Storing your uncooked chicken, beef, and pork in the freezer is smart, especially if you don’t have time to cook it all before it goes bad. And if you buy in bulk, it’s an even more important thing to think about.
However, there are the days we forget to defrost our meat before dinner time rolls around. (Cue the panic or the takeout order.)
Some defrosting methods are time-consuming, while other methods can promote the growth of dangerous bacteria, so it’s always important to thaw meat properly. But, sometimes you need to get dinner on the table fast, and those are the moments in which we wish we were privy to this hack.
Grating Frozen Chicken Breasts?
German YouTuber, Sophie (aka Essen Rezepte) shared a video on her YouTube channel in May, which now has over 2 million views. Her video starts with a question. Have you ever cooked chicken breasts straight from the freezer? For most of us, the answer is probably no.
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However, according to the USDA, it is actually safe to cook frozen chicken. There are some stipulations though, the most obvious being a longer cook time. But, this hack makes cook time shorter.
She starts the video by grating the frozen chicken. She makes it look easy, although her hand has got to be cold. Grating the chicken will cut down on cook time, obviously, and contrary to popular belief, you won’t lose any nutrition when cooking from frozen.
Tasty Recipes Using Grated Chicken
In her video, Sophie paired the grated chicken breast with grated potatoes, diced shallots, an egg, mozzarella cheese, and seasonings. She then cooked the mixture over the stove to create a cheesy, chicken-filled potato pancake (sans the flour).
While it definitely looks tasty, you could use this hack for any recipe that calls for shredded or finely diced chicken. Easily make chicken meatballs to throw in with pasta or added to stuff peppers. Tacos and enchiladas would be a breeze with grated chicken, but so would a simply frittata. Whatever dish you make, just make sure to cook chicken thoroughly to avoid any food-borne pathogens.