What is the safest way to thaw a whole frozen chicken?

Boiling the chicken will heat the chicken the fastest.

Put the chicken in a large bowl of water. Microwave for several minutes, periodically using a meat thermometer to check both the temperature of the water and the chicken (at its thickest part). Once the chicken has reached 160 degrees F, keep it there for about eight minutes (depending on size and amount of chicken).

You can keep the chicken hot until you are ready to eat by setting the microwave to "Defrost" cycle, zapping the water intermittently and effectively keeping the meat above 160 degrees.

Take this one step further and do the above with vegetables and seasonings and you have a great soup.