Whether it’s grilled, steamed boiled or roasted in the oven, chicken is one of the most consumed meats in the world. Except that it is not always so simple to concoct. You need a well-balanced dosage for successful cooking without a false note. Objective: crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. However, more often than not, the crust is burnt and the chicken breast is too dry, or even worse, some parts may even remain raw.
The frustration is over! For perfect and tasty cooking, here are some tips and tricks to follow closely. Something to impress your guests.
Generally, when you want to prepare a quick, tasty and low-calorie meal (it is even often present in some slimming diets), the option of a chicken recipe immediately comes to mind. But for successful cooking, whether cooked on the grill, in a pan or in the oven, great chefs recommend taking certain aspects into consideration, otherwise the result will not meet your expectations. Because, it must be emphasized, chicken can be very tasty and juicy, or on the contrary bland and dry, depending on how it is prepared.
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You should already know that, depending on its thickness, the chicken breast will take more or less time to cook properly. It is therefore important to know how to gauge your corpulence so as not to make mistakes. Overcooking may harden and dry it out. Conversely, undercooking can leave part uncooked. A little tip: to ensure that the breast does not harden and that it stays juicy, soak your chicken in salted water for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking it. The drought is over!
What temperature should chicken be cooked at?
A chicken breast must be turned 2 or 3 minutes on each side in the pan. A chicken thigh, on the other hand, needs to stay longer on the heat to avoid being raw inside. Be careful, specialists insist on the fact that raw chicken is dangerous for health: if it is not sufficiently cooked, it can develop many bacteria and lead to food poisoning. In addition, because of the salmonella that develops in an undercooked chicken, you risk distressing gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea, stomach pain, etc.). To avoid this risk, it is recommended to use a meat thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 74°C degrees to ensure that it is sufficiently cooked inside. Beware: even if the crust appears golden on the outside, this does not necessarily mean that the breast is well cooked. Ideally, you should always check its internal temperature before removing it from the heat. This is what will also allow you to correctly judge its doneness to keep it from becoming dry, tough, and bland.
Don’t have a meat thermometer handy? There are many more ways to check your chicken’s doneness. Here’s a simple and reliable tip: just check the color of the juices dripping from the chicken. No need to cut the chicken, a small incision will suffice. Using a fork and a knife, prick the side of the chicken and observe the color of the juice, if it turns clear white (translucent), your chicken is well cooked. But if the juice is still pink, it needs more cooking time. Be careful, this technique only works specifically for chicken, do not apply it to other meats.
Tenderizing is a process that evens out the texture of chicken to make it juicier. This procedure is not complicated, it is still necessary to follow a few steps carefully.
Here’s the secret to effectively tenderizing chicken to make it as flavorful as possible:
- Bone the chicken pieces:you need to remove all the remaining bones in the poultry. You can choose to leave the skin on or remove it, depending on your preference or according to your recipe instructions. Alternatively, it is also possible to make your task easier by directly buying previously deboned breasts or thighs. This will save you a few minutes on your preparation time.
- Pound the poultry:place your raw chicken on a cutting board or paper towel. Cover it with plastic wrap and use your meat tenderizer of choice. This can be a meat mallet, rolling pin, or any other tool capable of tenderizing poultry. This way, you’ll avoid a hard texture in favor of an even, juicy consistency.
- Marinate your chicken:ideally, to better tenderize the chicken, it should be left to marinate overnight before cooking. This will make it juicier. You can therefore use a gluten-free acid marinade (mixture of olive oil and lemon juice) or more substantial (baking soda, egg whites and buttermilk). To add even more tenderness and flavor, we opt for the brining process: this consists of soaking it in salted water combined with aromatic spices, such as garlic powder, black pepper and thyme.
- Cooking at a suitable temperature:the golden rule is to find the right balance when it comes to cooking. Your chicken should not be overcooked or undercooked. Tenderized chicken often cooks best over high heat, at a temperature between 175/190°C (350 to 375°F). As the chicken heats up, check the internal temperature of the poultry with a meat thermometer to avoid burning it or serving it still raw. The internal temperature of the meat should reach around 74°C before removing it from the heat.
What is the best way to cook a chicken in the oven: convection or traditional?
Setting the oven to convection heat allows for convection roasting, which promotes better air circulation. As a result, the oven will use both a fan and a heating element. The air is then heated by the grill element, while the fan circulates it throughout the interior surface. Air circulation adjusts to maintain a constant temperature throughout the oven. To roast your meat, convection roasting will use both stagnant and circulating hot air, which will allow for a nice browning. If you are roasting beef, turkey or chicken, this setting is ideal.
In order for the chicken fillet to remain soft and juicy after cooking, you should use only fresh products. This is why it is essential to check the shelf life of your chicken. Frozen meat will not have the same effect: the chicken fillet may quickly soften and the desired flavor may not be there. Also note that, to boil the fillet, the water temperature must be 70/75°C. Don’t forget to immerse the chicken in the already preheated water to keep it tender and juicy.
Want to cook a diet chicken? Here is a delicious recipe:
You will need: 300 g of chicken fillet, 1.5 liters of water, salt, black pepper and spices to taste.
- Wash your fillet and cut it in half.
- Pour the water into the saucepan and heat to 75°C.
- Add the slices of fillet. As soon as the water begins to boil, salt and add the spices.
- Reduce the heat to maximum, cover the pan and cook your chicken for 20 minutes. The water should no longer boil.
- After this time, your fillet will be ready to eat.
N.B : to make the chicken fillet even tastier, you can add peeled onions and a few bay leaves to the pan. And if you want to lose weight, cook your chicken with minimal salt.
Another recipe: Italian-style breaded chicken cutlet
Ingredients
A few slices of minced chicken, 3 eggs, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, flour, grated cheese (gruyere or mozzarella), Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
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Preparation
- In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning and ¾ cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper, then use your fingers to mix everything together, working the garlic well into the breadcrumbs until it is evenly distributed.
- In another bowl, whisk together 3 eggs with ½ cup of cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of water until smooth.
- Then pour the flour into another shallow bowl or plate. Season with salt and pepper. Then mix thoroughly.
- Now take the minced chicken and place it on your cutting board. Place a piece of plastic wrap over it, then use a meat mallet to smash it to about ½ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Season each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Dip the pieces in the flour, taking care to coat them on both sides. Tap off the excess.
- Then, dip them in the egg mixture and let the excess drip off.
- Transfer the chicken slices to the breadcrumbs. Be sure to press down well to coat them completely.
- Then heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (medium-high heat). Place 1 to 3 chicken breasts at a time, depending on the capacity of your utensil, without overloading it either.
- Finally, cook until a nice golden color appears on each side.
- Then, remove your cutlets and use paper towels to drain them. It’s ready, you can serve them hot!
Is it more beneficial to cook the chicken in a frying pan?
Although baking in the oven provides flavorful and juicy chicken, when you’re in a hurry, pan frying is the best method. Of course, if you have more time and prefer to avoid using oil, baked chicken breast is a good option. Not to mention that it needs time to brine or marinate before cooking. Even 15 minutes of brining will make all the difference and your chicken will be much juicier.
However, there is an advantage to pan-frying chicken breast: the high temperature of the pan cooks this meat faster, before it dries out. In this sense, here, brining or marinating is not really necessary, which makes the recipe faster to prepare.
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