I suppose that depends on what you're defrosting it for.
The microwave (on low power) is safe and quick. The downside is that you're using a microwave, which means there's a good chance you'll actually cook the outside slightly in the process, and you're killing enzymes that are normally part of the flavour. The lower the heat, the less the impact of this, but it's still a problem. If I'm preparing the meat for marinating, stir-fry, etc., something with a powerful or thick sauce, then I wouldn't worry about it, but if it's going onto a grill with just a little bit of seasoning, you might want to avoid this.
Running it under warm water would seem to work, but I've found that it takes forever to defrost this way (the exterior will loosen up but the interior stays stubbornly frozen), and you're soaking it in the process. This really isn't suitable if you need to pound or fold the meat or do anything complicated with it.
I would use the microwave if desperate, but it's really best to thaw the meat in the refrigerator or, if you're in a bit of a hurry, the sink. It takes longer, but it'll turn out much better than the microwave in terms of flavour and tenderness.
P.S. One other word of advice: If you're making a dish that requires the chicken to be cut or sliced, it's best not to defrost it all the way. It's easier to cut when frozen, and will defrost very quickly once it's in pieces. I'm mainly talking about the breast here, this doesn't work so well with meat stuck to bones.
Update: I'm noticing a lot of recent hubbub about the dangers of defrosting in the sink / on the countertop or using warm water and I wanted to clarify something. Please note that that the advice above applies to chicken that will be immediately cooked after defrosting and that the defrosting is done over a period shorter than 2 hours.
Raw chicken must not be kept at any temperature above 40° F (4.4° C) for more than an hour or so. Do not defrost a chicken breast in the sink and then toss it back in the fridge. Definitely don't try to defrost a whole bird this way - stick to the refrigerator or very cold running water.
As long as you follow the above precautions and cook the chicken thoroughly (up to an internal temperature of 165° F), you're not in any serious danger of salmonella poisoning, even if the original piece of meat was contaminated - and most chicken sold today is contaminated, for the record.
If the meat is going back in the refrigerator for marinating or you plan to delay cooking for any other reason, then you need to either thaw it very fast (using the microwave) or at a very low temperature (using the refrigerator or cold running water).
In the past when I've cooked in the ground I put rocks into the fire. Don't really know what sort of rocks, but I've been involved in sessions that use bricks.
Point is that you needs some way to "envelope" the heat around the thing you are cooking so what we did was put the rocks into the fire to heat them up.
Carefully remove the rocks before putting the lamb in and then put the hot rocks on top of the hessian covered meat before putting the dirt back on top.
Let it sit for a while and you should get a much more even result
Best Answer
There is another food safe option to thaw meat quickly, and it has saved the Thanksgiving meal of many cooks: In cold water. To ensure that the meat stays in a safe temperature range, frequently changing the water is required, ideally by running the cold water tap just a bit. The meat itself will act like a huge ice cube, contributing to keeping the surrounding water cool.
Facing the task of defrosting the lamb in question, I would probably resort to my bathtub, because it is like an oversized kitchen sink, complete with faucet and drain and can be sanitized easily afterwards.
Cold water thawing is messier and needs more attention than just thawing in the refrigerator, but will on the other hand be significantly faster and needs no hacking up of a frozen slab of meat.
The rule of thumb is thirty minutes per pound of meat, but that’s really just a rough estimate, geometry, water temperature and movement and ratio of water to food will be factors.