Most people love chicken and consider it as their favorite food. Why? Because no matter what the season is, there is always a great and perfect way to cook chicken.
During summer, chicken is best marinated overnight in teriyaki sauce, skewered, and barbecued. In fall, roasted chicken with carrots, peas, and mashed potatoes sounds like an excellent idea. With chicken, it feels like you’re getting an extra special treat.
However, if you want your chicken to be delicious, you have to know how to cook it. Knowledge spells the difference between a perfectly executed baked chicken thigh recipe and a dry, burnt chicken.
Preparing the Chicken
There’s more to a great chicken meal than the cooking part. You can improve the taste and presentation of your meal even before you turn the burner on.
When it comes to cooking chicken, a little more effort in the preparation goes a very long way. Here are a few preparation techniques that you can try:
If you want to try that new baked chicken thigh recipe you learned from Valentina’s Corner, make sure to marinate the chicken the day before. If you can’t, make sure to let the marinade sip through the chicken meat for 3 to 4 hours before you bake it.
If you want to roast the whole chicken, learn how to truss it first. Brining the chicken can significantly improve the texture and taste of the chicken, so it’s something worth learning. On the other hand, if you want to fry the chicken, bread it first.
Once you’re done preparing the chicken, the next step is cooking it. Here are some tricks on how to cook the chicken:
Fried Chicken
The best way to fry chicken is by cooking it in a Dutch oven. Iron skillets are useful, but it’s easy to make a mess with its depth.
Dutch ovens can help you keep the splatter caused by frying minimal. The oven heft can also regulate the temperature of the oil as the chicken pieces dive in and out of the fryer.
Remember to use a candy or deep-fry thermometer to monitor the oil and the chicken’s internal temperature. As the chicken pieces are added to the frying pot, the oil temperature will drop. You have to check the temperature by adjusting the heat while frying continually.
Roasted Chicken
The best way to roast a chicken is by doing it in a roasting pan. If you don’t have a roasting pan, you can use a dark metal pan instead.
Set the oven at 450 degrees and roast the chicken for 20 minutes. After the 20th minute, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking it for 40 more minutes.
Remember to baste the chicken with juices every 10 minutes. This will make it moist and flavorful.
Take the chicken out of the oven only when the chicken’s internal temperature is 165 degrees. To check the temperature accurately, use a meat thermometer.
Let the chicken rest for another 20 minutes before serving.
Indeed, there are various ways to cook chicken, and it’s up to you to choose which among these recipes will you try. To get more exciting and delicious recipes, check out Valentina’s Corner!