You can degrease a chain as long as you apply lube after it dries. Personally, I never clean my chains - I just lube them every 2 or 3 rides. I use Finish Line dry lube because it doesn't pick up much grit. Some people go to extremes in cleaning chains, but doing it my way has never been a problem for me and my chains last a long time. If you have a link that is binding, you can usually free it up by twisting the chain in opposing directions with your hands on either side of the problem link.