cooks a lot nicer.
Hapy cooking, hope these hints help. You really can’t mess up chicken that easily as far as flavors, so experiment with different sauces, seasonings and wine. As long as you have your cooking method down, everything else is limitless 🙂
Neon
January 13, 2013 at 6:20 pm
No, chicken is a high risk food it should idealy be thawed overnight in a drip tray in the botom of the fridge
David
January 13, 2013 at 6:28 pm