More Ways To Cook A Chicken
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy Subscribe To Our Feed
Chicken is no doubt one of the most popular meats in our daily diet. However, how should one cook them so that they retain their juiciness and flavor?
Here are some tips to help you along.
- Brining A Chicken
Brining a chicken before cooking is one good way. To brine it, all you need to do is to soaked the chicken in a salt solution for about 1 hour. It is recommended that you leave the whole setup in the fridge during this time. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse under cold running water, and cook according to one of the following methods. - Selecting the Right Temperature When Cooking Chicken
Generally, it is suggested that you cook your chicken at about 165 degree F. With the present Bird Flu concerns, this is a sound advice to follow especially when you have family members who have weak immune systems. This include children and the elderly. If you are cooking dry chicken meat, set the temperature to high and cook for about 5-10 minutes. If you are using a piece of moist chicken meat, go for low temperature and cook for about 10-15 minutes. - Cooling the Meat
Should you need to keep away leftover chicken, be sure to do it very quickly, preferably in a container placed in an ice water bath. You should also choose not to keep any cooked chicken in your refrigerator longer than 3-4 days. This is of course done to ensure the quality of your food. - Cooking Chicken Differently
Chicken can be cooked in different ways. It can be grilled,steamed, fried and barbacued. So do not restrict yourself to one way of cooking. You will be surprised with the different results as you experiment. One little tip for you. Most of the time, it helps to pound or cut the meat to similar thickness before you cook. This helps to ensure that your chicken cook evenly.
So buy yourself a reliable Meat Thermometer and get ready to always make moist, tender, and juicy boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Any of these methods will result in juicy, moist, and tender chicken breasts. Follow the instructions carefully with a meat thermometer in your hand and you’ll always have success.
You can season the chicken with lots of ingredients in these cooking methods.
Poaching
To poach boneless, skinless chicken breasts, place them in a large skillet and add 1-2 cups of water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 9-14 minutes until chicken reaches 160 degrees F. about 15 minutes. You can also poach in the oven. Place chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan. You can add lemon slices, peppercorns, or any other spices or herbs. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and immediately pour over chicken. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 20-35 minutes, checking for an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
Microwave
It can be risky cooking chicken in the microwave oven because the oven cooks unevenly. The same piece of chicken can be several different temperatures at the same time! If you have healthy people over the age of 5 in your household, this is an easy method for microwaving chicken. Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a glass dish with the thin side of the breasts in the center. Pour 3/4 cup buttermilk over the chicken, sprinkle with herbs and spices of your choice, cover plate with plastic wrap, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Check the chicken, and then cook for 2 minutes longer. Rearrange the chicken using tongs, cover again, and microwave for 3-5 minutes longer until internal temp is 160 degrees F. Discard buttermilk mixture.
Crock-pot
The Crock Pot is a wonderful way to cook chicken as long as it isn’t overcooked. For fresh chicken breasts, stack the chicken in the crock-pot, add 1/2 cup water or chicken broth, cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours, rearranging once during cooking time. For frozen chicken breasts, arrange in crock-pot, add 1/2 cup chicken broth or water, cover, and cook on low for 8-9 hours, rearranging once during cooking time.
Sautéing
This dry heat method is quick and easy. If you pound the breasts thin, they will cook for about 2-3 minutes a side over high heat. Unpounded breasts take a bit longer to cook; about 4-5 minutes per side. Coat a skillet with olive oil, heat over high heat, add breasts, cook for 4 minutes without moving them, then turn and finish cooking.
Pressure Cooker
This is a moist heat method of cooking. Add thawed chicken breasts to the cooker add sliced onions and lemons for flavor along with 1/2 cup water, cover and lock the cooker, and bring the pressure up to high. Cook for 12 minutes, release pressure, and check internal temperature. You can cover, bring pressure back up, and cook for 2-3 minutes longer if necessary.
Conclusion With these tips of cooking chicken, you should be able to dish out quite a few delicious chicken dishes from now on.
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