Chicken is one of the most familiar and versatile ingredients in the kitchen. Many people have eaten it, some people have cooked it, many recipes utilize it … chicken is almost the backbone for many family dinners, especially during the hectic week.
But, cooking chicken can also be a little tricky too, especially when you are trying to eat healthier.
When I first started eating healthier and working out, I had a strong feeling that I would be eating A LOT of chicken, particularly the breast, because it is the part of the chicken that contains the least amount of fat (in comparison to protein among the other parts of the chicken). And I thought that it would be easy to cook. But after a couple of days of chewing and tearing through dry chicken breast, I was sick of it. How did people eat this dry piece of meat every single day?
So I started doing research to figure out how to make chicken breast taste better, but also see what else I could make besides just bake it in the oven, or grilled or seared in a pan. Were there no other options? Thankfully, I found so many recipes and ideas that inspired me. And even more, tips that helped me to keep motivated during my health journey.
Here are a few tips that I found that helped me when it comes to cooking better chicken:
Brine your chicken, especially the breast: If you have never tried to brine your chicken, give it a shot and it will change your world. A brine is a simple technique where you soak your protein in a solution (typically salt) for about 20-30 minutes. The salt solution helps to maintain moisture in the meat, so when it cooks, it doesn't dry out so quickly.
Season and flavor your food well: It seems simple, but salt and pepper isn't always enough to make your food taste good. Figuring out a way to incorporate flavor into your chicken is important, but it can be a very simple process. Using marinades, spices, herbs, adding a squeeze of acid (like lime, lemon or orange) can help include a lot of very good flavor into your chicken.
Chop your breast up for even cooking: Because of the shape of breast, it will not cook evenly when cooked whole. Not to deter you from cooking it whole, but chopping it up will make it easier to cook evenly and properly. Plus, you can add it to more recipes and make sure it is also seasoned evenly.
Trim the fat: When using other cuts of chicken, check for the fat. Any slippery white part on the chicken is fat and can be cut away at. Now, keep in mind that the fat is where some of the flavor is, but for those who don't like fat, you can trim it. You can also buy ground chicken in order to limit the amount of fat used.
Know what cut of chicken you are using: Not every piece of chicken is the same and produces the same type of flavor. When you order chicken from a restaurant, you may have heard them ask you "White or dark?" White meat refers to the breast and the wings and is often the driest pieces because of the muscle fibers. Dark meat refers to the thighs and the legs and have more flavor and moisture in it. So depending on the flavor that you want in your dish, be aware of the cut of meat that you want.
Because of how common chicken can be found and served everywhere you go, it can be easy for people to believe that it's an easy dish to cook. And it is easy, but you do have to keep a few tricks up your sleeves in order to make the dish as good as possible.
We about the love of chicken, (especially some fried wings), and it's gonna be a good night.
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