Partially defrosted chicken in cold water, then defrosted the rest of the way in the fridge

I thought I wanted to cook chicken last night, so I put the frozen chicken breasts (in original packaging) in a bowl of cold water to defrost. After about 30 minutes, I realized that to make the dish I wanted to make, the meat would need an hour to marinate after defrosting, so I decided to wait 24 hours to cook the chicken. I then popped the chicken breasts into the fridge.

My question is: since I started the defrosting process in the bowl of cold water before putting the chicken into the fridge, is the chicken still safe to cook and eat today?

Best Answer

It should be OK,

You started it frozen and unless the ambient temperature was very warm, the water would still be cold, so the meat was not in the "danger" zone before putting it back in the fridge where it'll continue defrosting slowly.

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Can you put defrosted chicken from cold water back in the fridge?

It should be OK, You started it frozen and unless the ambient temperature was very warm, the water would still be cold, so the meat was not in the "danger" zone before putting it back in the fridge where it'll continue defrosting slowly.

Can you put half defrosted chicken in fridge?

Once defrosted, the chicken should be safe for a day or two in the fridge before cooking. You can refreeze it without cooking first, but it may affect the quality of the meat.

Can you put half defrosted chicken back in the freezer?

You can safely refreeze raw and cooked chicken within their respective shelf lives. Still, only refreeze raw chicken that has been thawed in the refrigerator. When handled properly, it's safe to refreeze raw and cooked chicken within their respective shelf lives.

What can I do with partially thawed chicken?

To cook your partially frozen chicken breasts thoroughly, increase your cooking time 1.5 times the original cooking time. The good news is, all is not lost. It may take a little longer, but you can still have the chicken meal you planned despite your meat still being partially frozen.

How to Quickly Defrost Frozen Meat In Under 5 Minutes | Step by Step Instructions | The simple way

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