If you’re reading this with a pack of freezer-burned chicken on the counter, help is here! You’ll learn that it’s safe to eat and how to cook it so it’s not rubbery and dry.
With the tips below, you’ll also learn how to prevent this from happening in the future so you can enjoy your favorite chicken recipes for dinner.
Sadly there’s no way to fully reverse the freezer burn, but it doesn’t mean you have to throw away the item either. You can either cut off the affected parts after defrosting and cook as normal, or you can use a cooking method that helps retain moisture, such as stewing or poaching.
How to Cook Freezer Burned Chicken
Chicken that has been freezer-burned can still be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Each of these four methods provides extra moisture and flavor during the cooking process to disguise the fact that the chicken was slightly dehydrated from having freezer burn.
Poach Poaching chicken consists of cooking it in hot water and aromatics, infusing it with moisture and flavor. It’s a great way to cook freezer-burned chicken you plan to shred and add to soup or my Homemade Chicken Salad recipe.
Crockpot Slow-cooking freezer-burned chicken in a sauce will coat the meat with flavor and prevent it from being bone dry. My Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is a perfect recipe, and you can use it to create tacos, loaded potatoes, and sliders.
Bake This method works great for skin-on cuts like thighs and whole chickens since the layer of skin locks in moisture while the fat drains to the bottom of the pan and hydrates the meat as it cooks. Test it out with these juicy Oven-Baked Chicken Thighs.
Make soup! The soup’s broth will rehydrate the chicken and mask any off-putting flavor. Cook the chicken with your method of choice (except grilling) and shred it before adding to the soup. My Chicken Taco Soup would be a great way to test out this method.
Why Does Freezer Burn Happen?
Freezer burn happens when food is stored in the freezer in packaging that is too thin to protect it from the frigid temperatures of your freezer.
One of the most common mistakes people make (I’ve been guilty of this too many times!) is placing chicken directly in the freezer when you get home from the store. The grocery store packaging is too thin to provide the protection the chicken needs to avoid freezer burn.
I also made a video to address this topic and give you a visual aid on the proper way to freeze chicken:
Freezer Burned Chicken: Is it Safe? Here is How to Eat & Prevent it!
FAQ
Can you fix freezer burned chicken?
Is it OK to use chicken with freezer burn?
What does freezer burn look like chicken?
Is 2 year old frozen chicken still good?
Is freezer burned chicken safe to eat?
Chicken that is freezer burned is still perfectly safe to eat. If it was fresh when you froze it, you can still cook and enjoy it! I’m going to show you how to prevent this from happening and the best methods for cooking freezer burn chicken so that it Why Does Freezer Burn Happen?
Can one refreeze homemade chicken broth?
It is not indicated. After thawing once, the chances of contamination are greater, and therefore the best option is to freeze in small portions, such as ice cubes, and thaw only what is going to be used.
Can You defrost chicken if it is freezer burned?
However, if it has only affected a part of the chicken you may wish to defrost it and cut out the freezer burned section. The basic change in chicken that has become freezer burned is that it lacks moisture. The contact with the air has left it devoid of enough water content in those parts and that has caused physical changes to the chicken.
What is Freezer Burn chicken?
Freezer burn is the evaporation of the moisture contained in the chicken meat being drawn out, and freezing around the chicken. This means the chicken will be drier once it is thawed out. Is Freezer Burn Chicken Safe to Eat? Chicken that is freezer burned is still perfectly safe to eat.