Defrost Chicken In Microwave

Would you like to knowhow to defrost chicken in the microwave? We placed some of our favourite frozen chicken breast fillets into the freezer and the day after used the microwave to thaw the chicken for you.

You will love our quickest way to defrost chicken and it is ideal for when you want chicken for dinner and all you have is a freezer of frozen chicken.

Thaw Chicken In The Microwave

I buy chicken in bulk and have done for many, many years. I remember way back in 2000 when I had just moved in with my chef boyfriend (he is now my husband of 19 years) the deal on chicken we used to see at our local Safeways.

It was £2.99 for a pack of chicken breasts, and they were quality chicken breasts.

I would then buy the offer in bulk and load them into the freezer.

This is something I still do now 22 years later.

Though mainly now its because I have ordered online groceries and have bought in bulk my favourite chicken or because it has been on yellow sticker and there is no way I can use it by the use by date.

Then our routine would always be to get the chicken from the freezer the evening before, allow it to sit in the kitchen until bedtime and then fridge it overnight.

Though sometimes these routines don’t always work out and that is when thaw chicken in the microwave becomes your new cooking best friend.

If you are looking for more simple defrost guides beyond how to thaw chicken in microwave, then don’t forget to check out defrost steak in microwave, defrost bacon in microwave, defrost sausages in microwave, and defrost mince in microwave.

In today’s defrost chicken in microwave guide, we will be talking safety first, as you need to be careful with frozen chicken before jumping into either cooking it from frozen or defrosting in the microwave.

Can You Defrost Chicken In The Microwave?

Yes, you can. Many people have been thawing chicken in the microwave for years and it is a simple fast way to defrost your chicken.

The microwave when it defrosts the chicken doesn’t cook the chicken, making it perfect for cooking for dinner.

Can You Cook Frozen Chicken?

This depends on the cooking method of your frozen chicken. For example many people ask can you put frozen chicken in the slow cooker, which is an absolute no no.

And that is because the slow cooker doesn’t get hot enough.

However, you can cook frozen chicken in the air fryer, such as air fryer frozen chicken breast and you can also do so in the instant pot, such as instant pot frozen whole chicken.

Though my biggest reason for using thawed chicken is that it’s a quicker cook time. And it makes cook times easier.

How To Defrost Chicken Fast?

The quickest way to defrost chicken is to use the microwave. Its much quicker than the air fryer or the instant pot and so simple too.

You can defrost chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, and chicken breast fillets using the microwave.

Though today we will be showing you how to defrost chicken breast fillets in the microwave.

Is It Safe To Defrost Chicken In Microwave?

Yes, it is.

When you defrost chicken its all about the temperature being right and the microwave totally masters this.

Though make sure when you thaw your chicken in the microwave that you are either cooking with it straight away or loading it into the fridge for later.

Best Way To Defrost Chicken In Microwave?

The best way to defrost chicken using the microwave is to use a steamer basket like we will be showing you how to do today.

We use a microwave steamer basket because it keeps the chicken nicely covered and prevents the frozen chicken from being cooked in the microwave and does an incredible job at thawing chicken in microwave.

Can You Defrost Any Chicken In Microwave?

Yes, chicken in microwave doesn’t have to be just frozen chicken breast like we have done, you can also do the following in the microwave:

• Defrost chicken thighs in microwave
• Defrost chicken wings in microwave
• Defrost whole chicken in microwave

Defrosting Cooked Chicken In Microwave?

You can also defrost your already cooked chicken in the microwave. This is ideal for when you previously added to the freezer your chicken leftovers and you quickly want to defrost and then use the microwave to reheat.  

How To Separate Frozen Chicken?

How many times do you want to cook some chicken breasts and they are stuck together. You want to cook them from frozen but are worried about an even cook with the way they are a big fat lump. Of course, you could follow our ninja foodi frozen chicken breasts but in the microwave you can use it to quickly separate your frozen chicken.

Simply place the stuck together frozen chicken in the microwave for 5 minutes on full power and then remove from the microwave, and you will then be able to easily get a knife through where its stuck.

How Many Minutes To Defrost Chicken In Microwave?

In our main example today, we are showing you how to defrost chicken in the microwave using chicken breast, so the defrost microwave chicken time will vary, plus it will also vary if you have a more/less powerful microwave than us.

Though for us defrosting chicken in microwave took JUST 14 minutes.  

How Long Is Chicken Good For After Thawing?

Once you have thawed your chicken, I recommend you load it into a Ziploc bag (unless cooking with straight away) and then place it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then cook your chicken and once cooked it can remain in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Note, if you have bought chicken on its use by date, once you defrost your chicken you must cook it the same day.

Would you like easy & amazing microwave recipes from microwave experts? Click here and join the Recipe This Newsletter. We will then send you the BEST microwave beginner recipes direct to your email inbox along with other useful microwave resources.

Thaw Chicken In Microwave Essentials

Chicken – I recommend you use either frozen chicken breast or frozen chicken breast fillets for the best results. As these are the easiest to thaw in the microwave. You can use any brand and avoid defrosting too much at once otherwise your microwave will take longer.

Seasoning – I have found that frozen chicken can lose its flavour a bit. I recommend you season it with salt and pepper as you defrost.

Steamer – The best way to defrost chicken in the microwave is to steam it and to use a steamer bowl. This is the one we recommend and use in all our microwave steamed recipes.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this how to defrost chicken in microwave guide it has just been our Panasonic Microwave Oven. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of microwave recipes.

How To Defrost Chicken In Microwave?

• Unpackage. Start by removing the packaging, including any packaging that is stuck to the bottom of the frozen chicken. Then separate so that you are not just defrosting a huge lump of chicken.
• Bowl. Next add to your steamer bowl your tablespoon of water and then add in your frozen chicken and season.
• Microwave. Then microwave your frozen chicken for 6 minutes on the defrost setting.
• Turn. When the microwave beeps, turn over your frozen chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper and cook on defrost for a further 8 minutes without the lid.

And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to defrost frozen chicken in microwave.

How To Use Defrost On Microwave?

It’s very easy to use the defrost on the microwave. So easy that Sofia can do it for me!

Simply close your microwave door once you are ready and then click your defrost button or if you have a defrost meat setting, then use that.

Then click twice until it sets its cook time to 6 minutes.

How Long To Defrost Chicken In Microwave?

The time to defrost chicken in the microwave may vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.

We have a 800w microwave so it’s a little slower than the 1200w ones.

We found that in total it took a total of 14 minutes to defrost a whole pack of frozen chicken fillets in our microwave.

Listen To Defrost Chicken in The Microwave

Want to learn more about our Podcast? Then click here and you can browse through past episodes and subscribe to the Magic With Gadgets Podcast.

Pair Your Thawed Chicken With Some Microwave Veggies

• Microwave Broccoli
• Microwave Carrots
• Microwave Green Beans
• Microwave Asparagus
• Microwave Sprouts
• Microwave Spinach
• Microwave Swede
• Microwave Spaghetti Squash
• Microwave Sweet Potato Cubes
• Plus follow our microwave veggies steaming guide

More Microwave Favourites To Try

• Microwave Turkey Bacon
• Microwave Paxo Stuffing
• Microwave Roasted Garlic
• Microwave Baby Potatoes
• Microwave Poached Eggs
• Microwave Soft Boiled Eggs
• Microwave Hard Boiled Eggs
• Check out all our Microwave Beginner Recipes!

This defrost chicken in microwave recipe is an updated post and was originally shared on Recipe This in 2022.

Your thaw frozen chicken in microwave instructions are below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.

Though before you do, don’t forget to subscribe, and grab your FREE VIP Pass to Recipe This. You will get access to our latest recipes first, you will be able to request recipes, you will have access to free mini courses, free air fryer ebooks and useful air fryer cook time charts and so much more.

Can’t make it now? Then save it for later!