How to Cook Frozen Chicken on the Stove

Updated on December 25th, 2023

Everyone would like always to remember to defrost their chicken before dinner, but thawing is a last-minute decision for the most part. Thankfully, there are various ways to prepare chicken directly from the freezer without compromising tasty results in your cooking.

Here, we’ll show you great ways to cook chicken on the stove with and without thawing it first. We’ll also provide some helpful tips that will make the cooking process easier and guarantee great taste and food safety.

Chicken Nutrition Facts

Tips for Cooking Frozen Chicken on the Stove

It’s important to keep the following tips in mind when cooking frozen chicken on the stove.

Keep safety in mind – When working with raw meat, either in frozen or fresh forms, safety should always be a priority. Thankfully, we can all sigh with relief because the USDA states that cooking frozen chicken is fine; consider that the cooking process will take around 50% longer than with thawed chicken.

Slow cookers or microwaves are among the cooking methods to avoid when cooking chicken from frozen. The former cook the meat too slowly, enabling it to spend too much time in a dangerous temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees F, where bacteria is most prone to thrive.

The microwave cooks food too quickly, resulting in the inside of the chicken not reaching a safe internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F before the remaining chicken gets done. Meat can typically be defrosted in microwaves, but it must be cooked right away to avoid staying in a dangerous temperature zone for longer than necessary.

Ways to safely thaw chicken – It’s understandable if you’re still skeptical about cooking chicken straight from its frozen state. If you decide to thaw your frozen chicken before cooking, one of the best methods for thawing chicken is to use the microwave, and it is also the quickest option compared to the remaining two methods described below.

To thaw a pound of chicken, follow these keep it for

• 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator; or
• 2 to 3 hours to soak in the water; or
• 10 to 15 minutes in the microwave

These three methods will get your chicken properly defrosted, so pick a choice based on what works best for you.

Factors affecting cooking time with frozen chicken – When using frozen chicken in meal preparation, the cooking time should be increased by 50%, as stated earlier, so if, for instance, the normal cooking time should be 30 minutes, prepare for 45 minutes. The cooking time will also be affected by the size of the chicken breasts you’re cooking.

Consider “prepping” your raw chicken before you freeze it for this reason. It cooks faster and is easy to add to a hot pan, oven, or thaw when it’s already sliced, chopped, and ready to go.

To prepare raw chicken before freezing.

• First, take it out of the package it came in.
• Slice or cut boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts to the desired size if you’re working with boneless, skinless pieces. Freeze them for up to two months in a freezer-safe bag.
• If you want to freeze whole chicken pieces, such as thighs, breasts, and leg quarters, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place it in a zip bag separately.
• Freeze the pieces for up to two months in advance. Instead of a ball of frozen chicken, you will be able to cook each chicken piece evenly on the stovetop when the time comes.

Seasoning frozen chicken – Seasoning chicken is almost always necessary for the finest flavor, and cooking with frozen chicken is no exception.

If you choose to add the seasoning before freezing the chicken, season it as follows:

• Add your preferred seasoning ingredients or a sauce to the chicken in a bag.
• For later use, it’s a good idea to label the bag and its contents.
• Afterward, freeze the contents of the bag.

Because some recipes or cooking methods can cause the frozen chicken to lose its flavor, many people prefer to add more seasoning to it when cooking it. If you’re following a recipe and using plain frozen chicken, add a little additional flavor to compensate for any flavor sacrificed during the cooking process.

 

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Cooking Time for Frozen Chicken on the Stove

The ideal cooking time for frozen chicken on the stovetop is described in the table below:

Different sizes and types of chicken

Cooking time on the stovetop (simmering in a broth)

Boneless frozen chicken breasts, 4 to 6 ounces

38 to 45 minutes

Bone-in frozen chicken breasts, 6 to 8 ounces

53 to 68 minutes

Frozen chicken thighs, 4 to 8 ounces

60 to 75 minutes

Frozen chicken wings, 2 to 3 ounces

53 to 68 minutes

Frozen chicken drumsticks, 4 ounces

60 to 75 minutes

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