Asalaams sisters, please no hate or judgement. I’m looking for genuine advice. I bulk buy chicken every week or so from local halal butchers as we eat it a lot. It doesnt smell. That day it’s then split into portions and put away in the freezer. Now when defrosted it stinks. I’ve been brought up immersing frozen chicken in cool water overnight to defrost. Never had an issue before for many years. Recently it becomes smelly once defrosted and I dont know why? Even when i clean it with salt and lemon water it still stinks meaning a lot of chicken is then being chucked away which is expensive. Please share some of your tips which results in non smelly chicken
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I’ve personally never heard of defrosting in water. I just put the frozen chicken on a plate and leave out overnight and then put in the fridge in the morning. Raw chicken in general has a bit of a smell, but I’ve never had smelly chicken from this x

I do the same but add white vinegar in cold water and let defrost in fridge overnight

hey love it is actually not « safe » to leave the chicken to defrost out because it can lead to bactéries to install such as salmonella
Best practice is to defrost in water

Maybe try a different butcher maybe the problem is the chixken ?
I do the same as you notice a smell but it’s regular chicken smell
I also clean my chicken with vinegar + water
Thank you all for replying. So the smell I can describe is quite smelly. Like a stinky/funky fart (sorry for that description) rather than the usual chicken/meaty smell. I’m wondering if I’m missing a trick. Is there a maximum time you sisters would leave it in water to defrost? I could leave it however long (of course less than 24 hours) and never had a smell until these last couple of years on and off. I’ve tried different butchers but it’s been worse! Plus it doesnt smell when i’ve bought it and put it away?
quite possible which is such a shame as meat isnt cheap and getting more expensive but the quality is getting poorer

When we defrost chicken in water we only do it a few hours before we need it. I think overnight in water may be too much. Worth a try!

As My understanding: leaving overnight is too much time and not safe. What I do if I have to cook at 12 pm for lunch I would defrost at 8 in morning and leave for a few hours at room temp and in the last hour before cooking put the chicken but with a bag in hot water. It easily defrost in an hour or half with hot water. Then you can wash it properly. dont forget to not put chicken directly in hot water but in a plastic bag
that’s a really good query, i’ll ask next time.
I just defrosted another batch so wasnt in water for long. And it absolutely stank again so I think it must be the chicken itself. So disappointed as now I have a full freezer draw to get rid of. Not best pleased…
Thank you all for your tips and suggestions

I defrost in water, never had an issue maybe it wasn’t fresh when u bought it consider changing ur butcher
Did u freeze it the same day u got it

Also I agree with the others overnight does seem a long time I only do it in water around 2 hours before I need it, it defrosts very quickly x

Despite it being Halal, a lot of people don't consider non-organic chicken to be Tayyib (clean) because of the way it is reared, from growth hormones & antibiotics, to the feed it consumes.
Look into organic / free range chicken options. I tend to find it doesn't smell like regular chicken does. It does however have a higher price point but i definitely think it's worth paying for.
thank you for this. I dont know where I can get organic chicken from in my area. Is this something readily available where you live or do you buy online?

If you're from the UK there are a few websites that sell online.
I tend to use PureGourmet or Mullaco Online. I've heard of Saffron Alley but never used them. They have different options to choose from

I've heard Saffron Alley post it out frozen. The other two post out fresh, packed with ice packs. It's always stayed good x
thank you for this information, I’ll look into it ☺️ x

I wish I could find an organic and halal chicken where I live... it seems really hard to find

I defrost my chicken in the microwave..