Best Ways To Wash and Clean Chicken

Should You Wash Chicken Before Cooking?

Chicken is usually run under water to clean them properly because people feel this is the correct way. However, there are experts who strongly suggest against it. In today's time the chicken is usually cleaned during the time of processing therefore washing them is not recommended very much.

However, saving time is not the only reason why even professionals and experts do not recommend washing the chicken with water only. It is recommended so because when the chicken is raw, it is open to catch harmful bacteria and pathogens like salmonella and campylobacter.

Moreover, these pathogens can survive in water so washing with cold water will only spread them all over the sink rather than cleaning the chicken up. This contaminates the kitchen surface and that can spread all over if touched with hands and not washed properly.

The hands must be washed with soapy water every single time after the raw chicken is touched. The pathogens found in the chicken body surface can damage tissues as they replicate. It is because, during the process of replicating itself, these contaminating agents produce toxins that are quite dangerous. It is so because, although some pathogens have been seen affecting mildly, some are surely life-threatening for some people.

Best Ways To Clean Chicken

There is a huge misconception about cleaning the chicken. People wash it under the running water and think that the chicken has been washed clean. However, because the heat can kill all the contaminating bacteria on the surface of the raw chicken, cleaning them to prepare for cooking is extremely easy.

These can be cleaned well enough to cook in a jiffy, but the washing needs to be done by following some of the following quick routines. That is why the listed steps below will have to be followed gradually, to clean the chicken in the best way possible. 

Before the cleaning process, there are certain things to be considered.

1. Check for debris

To check if the chicken has any dirt, dust, or debris left on their surface, look at the surface then at the nook and corners of the chicken. If yes, take a paper towel and take the dirt off.

Wet the paper towel and run it over the surface of the chicken that looks dirty. Remove any such particles by using a paper towel only. Throw the paper towel after use by wrapping it with a clean plastic, paper, or another paper towel to prevent cross-contamination. 

2. Thaw or defrost if frozen

In the case of using a frozen chicken, take them out of the freezer. Then take a big bowl of tap water to submerge the frozen chicken in that normal-temperature water. Keep the frozen chicken covered under the water till it loses all the frost. Do this to thaw the chicken well.

3. Remove the skin and organs

Slash the chicken and make slits. Remove the skin off of the chicken and then take the organs out from the insides of the chicken. Clear up the insides hollow and clean the chicken organs separately as well. Keep them aside without mixing the flesh and the organs.

4. Give it a rinse

The initial rinse should be done by doing a vinegar wash. Run the vinegar water from the insides to the outer surface of the chicken first and then soak them in the same vinegar water. This process is done to clear up the flesh well and prepare the chicken for the marination.

1. Saltwater Wash

Tools

• Kosher Salt
• Table Salt
• Bowl
• Chicken
• Water
• Lid

Instructions

This process is one of the commonly used cleaning methods. Here are the steps to be followed to do a saltwater wash 

1. Take a huge bowl and fill it with water.
2. Mix in table salt and kosher salt in the water and stir till the salt dissolves.
3. Put the chicken inside the saltwater solution.
4. Submerge the chicken inside the solution surface.
5. Cover the bowl with a lid and let it sit for a few hours to a maximum of a whole day.

Note: 

To wash 1 pound of chicken in the saltwater wash, mix half a cup of kosher salt and one-fourth cup of table salt into four cups the water. The ratio stays the same but the quantity can be adjusted as per the pound used.

2. Lime-salt Wash

Tools

• Salt
• Lime
• Water
• Lid
• Bowl

Instructions

To wash the chicken with the lime-salt wash method, lime is not irreplaceable, any other type of citrus can be used as a substitute for lime. Except for so, here are the steps to be followed to do a lime-salt wash to the chicken.

1. Take a big bowl and place the chicken inside it.
2. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and citrus juice (either lime or lemon)
3. Rub the salt and lime mix all over the flesh surface.
4. Spread the mix into all the nooks of the chicken scrubbing.
5. After it is all scrubbed and spread, add water until it is covered.
6. Cover it with a lid and let it sit for 30 minutes

Note:

Scrubbing is said to be able to exfoliate the chicken which is not actually necessary. Instead of scrubbing hard, rub the mix to the flesh only a little to save some time as the water will be poured to soak later.  

3. Baking Soda Soak

Tools

• Chicken
• Baking Soda
• Non-reactive Bowl
• Lid
• Plain Water
• Chopping Board and Knife

Instructions

1. For the baking soda wash, there are two different ways for the flesh and the wings. The sliced method is called velveting and for the wings, it is called chicken wings soak method. Although most of the steps of these methods are the same, the ratio of ingredients and storing place with their time differs.
2. Take a chopping board and a knife
3. Cut the chicken flesh into thin slices. But cut off the wings and keep them separate.
4. Fill two big bowls with some water and add the baking soda
5. Stir the mix till the baking soda dissolves making a solution paste.
6. For the chicken slices, put them inside the solution. Coat them evenly with the solution paste. Cover the bowl with a lid and set aside to soak for 15 minutes
7. As for the wings, take individual wings and apply the solution paste on the wings' surface. Refrigerate the wings for half an hour to one complete hour.
8. After the respective required time is up, rinse the velveted and wing chicken with plain water one by one.

Note:

There are things to note in the measurements of both velveting and wings soak methods. For the soak method, using 12 ounces of sliced chicken can be paired with 1 teaspoon of baking soda added to half a cup of water.

However, for the wings soak method, use 1 pound of chicken wings, and mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 4 cups of water. The ratios of both sliced and winged chicken remain the same but the quantity can be adjusted according to the amount of chicken slices or wings used.

4. Vinegar Wash

Tools

• Distilled White Vinegar
• Chicken
• Plain Water
• Bowl

Instructions

The vinegar doesn't kill the bacteria that is why washing the chicken with vinegar is often not recommended.

1. Take a bowl and place the chicken inside it.
2. Take a cup of vinegar and rub the chicken with it.
3. Apply the vinegar not only outside, but also in the hollow insides of the chicken.
4. Pour water over the vinegar-coated chicken maxing the water and vinegar making a vinegar solution.
5. Submerge the chicken inside the solution dipped under the water's surface level.
6. Let the chicken sit there and get soaked for a minimum of 10 minutes to a maximum of 30 minutes.
7. Once the soaking is over, run the washed chicken under the plain water.
8. Marinate the chicken with the choice of seasoning after the wash.
9. Then do the final rinse by repeating the process of the vinegar wash after marination.

Note:

While doing the vinegar wash for the final rinse, soaking the chicken in the vinegar water is not required.

5. Cold Water Wash

Tools

• Running Water
• Bowl

Instructions

Washing the chicken in cold water is not recommended however this mentioned cold water wash is for the case of frozen chicken. When the chicken is frozen, they take time to defrost after they are taken off from the freezer and bring them back to room temperature for which the following steps must be followed:

1. Take the frozen chicken out of the freezer.
2. Put the plastic-wrapped stiffly frozen chicken in a big bowl.
3. Pour the running tap water into the bowl, over the stiff chicken.
4. Fill the water until the whole frozen chicken is submerged below the surface of the water.
5. Keep the bowl of submerged chicken on the countertop for 15 minutes.
6. As the water will turn cold after 15 minutes, change it to a normal-temperature water from the tap.
7. Keep checking the water in intervals and repeat the process as many times as required until the chicken is thawed well.

Note:

Do not take the plastic off the frozen chicken. The frozen chicken is stiff and hard full of ice and can leak water when defrosting. Once the ice and the frost from the chicken are gone, they will lose their stiffness and become soft.

Additional Tips on Cleaning Chicken

Here are some of the things to remember that can make the cleaning and washing of the chicken much easier and better.

• When using Baking soda it can make the chicken more tender.
• Start plucking the scalded chicken from their back and belly then move to the wings and tails.
• Use a light but firm grip to do the plucking, hard hands can tear the skin, and a loose grip won't assist in plucking.
• All these washing, rinsing, and brining do not destroy the bacteria as they can only be destroyed with high temperatures. 
• While cleaning up with the plain water, collect water in a bowl and wash it from the bowl. Because the bacteria are not dead yet, running directly under the tap water over the sink can cause cross-contamination.