Never defrost your chicken on a kitchen counter as bacteria thrives at room temperature.
You should also never rinse chicken under running water because this can splash bacteria around your kitchen.
You’ll know a piece of chicken is properly defrosted by cutting a small slit in the thickest part of the breast or thigh.
Insert your finger into the slit and check if the flesh is soft.
There should be no ice crystals remaining, and if there are it isn’t defrosted.
If the flesh feels solid rather than soft, you need to continue defrosting it.
source: express.co.uk