How To Melt Frozen Chicken Fast. If you don’t have the manual, set the microwave to defrost (or 20%, if your microwave doesn’t have a defrost setting). Empty the water every 30 minutes and refill the sink or basin with fresh, cold water.

Cover the chicken with broth and/or sauce. That's because my method for defrosting meat is often faster than a microwave and defrosts the meat more evenly. A microwave works by making the water molecules vibrate rapidly together, creating heat.