How To Defrost Cooked Chicken for Easy and Quick Meals
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Learn how to defrost and use frozen cooked shredded chicken for an easy option to get a quick dinner on the table.
One thing that we always keep on hand is options for quick dinners or lunches are prepped proteins. Whether we are stocking our pantry with canned goods, or our freezer with farm-fresh products, we have found that the key to getting a healthy dinner on the table for the family is to have things prepped and stocked! Shredded chicken is one protein that is super simple to prep from the leftovers of a meal. When we are ready to eat, there are a few different methods that we like to use to defrost our cooked shredded chicken, one option is nice and quick, and the other one will defrost overnight.
Why should you cook with frozen cooked chicken?
Having cooked frozen chicken on hand helps drastically cut down on cooking time. If you have a busy schedule like we do, we find that some days we just need to cut down the amount of time spent in the kitchen in order to have a home-cooked meal on the table. Having cooked shredded chicken in the freezer ready to go is a great way to do that! Find more of our tips to get a from-scratch meal on the table here!
Pasture-Raised Chicken
When it comes to meat, we believe that quality is so important, which is why we take such pride in our pasture-raised chicken! If you are local to Iowa, you can purchase chicken directly from our farm. You can find us at local farmer’s markets, through local co-ops, or purchase directly from us. You can learn more about where to purchase from our farm store here.
How to prepare chicken
Our favorite way to have cooked chicken on hand is to first roast a whole chicken. Cooking a whole bird allows us to have a fresh dinner that night and then freeze the leftover chicken. We like cooking chicken this way because it also provides bone broth for soup, but you can also prepare boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs for the freezer as well. To learn more about how we prepare the cooked meat for the freezer, check out our blog post on How to Freeze Cooked Shredded Chicken.
How to defrost cooked chicken
There are two options we use to defrost cooked chicken. You can defrost cooked chicken just like you can defrost raw chicken, but we find the two following ways to be the best methods and yield the best product. Our family does not own a microwave, but the end of the post describes how to thaw frozen cooked chicken in the microwave.
Method one: Refrigerator method
We find that refrigerator thawing is the easiest and safest way to defrost the cooked chicken. This is not necessarily the fastest way to defrost the chicken, but it is definitely our preferred method. I will usually move the chicken from the freezer to the fridge the night before I plan to use it, so it will have a full day, or about 24 hours to defrost in the fridge. Then, it can be easily added to meals such as this Quick Asian Sugar Snap Peas Recipe.
Method two: Add to boiling liquid
If you are adding the chicken to dishes with liquid, such as soup, you can simply just toss the frozen cooked chicken directly into the pot. This works while cooking something on the stovetop or in the instant pot. Although, it is important to note that it is not safe to use this method if you are adding it to a slow cooker. Frozen meat takes too long to reach the right temperature and the safe zone and could promote bacteria growth. (more on this below) This is the best option when you need dinner really quick. When we are making soup, we will prepare it and bring the broth to a boil. Then just add the frozen chicken to the hot water for a super quick and easy dinner. We love to use this method with our White Chicken Chili and Flexible Squash Soup recipes.
As we have attempted to reduce single plastic use over the years, we’ve been freezing cooked shredded chicken in a 4 cup glass pyrex. it will thaw perfectly in the fridge over night, or I add a little bit of warm water to the container if I want to use the boiling liquid method. Do not add boiling water to the glass as it could crack.
Can you let chicken thaw on the counter?
While this may be a popular option, we actually would advise against it. You do not want to let meat, raw or cooked, thaw on the counter at room temperature because you risk the meat getting into the “temperature danger zone”. According to the USDA, the danger zone temperature range is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a temperature that easily promotes bacterial growth and the risk of foodborne illness, and you want to make sure to avoid it for food safety reasons and to keep the meat at proper temperatures.
An important thing to remember is that the safe internal temperature for chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to know when the chicken is at the proper and safe temperature is to use a food thermometer.
Can you defrost the chicken in the microwave?
Microwave thawing is a safe way to defrost chicken. To use the microwave method, simply add the frozen chicken in the microwave and use the defrost setting. You just want to make sure to immediately cook the chicken and bring it up to temperature, or heat it long enough in the microwave to reach 165 degrees to keep it out of the danger zone.
How long can you store cooked chicken in the freezer?
The general rule of thumb is that chicken will stay fresh in the freezer for about 3 months. If you start to see ice crystals in the packaging, then that means it has started to develop freezer burn. And while this doesn’t affect the safety of the food, it does reduce the quality. We try to keep the meat on rotation so that we always use the oldest product first and they do not end up sitting in the freezer too long.
