how long to thaw whole chicken
In Refrigerator. 1  Place the whole chicken in the refrigerator. Leave it wrapped and place it on a platter to catch any drippings. 2  Move any items away from the chicken to ensure that it thaws evenly. 3  Leave the chicken in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days. The time it takes to thaw the chicken will depend on its size--Recipetips.com says you'll need to allow about five hours per pound, so a five-pound bird would need 25 hours.