Can i simply bake frozen chicken or does it actually need to thaw over several hours or immersed in cold water or something?
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I dont have a microwave, just a toaster oven or an actual oven
If it was me, I would just throw it in the fridge and find something else, and eat it tomorrow. If you have a meat thermometer you can try to make it work with low heat, or there are other ways to cook it that work fine (maybe thaw in cold water and then cut it to strips and sort of stir-fry it for example), but I think the 1-2 times I tried something like this I was not happy with the result.
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Im hungry now!
The most difficult thing about cooking chicken is getting the inside cooked all the way through without burning or drying out the outside.
If it's frozen, that's much more difficult.
So yes - you can cook it from frozen, but if you don't know what you're doing, the odds are that it's going to end up cooked on the outside and raw on the inside or cooked on the inside and burnt on the outside.
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Im hungry now!
if you dont defrost it first you will most likely over cook the outside while the middle will be frozen or undercooked. potentially dangerous for chicken.
pro tip for fast defrosting? cut it up in smaller pieces, while its frozen. this gives each piece a greater surface area, meaning it will defrost and cook much faster. in this case, baking would be slowest option, i would chop into cubes and pan fry.
whip up a slice of nice verse pie.
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Same temperature, just double time?
If you are intent on doing this, get a meat thermometer to confirm internal temp of at least 165F.
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Honestly I have no idea. Maybe like 20 minutes at 325F? Buy a cheap meat thermometer.
No harm can come of it as long as you cook it to temp. It might not be very good, but it won't make you sick.
Maybe like 20 minutes at 325F?
This 1,000% will not work (assuming it's a cutlet / thighs or something). This is not enough for even a defrosted chicken breast.
There are ways you can do it, other people have commented some approaches (basically, cut it up, if you want it to work). But (a) it's unsafe without a meat thermometer (b) it will probably be a failure unless you're pretty skilled. Definitely don't just throw it in at 325, the most likely outcome is that you'll have to leave it way longer than 20 minutes, and then give up once it's getting dried and awful around the outside, and have to take it out anyway and slice it up and fry it or something, because the inside is still raw.
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I dont have a microwave, just a toaster oven or an actual oven
Run it under lukewarm water from the faucet. A tiny stream will do. It'll thaw in 30minish. Certainly quicker than just shoving it in the oven as is
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Im hungry now!
You can pressure cook frozen chicken in an instant pot.
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Im hungry now!
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Defrost in fridge, no other safe way to do it.
I cook from frozen all the time, but I use a sous vide stick in a cooler box (keeps the water insulated so less heat loss), then finish in the air fryer.
EDIT: ITT people who clearly win the lottery every time they buy a ticket
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Im hungry now!
Microwave defrost function. Usually there is one for poultry and it will assign a time based on the weight you enter.
Every time it beeps mid cycle, dump the water from the plate and flip the meat.
This works for all frozen goods, but some veggies do not survive this process and get all mushy.
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Defrost in fridge, no other safe way to do it.
I cook from frozen all the time, but I use a sous vide stick in a cooler box (keeps the water insulated so less heat loss), then finish in the air fryer.
EDIT: ITT people who clearly win the lottery every time they buy a ticket
Well, other than microwaving it, or cooking it from frozen, or thawing it in water.
Just don't sit it on a counter in open air for 8 hours to thaw and you'll be fine.
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Im hungry now!
Instant Pot:
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The most difficult thing about cooking chicken is getting the inside cooked all the way through without burning or drying out the outside.
If it's frozen, that's much more difficult.
So yes - you can cook it from frozen, but if you don't know what you're doing, the odds are that it's going to end up cooked on the outside and raw on the inside or cooked on the inside and burnt on the outside.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]This is why air fryers or a sous vide are perfect for frozen foods. Air fryer chicken is super simple and pretty quick. Sous vide even easier but takes a bit longer.
Edit: because you lot seem to not understand that an air fryer is just a convection oven...
https://foodess.com/air-fryer-frozen-chicken-breast/
https://realsimplegood.com/air-fryer-frozen-chicken-breasts/
https://savaskitchen.com/frozen-chicken-breasts-in-air-fryer/
Are you all putting the air fryer on broil at 450 or something? Lol
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if you dont defrost it first you will most likely over cook the outside while the middle will be frozen or undercooked. potentially dangerous for chicken.
pro tip for fast defrosting? cut it up in smaller pieces, while its frozen. this gives each piece a greater surface area, meaning it will defrost and cook much faster. in this case, baking would be slowest option, i would chop into cubes and pan fry.
whip up a slice of nice verse pie.
I use an old cpu cooler to effectively increase the surface area without cutting, works a treat
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Im hungry now!
This is how you quickly defrost a chicken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2jlCx_xqFw
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Im hungry now!
I had consistent results with my instantpot/pressure cooker when cooking from frozen. The breast was always cooked thoroughly and tender.
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This is why air fryers or a sous vide are perfect for frozen foods. Air fryer chicken is super simple and pretty quick. Sous vide even easier but takes a bit longer.
Edit: because you lot seem to not understand that an air fryer is just a convection oven...
https://foodess.com/air-fryer-frozen-chicken-breast/
https://realsimplegood.com/air-fryer-frozen-chicken-breasts/
https://savaskitchen.com/frozen-chicken-breasts-in-air-fryer/
Are you all putting the air fryer on broil at 450 or something? Lol
Air frying a frozen chicken is like the perfect way to burn the outside while keeping the inside raw.
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Well, other than microwaving it, or cooking it from frozen, or thawing it in water.
Just don't sit it on a counter in open air for 8 hours to thaw and you'll be fine.
2 hours max in the danger zone. More than that will get people sick.
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if you dont defrost it first you will most likely over cook the outside while the middle will be frozen or undercooked. potentially dangerous for chicken.
pro tip for fast defrosting? cut it up in smaller pieces, while its frozen. this gives each piece a greater surface area, meaning it will defrost and cook much faster. in this case, baking would be slowest option, i would chop into cubes and pan fry.
whip up a slice of nice verse pie.
"Potentially" dangerous for the chicken? Isn't the chicken usually dead by this point?
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If it was me, I would just throw it in the fridge and find something else, and eat it tomorrow. If you have a meat thermometer you can try to make it work with low heat, or there are other ways to cook it that work fine (maybe thaw in cold water and then cut it to strips and sort of stir-fry it for example), but I think the 1-2 times I tried something like this I was not happy with the result.
Cut it while it's at least a little bit frozen. Much easier to cut that way.
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Air frying a frozen chicken is like the perfect way to burn the outside while keeping the inside raw.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Mmm, nice pink center
