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How to Marinate Chicken: The Ultimate Guide

Max FV — Sat, 22 May 2021 14:19:10 +0000

Margination is an important preliminary step when you are getting ready to cook chicken. Frankly, anyone can become an expert on marination once you have done it long enough.

As a rule, basic chicken marinade consists of cooking oil, olive oil, and an acid liquid, such as vinegar, lemon juice wine, and some spices. Marinate chicken for anywhere from 2 to 48 hours, with 6 to 24 hours being the standard. The whole chicken should be marinated for longer than its pieces because marinade penetrates parts more easily.

In this article, we shall see how to marinate chicken using different ways to make it flavorful and unique. The chicken marinade is primarily two types-dry and wet. Chicken marinated both ways make the meat tender, flavor-rich and moist.

What are marinades?

Marinades mix acid, oil, seasonings, and herbs to create juicier, tastier, and tenderer. Oils in the marinade make the meat sustain its moisture during cooking. The outcome is a juicier chicken.

Acids like vinegar or fruit juice, or lemon juice result in denser protein break down and tenderize the meat. Seasonings boost the flavor, and herbs add in aroma with taste.

With homemade marinades, you can skip the additives, preservatives, colorings, and low sodium and sugar with monosaturated fatty oils like olive oil. Apart from all this, marinating chicken minimizes the cooking time.

Two primary types of chicken marinades

The two primary types of chicken marinade are wet or dry. Both are suitable for different cooking types and equally delicious.

How to marinate chicken dry?

Begin with skinless, boneless chicken meat. Add in all your marinade powders and oil. There are many marinade powders you can purchase in your local grocery store or online.

They are often called chicken rubs or dry chicken rubs because you will rub that powder all over the chicken before cooking. They range from garlic or exotic herbal, from chile spicy to gentle laurel leaf rub powders, and from salt to cumin or paprika. You can even make one yourself at home. You can also use chicken seasoning with it or instead of a rub.

Purchase or make a dry mix and rub over your chicken. Coat nicely all over the chicken to make a coat of marinade over it.

Please note that dry rub or seasoning does not tenderize chicken as much as a wet marinade.

Therefore, you can use dry ingredients mixed with oil or butter to make chicken more tender. Or put a layer of rub or seasoning, and then a layer of oil or butter on top of that. The dry ingredients will remain stuck on the chicken as a coat enhancing the flavor of the chicken in the process of marinating the chicken.

Place the chicken in a ziplock bag, place the rubbed-over marinade chicken pieces into it, and refrigerate for 1 to 12 hours depending on your chicken and marinade type.

When you remove it for grilling or cooking, or broiling, you need to pat dry appropriately to get an even crunchy golden-brown crust.

How to marinate chicken wet?

Marinating chicken wet is a more common way. To marinate chicken wet, you must combine all the wet and dry ingredients in a zip log bag and shake well to blend them well.

A wet rub forms a liquid base with spices and herbs. The liquid moisturizes the chicken and makes it juicy and tender. This way, you add more flavor to your chicken.

Now place your chicken pieces in the bag and seal the bag. Now shake them and rub them with the dressing or marinate thoroughly.

Refrigerate them for one hour to 12 hours as per your marinade and chicken type.

When you grill or broil or use the stove for cooking, remove the pieces and place them over the plate or grill. Turn on both sides to cook. Check for the internal temperature to 165 deg F using a meat thermometer and then remove once it is cooked.

The difference between marinating chicken dry or wet is just the choice of dry and wet ingredients. With wet, you moisturize chicken and make it juicy, tender, moist, and soft. With dry, you get a crunchy, golden brown, and flavorful surfaced chicken. Both the marinades make your chicken delicious and lower your cooking times.

Useful tips for marinating chicken

The easiest way to marinate chicken wet is by putting it into salted water for at least 30 minutes. It will help to tenderize chicken meat, but chicken will be slightly salty.

Another easy and common way is to use vinegar or only plain lemon water. You can use any citrus or even wine. The goal is to create an acidic liquid that will tenderize chicken meat before cooking. Below we describe more exciting ways to marinate chicken.

Trick: You can use some wet dressing sauce for a chicken to marinate it too. Note that dressing will give its intense flavor to chicken in the process. Pick one type of dressing that you like to make sure that you will enjoy the taste of your marinated chicken.

The purpose of marination is not to kill bacteria but to tenderize and favorite chicken meat for easier cooking and more enjoyable consumption. Do not eat raw chicken even if you marinated it thoroughly.

How do marinades work?

Marinades are for surface flavors and do not penetrate the chicken. Therefore when you marinade, you should make the most of your marinade with the help of slashes over your chicken.

Make medium surface cuts with a sharp knife. This gives the marinade more area of the surface to penetrate and for the marinade to work deeply. Marinating this way will also enable the chicken to cook faster.

Different marinades work differently and give a unique flavor on the surface. Barbequing, grilling, roasting, and pan-frying will transform this marinade into a golden brown crunchy or smoky crust. It gives a unique texture, flavor, and taste.

Important tips from USDA

When marinating whole poultry (chicken) or chicken parts, immerse the chicken entirely into the marinade.
To make chicken marinate better, use a knife to make cuts in the meat, and use a fork or knife to make holes to allow the marinade to penetrate the chicken.
Marinate chicken in the fridge. DO not marinate for longer than two days.
Use food-grade plastic bags to marinate chicken – this will make cleaning easier. Discard the bags after marinating.
You can also use stainless steel or food glass, or plastic containers.
DO NOT re-use marinade that you used on raw poultry unless you boil it to destroy bacteria. DO NOT use a left-over marinade.

1. Chicken – how long to marinate?

Generally, you can marinate chicken for anywhere from 10 minutes to 24-48 hours. Longer than 24-48 hours is not recommended. An overextended marination period may break down chicken meat and ruin the structure, taste, and flavor. The chicken will become too mushy.

You all know that marinading is done before cooking. Chicken is marinated to increase its flavor and for tenderizing the meat. How long the chicken should be marinated depends on which part of the chicken you are marinating. If you are marinating whole chicken then, the marination time can go for about 12-48 hours.

If you are doing chicken pieces marination in a rush, then as short as 2-5 hours can work.

On average, chefs usually marinate chicken for 6 to 24 hours. You should keep marinated chicken in the fridge if you expect to marinate it for longer than 1-2 hours.

Chicken meat is a light protein that is thin and has a less dense structure than pork or beef. Therefore, it might not take such a long time to marinate chicken to penetrate every meat section. Another aspect of marinating time is the marinate type and chicken type as well.

As per USDA, you can marinate a chicken in the fridge for as long as 2 days. It is borderline and not a number to determine flavor. Leaving chicken in acids for long can make the chicken tougher and denser or, on the opposite, make it too mushy.

When the chicken marinates in an enzyme-based marinade such as papaya, ginger, and pineapple, the enzymes break the protein down, turning it too soft to make it mushy.

Let’s take a look at how long a chicken should be marinated based on its cut:

Whole Chicken-Maximum 12 Hours, Minimum 4 Hours
Boneless, Skinless Breasts-Maximum 2 Hours and Minimum 30 Minutes
Bone-in, Skin-on Breasts-Maximum 4 Hours and Minimum 1 Hour
Bone-in Skinless Thighs-Maximum 4 Hours and Minimum 1 Hour
Skin-on Wings-Maximum 6 Hours and Minimum 2 Hours
Skin-on Legs-Maximum 6 Hours and Minimum 2 Hours

Source

2. BBQ chicken – how to marinate

Marinating a barbeque chicken makes a delicious, juicy grilled chicken. It will enhance the flavors of the marinate deep within the chicken while giving a smoky, crunchy flavor outside.

Ingredients

Ketchup- 2/3 cup
Light brown sugar- 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce- 1 tbsp
Apple cider vinegar- 1 tbsp
Grated garlic- 1 clove
Paprika- 1 tsp
Ground cumin- 1 tbsp
Black pepper-Freshly ground
Kosher salt

Directions for marination

Combine Worcestershire, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, paprika, salt, garlic, and pepper in a plastic bag.
Use a resealable bag.
Place four chicken breasts- boneless and skinless types, or place 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
Seal the plastic bag after squeezing the air out. Seal tight.
Massage the marinade gently over the chicken to coat the chicken all over.
Now place the bag in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
BBQ the marinated chicken.
Freeze for a month at maximum if you do not want to use it right away as a part of your meal prep.

How to cook frozen marinated chicken

Defrost the frozen marinated chicken overnight in the refrigerator and then cook. You can cook by removing the chicken from the bag and grilling it over indirect heat or by boiling on the stove or baking it in the oven.

Cover it until cooked inside out. Lightly char it and remove it when the core temperature reaches 165 deg F.

3. Chicken marinated in Italian dressing

The typical Italian dressing marinating also benefits as a salad dressing. It makes the marinating process effortless by creating a two-in-one sauce.

Italian dressing gives a unique Italian flavor to the marinated chicken. It prevents the meat from becoming chewy and dry and makes the chicken juicy, tender, and acts as a preservative. This way, you also minimize your cooking time.

Ingredients

For Italian dressing

White wine vinegar- 1 to 4 tbsp, depending on how you like it
Garlic- 2 cloves
Extra virgin olive oil- 2 tbsp
Dijon mustard- 1 tbsp
Sugar -1 1/2 tsp
Salt -1 tsp
Black pepper

For marinating

Italian dressing
Additional Olive oil- 1/2 tbsp
Mixed Italian herbs dried such as thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, and rosemary- 2 1/2 tsp
Dried red chili flakes- 1 tsp
Chicken thighs or breast or boneless skinless-1.5lb or 750 g

Directions for marinating

Place all the ingredients for dressing in a jar and mix well. Add for marination place ingredients in a sealable bag.

Pour at least 5 tbsps of dressing in it and mix well. Now add in chicken pieces and coat well. Set them aside for at least 20 minutes to 3 hours, up to 24 hours maximum.

To cook

You can either barbeque grill or cook on the stove without any oil. Brush some oil on the grill on a stovetop, or you can skip. Cook thoroughly on both sides until the meat gets light brown, and inside the meat, the temperature reaches at least 160 degrees F.

4. Chicken marinated in buttermilk

Marinating chicken in buttermilk, preferably full-fat buttermilk, makes the chicken soft. It enhances its flavor and tenderizes it.

The buttermilk is acidic, and which breaks down the chicken meat protein structure. This makes the chicken less chewy post 24 hours of marination. Chicken retains more moisture this way.

Ingredients

Buttermilk- 1 1/2 cups
Garlic powder-1 tbsp
Dried Italian Seasonings-1 tbsp (of your choosing)
Ground red pepper-1 tbsp
Coarse salt- 2 tbsps (often people, including me, incorrectly call it “kosher” salt.)
Bone-in chicken- 3lbs.

Directions for marination

Take a small bowl, whisk garlic powder, red pepper, salt, seasonings in buttermilk, and blend well. Pour this buttermilk mixture into a plastic sealable bag. You can also pour it into a large baking dish and dip the chicken in it.

Coat the chicken well by tossing around. Refrigerate it for about 2 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken periodically. Eliminate the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling.

Cooking

Heat grill to a flame on medium or low. Put the chicken on the grill after discarding the marinade.

Cover and cook the chicken by turning it over occasionally. Cook until it is cooked through and golden brown or reaches at least 165F degrees. It will take around 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

5. Chicken marinated in pickle juice

When chicken is marinated in pickle juice, it can enhance the texture and flavor in a big way. Note that the low-fat content can dry out quickly if you overcook it after marinating this way.

But chicken in pickle juice marinates in a shorter time, sometimes as little as one to two hours. The chicken will be succulent, tender, and super juicy.

The flavor is fantastic, and when the pickle juice is mixed with coconut flour and spices mixture to sear it to perfection, you make it tasty, moist, and juicy.

Ingredients

Boneless and skinless chicken thighs- 8
Dill pickle juice-1/2 cup
Egg- 1
Coconut milk- 1 tbsp
Coconut flour- 3 tbsps
Garlic powder- 1 tsp
Onion powder-1tsp
Paprika -2 tsp
Pepper -3/4 tsp
Salt-3/4 tsp
Ghee or substitute- 2 tbsp

Directions

Place chicken thighs in a ziplock bag and pour the dill pickle juice over this chicken.
Shake the bag after sealing it tightly.
Refrigerate it for around one to two hours. Do not leave it overnight.
Whisk coconut milk and egg in a small bowl.
Open the bag and pour the contents of pickle juice.
Now add in the coconut milk and egg mixture and coat the chicken.
Let chicken stand so that its outer layers soak in this liquid.
In another bowl, blend in garlic powder, paprika, coconut flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
Open the bag, and the egg mixture should be poured out.
Now add in the dry ingredients.
Close the bag and rub the chicken with this dry mixture to make a nice, good coat over your chicken.

Cooking

Add in some olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom, and then fry the marinated chicken thighs.

Cook for at least around 4 minutes on each side. Cook until each side is golden brown. Simmer the heat—Cook for 8 to 12 minutes with periodic flipping of your chicken over the skillet.

Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer to 165 deg F. This is when the chicken is cooked.

Some other popular chicken marinades are:

Mediterranean marinade where the ingredients included are olive oil, lemon zest/juice, garlic, oregano, dried red chili, and pepper.
Tandoori marinade where the ingredients included are yogurts, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili, and garam masala.
Jerk marinade where the ingredients included are garlic, ginger, chili, thyme, soy sauce, brown sugar, and allspice.
Teriyaki marinade wherein the ingredients included are honey or sugar, soy sauce, and mirin or substitute if you cannot find one. You can skip mirin if you do not like alcohol.
Barbecue marinade wherein the ingredients included are garlic, wine vinegar, brown sugar, and paprika.

But you can marinate chicken in many other exciting ways. You can buy ready-to-use marinating liquid in a grocery store. You can use orange, apple, tomato, vegetable, pineapple, or pomegranate juice, for example.

The exciting part of cooking is that you can experiment in many ways.

Conclusion

Marinating is more straightforward than many people think, and now you can marinate chicken in at least several ways. The purpose of marinating is to make the chicken flavorful. Now we have shown you how to marinate chicken; you can marinate chicken dry and wet.

We suggest wet marination of meat. Wet marination tenderizes the chicken and enhances its flavor a great deal. The taste depends on how you make, how you cook, what type of chicken you are using, part or whole, what kind of marinade you are using, and so on.

Whatever the case may be, a marinade softens, make your chicken juicy, tender, moist, and flavor-rich. Happy marinating!

USDA and other sources:

The post How to Marinate Chicken: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

How to Properly Reheat Cooked Chicken

Max FV — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 19:01:17 +0000

Have you ever asked yourself or anyone else the question, “can I reheat already cooked chicken?’ If you have, this article is the right one for you as we will explain all the essential details that you have to know. Yes, you can reheat already cooked chicken in multiple ways, including microwave, oven, stovetop, and more. This article lays out a comprehensive overview of how to reheat cooked chicken using different methods.

Starting from whether it is okay to reheat the cooked chicken or not to, we have discussed every detail below. We will also discuss specific instructions for the different ways you can use to reheating cooked chicken, such as using the oven, on the stove using a pan or skillet, or even in the microwave and air fryer.

Cooked chicken can be an unbelievably delicious meal, but sometimes you cook a lot and may not consume it all at once. Hence, it results in having leftovers. Many people also like to cook a day or two ahead because we are busy.

Are you reheating the cooked chicken twice?

When it comes to reheating the cooked chicken, the most crucial question that comes to mind is – can chicken be reheated twice? While it is possible to reheat the chicken twice or more than once, but it is always better to reheat the cooked chicken just once before you eat it.

It is highly recommended not to reheat the cooked chicken more than once because it can be harmful for several reasons. For example, reheating more than once may cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. The solution to this may be grandma’s method to recook the chicken to the internal heat of 165 F degrees. But even using re-boiling or re-coking otherwise you cannot eliminate the possibility of harmful bacterial growth.

Also, reheating more than once can easily make the chicken quite dry. Therefore, it is recommended as well as safe to reheat the chicken only once before you eat.

Cooking the chicken to reheat later: tips and tricks

All you must do is reheat the already cooked chicken and serve. But you must know how to cook the chicken so that you can reheat later.

First, do not initially overcook chicken if you plan on reheating it. Remove it to cool down as soon as it is cooked. On the other hand, do not undercook it either.

For example, microwaving may not kill bacteria in undercooked chicken and may also dry chicken meat further as microwaving may affect moisture.

Overall, if you cook chicken specifically to reheat later, then make sure to cook chicken thoroughly!

The best way to cook your chicken to reheat it later is to cook it over the stove or in the slow cooker instead of broiling it. If you are using the stovetop, make sure to make a pan sauce (it can be pretty basic) and serve it all over the chicken. This method can add flavor and extra moisture to the chicken.

So, when you reheat the chicken later, it will not make it dry as the chicken will keep absorbing moisture from the sauce while it reheats.

Also, you may use the marinade before you cook the chicken, as that helps to keep the chicken moist, tender, and flavorful. The marinade will also make a chicken last longer in the fridge.

Chicken breast usually comes out somewhat dry already after initial cooking. I prefer to reheat chicken thighs, for example. Because they have juicy meat, which is fine after reheating, but it is okay to reheat any cooked chicken body part.

Overall, make sure that you store your chicken right before reheating. Here is another blog article for how to safely store your cooked chicken.

Overall, cooking chicken to reheat later is best when you initially use plenty of moisture after cutting a raw chicken into smaller pieces. Smaller pieces absorb water better. It means boiling in the pot, steaming in the steamer, or cooking with gravy or sauce or chicken broth.

How do you reheat chicken without drying it?

Reheating the chicken can often make it dry and chewy if it is not reheated correctly. So, how can you reheat the chicken without drying it? Most of the time, the process of reheating can take away the moisture from the chicken.

Thus, the chicken is left dried and chewy after reheating. To avoid that, you must keep in mind that you need to add moisture to the chicken when reheating it. Here are some essential tips for reheating the chicken in different ways without drying it.

In general, to properly reheat the cooked chicken to avoid it drying out, you can gently reheat it with moisture, including some water or chicken broth. To make sure chicken has some liquid to absorb while you cook it. You can either sprinkle that moisture on top of the chicken or/and add that moisture to the bowl, tray, or pan, on which you place chicken for reheating. The liquid can be anything from water to chicken broth.

Generally, a slow cooker works well to reheat chicken without drying it because chicken slowly warmed up absorbs enough liquid to stay moist or even absorb moisture, even when you reheat that chicken later after you cook it.

Just pour in the proper amount of chicken broth instead of regular water, and the slow cooker will do the job to gently and slowly warm up your chicken while pushing all that chicken broth moist and flavor into it.

The only downside of a slow cooker is that it is, well, slow to cook. That is why microwave is used more often.

How to reheat a whole chicken?

Chicken, generally, is a typical dish that is prepared in almost every household. Cooking and serving a whole chicken can be quite a delicious meal. But the main question here is – how to reheat the entire chicken? Well, there are specific ways by which you can do that. Generally, some of the practical and most common methods of reheating the whole chicken are:

In an oven
Microwave oven (large size)
On a stovetop
In the air fryer
In the slow cooker

Most of the ovens can reheat the whole chicken as they have enough space inside to reheat the entire chicken. Otherwise, you can also opt for a microwave oven, but you must make sure that the oven is large enough to accommodate the whole chicken into it.

The third way is to reheat the whole chicken on the stove. Here, you can use a large pot or a pan to heat the chicken correctly. Another option that you will have to reheat the whole chicken is in your air fryer.

But all air fryer baskets do not have the same capacity or space to reheat the chicken. Still, you can place the whole chicken into the basket and then reheat it in the air fryer efficiently. Most of the air fryer comes with the reheating option.

What is the best way to reheat cooked chicken?

Before you get into the details about how to reheat cooked chicken, you must know the best ways to reheat it. We have already mentioned several most common ways of reheating the cooked chicken, including oven, microwave, stovetop, or air fryer, or slow cooker like a crockpot.

Generally, the best ways to reheat the whole chicken are using an oven and microwave.

Benefits of reheating in the oven:

First and foremost, a perk of reheating the cooked whole chicken using this method is that the oven will thoroughly cook it.
The entire chicken can fit into the oven perfectly.
It is a hassle-free way to reheat the whole chicken and serve it to the family or guests.

Benefits of reheating in a microwave:

Reheating the whole chicken in a microwave is a relatively faster process.
It is simpler to reheat chicken in a microwave than in the oven.

How to reheat chicken in the oven?

So, can you reheat the cooked chicken in the oven? Of course, you can reheat chicken in the oven. Generally, reheating chicken in the range is one the best ways. Many cooking experts and professionals specifically recommend reheating the cooked chicken in the oven.

Though reheating in an oven can take a lot of time and prep time, it is entirely worth it if you are not in a hurry and need to reheat lots of chicken meat for your party, for example.

Here are the pros and cons of using an oven to reheat:

Pros:

The oven reheats the chicken more wholly and thoroughly.
Easier to reheat the whole chicken as the space available in the oven is larger.
Do not dry the chicken too much if reheating tips are followed.

Cons:

It takes a longer time than other ways.
A little more hustle as needs more preparation and things to take care of.

How long does it take to reheat the chicken in oven?

As mentioned above, reheating the chicken in the oven takes a little bit more time than when using other appliances or methods. At 250 F to 425 F degrees, it will take about 10 to 25 minutes to reheat the whole chicken entirely and evenly in the oven. To be completely sure you can use instant read thermometer to check if meat inside has reached 165 F degrees.

Instructions for reheating chicken in the oven:

Follow these steps to know about how to reheat cooked chicken in your oven:

First, you must preheat the oven to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take an oven-safe dish, pour some chicken broth in the bottom of the plate, and grease a bit of olive oil and broth over the chicken to add moisture.
Now, put the tray along with the whole chicken into the oven and let it stay there for 20 to 25 minutes.
You can bring it out and check the middle part of the meat’s temperature with the thermometer. If it is 165-degree Fahrenheit, then it is wholly done and recooked. If less than 165 F, then the chicken is reheated now.

You can remove the chicken from the oven earlier, but you will have just warmed up the chicken to a certain degree.

When reheating in the oven:

You must first preheat the oven to 350-degree Fahrenheit.
Add a layer of extra moisture by providing a layer of oil or sauce over the chicken.

Now reheat the chicken as this layer will protect it from getting dry.

Reheating chicken in microwave

Another prevalent method that you can choose for reheating the chicken is microwaving it. Please note that reheating the chicken in a microwave oven is sometimes not recommended by the experts.

According to the FDA’s guidelines and recommendations, it is vital to heat the chicken to 165-degree Fahrenheit before consuming it. The microwave can’t reheat the chicken to 165-degree Fahrenheit.

But sometimes, if you are in a hurry and do not have much time to reheat the chicken, you can choose a microwave for it. Also, the microwave can only work if the cooked chicken was already thoroughly cooked in the first place and is visibly and suitable for consumption.

Some of the pros and cons of using a microwave for reheating the cooked chicken are:

Pros:

The process of reheating is quite fast.
Completely hassle-free process

Cons:

Does not reheat as thoroughly as the oven.

You may have to cut the chicken into pieces before you put it into the microwave for reheating. Otherwise, it will not be able to reheat the whole chicken entirely in the microwave like that of the oven.

The microwave ovens come in different sizes and capacities. If you have one that can accommodate the whole chicken, it can be an excellent way to reheat the chicken. If not, then you can cut the chicken into pieces to fit in the microwave.

A microwave with a spinning plate reheats chicken more evenly than a model that does not spin the plate. To make sure that all pieces are reheated evenly, you can cut them in as many as possible and gather them to the center of the plate, where microwaves heat the best. Make a little even mountain made of chicken there on the plate.

When reheating chicken in a microwave:

When reheating in the microwave, you must choose a microwave-safe plate first and then prep it in the right way.
To add some moisture, you must sprinkle a little bit of water or chicken broth on the chicken’s top.
Drizzle some olive oil too over the chicken, which will keep the moisture intact and add extra flavor to it!

If you reheat large parts of a chicken, you can put that chicken in the microwavable bowl with some chicken broth in it (in addition to sprinkling chicken broth on the chicken itself). Put the bowl in the microwave and start reheating. Some broth will evaporate and get absorbed by the chicken.

Do not overload the microwave with liquid, though, as it is not suitable for this appliance.

How long should you reheat chicken in the microwave?

You can reheat the chicken for about 5 minutes in the microwave. For large pieces or whole chicken, you should reheat for at least 5 minutes to ensure the chicken is heated correctly. You can use the meat thermometer to check the meat’s temperature, but that is not too helpful when using a microwave. But do not reheat for too long as this can make the chicken dry.

How to reheat chicken on the stove top?

If you do not have an oven but want to reheat chicken more thoroughly than in the microwave, then you can try reheating the cooked chicken on the stove. Generally, you can reheat the cooked chicken on the stove much more quickly than that in the oven.

It is also readily available at most houses, so you should not issue reheating the chicken on the stove. All you need is the right utensil for reheating it. You can use the frying pan or skillet or even pot with boiling water to reheat the chicken.

Using the skillet is the best way to reheat the cooked chicken on the stove. Follow these steps:

Take a skillet and make sure to add enough water for covering the bottom completely.
Now, set the pan over medium heat and then add the whole chicken when the water starts to simmer.
Turn the heat to low and keep the chicken on it with the lid on

Check whether it has warmed up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or made chicken inside warmed up enough for consumption.

How to reheat chicken in pan?

Grease the pan properly with butter or oil to add moisture.
Also, grease some oil over the chicken.
Place the chicken in the pan and then use low heat and watch it closely.
Turn over the chicken after a specific time to let the other side get the heat.

When using a frying pan, oil is probably the best ingredient to use because any liquid will evaporate, and you will burn the chicken instead of just reheating it.

Can you reheat chicken in boiling water?

Though this is not a conventional method of reheating chicken, you can use boiling water to do it. For this, you will need a skillet or a pan or pot large enough for the whole chicken. If you want to know how to reheat cooked chicken in boiling water, here is the answer.

How to reheat chicken in boiling water?

Select the pan, pot, or skillet large enough to fit the whole chicken.
Pour sufficient water or chicken broth on the skillet or pan to cover the entire bottom.
Now set the water over medium heat and let the water boil.
As soon as the water starts to boil, add the cooked chicken into the water.
Cover the chicken with the lid (if possible) and let it reheat to your liking or until it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now you have perfectly reheated or recooked chicken. Boiling also helps to avoid over drying the reheated chicken.

FAQ

Q1: How long after cooking chicken can you reheat it?

Answer: According to FDA guidelines, you can safely reheat the chicken 2-3 days after cooking if you stored it properly in the refrigerator.

Here is our article on storing chicken in the refrigerator and for how long it is good there.

Generally, you can store thoroughly cooked chicken in a tightly closed, good quality fridge longer than 2-3 days. I have had chicken stay suitable for consumption 4-5 days after I cooked it. It depends on the refrigerator and even on the outside temperature. Indeed, it also depends on how you cooked the chicken, and whether chicken meat was good before you cooked it, and so on.

Q2: Can you reheat cooked chicken that's been in the fridge?

Answer: Overall, you can safely reheat the chicken that has been in the fridge if you stored it correctly and within the time required by FDA guidelines. Some cooks recommend taking the chicken out and let it stay at room temperature for an hour or so before you can reheat it. We usually reheat chicken straight out of the fridge.

Q3: Can you reheat chicken after 2 days in the fridge?

Answer: Generally, you can safely reheat the chicken after 2 days in the fridge if it is visibly excellent and healthy for consumption. FDA highly recommends consuming the leftover refrigerated chicken within 3 to 4 days of cooking.

Q4: How long can you keep cooked chicken in the fridge before reheating?

Answer: You can keep the cooked chicken for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge before reheating it. After that, the chicken either starts to lose its flavor or going bad. On the other hand, we reheated and consumed chicken which stayed 4-5 days in the fridge on many occasions.

The post How to Properly Reheat Cooked Chicken appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

7 Healthy Ways to Season Chicken Breast

Max FV — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 12:12:49 +0000

How to season chicken breast healthy?

Eating good and tasty chicken breast can create a good mood! People from all parts of the world cook chicken breasts in different ways. But the seasoning is an essential and integral part of any chicken breast recipe. The healthy ways to season chicken breast include many ingredients, from lemon to rosemary.

Seasoning chicken breast the right way can create deep flavors which enhance the overall taste. At the same time, modern cooks are increasingly becoming more health-conscious and for good reasons. Therefore, in this article, we discuss several healthy ways to season chicken breast.

Seasoning the chicken breasts with the right ingredients can create a perfect balance of all the flavors. Otherwise, it will taste just bland. While seasoning is essential, you need to keep in mind that health is also necessary.

With more people opting for a healthy lifestyle these days, this topic has become more critical. Hence, you must know about the best ways to season chicken breast the healthy way. Read on to learn more about these healthy seasoning mixes.

What is a healthy seasoning for chicken breast?

A healthy seasoning for chicken breast means including seasonings that are not harmful but rather beneficial for health reasons. At the same time, such seasoning must be suitable for everyday cooking use.

Here we describe several combinations of healthy seasoning for chicken breast, which will enhance and elevate cooked chicken breast while also benefiting your body and mind. Read on.

Though you can use chicken breasts in different recipes, the healthiest one is when you bake, boil, steam, or in rare cases, stir-fried. In all cases, the chicken breast’s seasoning using the beneficial methods will matter, and you must choose the healthiest seasoning options for this.

If you wonder how you can season chicken breasts in the healthiest way possible, let’s go. These are some of the ingredients that you can use for healthy seasoning of chicken breast:

Salt, sea salt (but not too much)
Black pepper (grounded)
Paprika
Lemon
Cayenne pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Orange Peel
Ginger
Thyme
Basil
Rosemary

You can make different seasoning mixes from these ingredients to create a perfect seasoning for your chicken recipe. Above are just a few healthy seasoning options, and you can create some fantastic combinations based on your tastes and preferences.

Ways to create healthy seasoning for chicken breast

Healthy seasoning means something that can increase the chicken breast’s flavor while adding valuable benefits to the recipes. All the ingredients mentioned above and below in this article are great for healthy seasoning. Proper seasoning combined with appropriate ways of cooking can promote better health and lifestyle.

Please note that any herb or seasoning in large quantities is not healthy! Everything is good in moderation.

Here is a table of approximate amounts of seasoning you will need to season chicken breast.

Of course, you can experiment and vary the quantities to your liking.

Seasoning	Amount for Chicken Breast	Alleged Health Benefits Effect*
Sea salt	½ to 1 teaspoon per pound	Alkalizing digestive system; Table salt alternative
Black pepper	¼ to 1 teaspoon per pound	Immunity, sore throat
Lemon	1-3 tablespoon of squeezed lemon juice	Immunity, digestive, antibacterial
Thyme	1 tablespoon per breast	Cough, sore throat and more
Orange Peel (peel or zest)	½ teaspoon to 2 tablespoons	Vitamins, contain powerful polyphenols
Basil	½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoons	Digestive, circulatory, clears lungs
Paprika	¼ teaspoon to 2 tablespoons	Antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, eye health, blood sugar stabilization
Rosemary	1 teaspoon to 3 tablespoons (about ½ tablespoon per pound)	helping the immune system, improving circulation, antiviral, improving memory and focus, Anti-inflammatory
Garlic**	¼ teaspoon to 2 tablespoons (up to 3 cloves)	Lowers blood pressure, anti-bacterial, clears respiratory system,
Onion (powder)	¼ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon	Lowers blood pressure, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, clears respiratory system,
Oregano	¼ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon	Anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol, gut health
Ginger	¼ teaspoon to 2 teaspoons	anti-inflammatory, weight loss, respiratory organ cleansing
Cayenne pepper	¼ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per pound	Against cold and congestion, boosts metabolism

* None of these alleged benefits were independently verified for us by any medical professional. However, they are based on the research posted in the sources found on the internet.

** Allegedly, garlic contains sugars, and some recommend not to indulge too heavily in garlic.

Way #1: How to season chicken breast healthy with Sea Salt, Pepper & Lemon?

This is one of the most used seasonings mixes that you can use for chicken breasts. It adds the right amount of savory flavor with a tinge of lemon zest in the chicken breast. This is especially good when used for chicken salad and roasting. If you want to add minimal flavor to the chicken breast, this is the ideal combination of seasoning.

I usually opt for nutritional sea salt instead of regular salt. Sea salt seasoning for chicken breast adds a more tender flavor than ordinary table salt. Plus, sea salt is generally better for your health as it is evolutionary, something that is better for gentle alkaline vs. acid balancing in our digestive system.

Black pepper seasoning for chicken breast is better grounded as it will cover chicken breast more thoroughly. It is nice to add pepper seasoning while the chicken breast is still cooking. For example, add it to boiling water or spray it over the breast before baking.

If I steam it, I add pepper to the heated water below the steamed breast or season breast just after you finish cooking it.

A quick note about lemon as seasoning: there are different types of lemons. The common are Eureka and Meyer lemons. Eureka is the one you are more likely to get at the store, and it has a kind of solid sour flavor.

If you want something gentler, you can search-h for Meyer lemon. It will give a more gentle lemon flavor when seasoning chicken breast. Combine it with sea salt, and you have healthy and exquisite seasoning for chicken breast.

Way #2: Black pepper, Rosemary & Lemon

Do you want more flavors? Then this can also be an even more healthy and delicious seasoning mix for your chicken breast. Whether you want to roast, bake, or make steak out of the chicken breast, this seasoning mix is an excellent choice among different ways to season chicken breast healthy.

It adds the right amount of sourness as well as spiciness to your chicken breast recipe. As we all know, Rosemary is an aromatic herb that can add a bit of peppery and minty taste. This can leave a woody aftertaste, too, which is great for the taste buds.

By completely removing salt from the equation, you automatically make the chicken breast seasoning more healthy. Salt has sodium, after all.

Way #3: Thyme, Black pepper & Orange peel

Thyme has a very sharp and minty flavor with some hints of earthy and floral. It is sweet and peppery. When mixed with a bit of black pepper and orange peel, it can create an incredibly unique and delicious flavor. Thyme goes great with orange, and you can try out this healthy chicken breast seasoning mix next time.

A tinge of orange flavor along with the thyme and black pepper can create a healthy yet delicious seasoning mix for the chicken breasts. This seasoning is perfect when you are cooking the chicken breast in garlic sauce. It establishes a finger-licking flavor.

Orange peel can come in the form of orange zest or grated orange peel.

Way #4: Black pepper, Garlic, Sea Salt & Basil

This is a Holy Grail combination for your chicken breast seasoning. This seasoning not only tastes fantastic, but it is also beneficial for health due to the inherent properties of pepper, garlic, and basil.

Basil has a perfect balance of sweet and savory with a hint of pepper and mint. Hence, it goes great with garlic. When these two are mixed with salt and pepper for seasoning the chicken breast, it can offer you an unbelievably delicious dish. It can be the ultimate seasoning for chicken breast roasting and baking recipes.

I will not indulge in the beneficial property of basil, but it has vitamins and is suitable for digestive and circulatory systems and clearing lungs.

There are different types of basil for your chicken breast. There is cooking holy basil that is hard to get and has profound properties, Thai basil, and sweet basil, and mint basil, which are more common. Try all of them and see which of them works for you.

Way #5: Paprika & Rosemary

Want to know how to season chicken breast healthy but tenderly sharply without making it spicy? If you want to create a healthy and distinctively Mediterranean flavor for your chicken breast recipe, then paprika and rosemary are the ideal ingredients for seasoning.

You can add a bit of pepper into this seasoning mix to enhance the dish’s overall flavor. This is a healthy seasoning mix that can go quite well with the grilled chicken breasts, roasted chicken breasts, and more.

Paprika has different types. It can be hot and mild. The mild paprika will add a particular bright flavor to the food you are cooking, and it is sweeter and pepperish than spicy. Types of paprika you can use for healthy ways to season chicken breast include smokey paprika, sweet paprika, half-sharp paprika, and more. Using very spicy seasoning is not exactly the healthiest way to season chicken breast.

Rosemary adds a grounded taste to chicken and, in a way, counterbalances the sharp flavor of paprika. That is why you can use them together for an exciting flavor bomb. You can use either fresh or dried rosemary. Rosemary has a ton of properties beneficial to health, from helping the immune system to improving circulation. Allegedly, it also helps with being focused and alert and has some antiviral properties.

Some people complain that rosemary can inhibit the chicken flavor, but I think that depends on the amount of rosemary seasoning you put on chicken breast. Many others love this combination.

By the way, you can grill chicken breast on rosemary wood and get rosemary chicken flavor.

Way #6: Cayenne pepper, Onion powder & Lemon

One of the best healthy ways to the seasoning of chicken breast is cayenne pepper, lemon, and onion powder. This combination can create a fantastic taste for your roasted or grilled chicken breast. It can offer a perfect balance of flavors. You can add sea salt (according to your taste) into this mix if you want to enhance the flavor.

Cayenne pepper is often among favorite seasoning choices. Even sportspeople and bodybuilders on a special diet sometimes throw it on their chicken breast when they bake or grill it. So, you can safely sprinkle a little bit of cayenne pepper and still feel that you are sticking to your health regimen.

Onion powder is also another favorite. Onions themselves are pretty helpful. For example, onions may lower blood pressure just a little bit, plus they offer other valuable benefits to us. I am not sure if onion powder has the same effect, but it is a pretty popular choice because it is easier to handle powder than whole onions. Overall, ½ teaspoon of onion powder will make an excellent and healthy seasoning for cooking chicken breast for your next dinner.

We did talk about lemon earlier, so I will not indulge here. Lemon as seasoning goes well with black or cayenne pepper. Just the way it works. It is good with onions too. Lemon is a great and healthy seasoning for chicken breast, which goes well with most other seasoning types.

Way #7: Dried Oregano and Ginger

While this is a slightly unusual seasoning combination, it is something of exotic nature. Dried oregano by itself can go with many other chicken breast seasonings mentioned above. As one forum mentions – Oregano as seasoning elevates chicken breast. Quite many cooks consider that dried oregano is better seasoning than fresh herbs.

Allegedly, oregano has anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. Therefore, one may logically assume that enough dried oregano seasoning mixed with chicken breast is not only healthy but probably helpful in reducing the speed of bacteria development. Please do not quote me here because I am only guessing. Sprinkle about ½ to 1-2 teaspoons of dried oregano over chicken breast before or during cooking.

You can add ginger to oregano in several different ways. One of my tricks is that I take a little bit of marinated ginger and press liquid out of it, and then sprinkle chicken breast with it like a lemon. Somehow, it adds a strange, exciting flavor to it. I never tried to combine it with lemon. Did you?

But otherwise, you can use dried ginger for seasoning chicken breast. Ginger has numerous beneficial properties, from anti-inflammatory to weight loss to simple respiratory system cleansing. Plus, it is excellent if you got sick and have a nose stuffed or other symptoms.

What is the healthiest seasoning for chicken breast?

As per our taste, we think that lemon and garlic or onions are probably the healthiest seasonings for chicken breast. It is also the most common healthy way to season chicken breast. But adding other ingredients like rosemary or oregano and other ones that we listed in this article is still quite suitable in this context.

All the ways mentioned above to season the chicken breast is supposed to be healthy. Choosing the healthiest options does not mean that you must compromise with the taste or flavor. The healthy ways mentioned above for seasoning the chicken breast can provide you with the best taste and flavors.

You can try out these healthy mixes for seasoning your chicken breasts. You will choose the right one based on your preferences and what your taste buds are craving. Choose organic and fresh ingredients to ensure that they are the freshest ones.

As you may already know, salt, pepper, herbs, lemon, and many more ingredients mentioned above are pretty healthy. They taste amazing and can enhance the overall flavor and taste of your chicken breast recipe.

Each of these ingredients comes with a distinctive taste and flavor, which can add to the recipe’s result. So, you can choose one of the above ways to season chicken breast healthy style and make your recipe.

The post 7 Healthy Ways to Season Chicken Breast appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

How Long is Cooked Chicken Good in the Fridge? A Guide.

Max FV — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 11:36:20 +0000

How long is cooked chicken good for in the fridge According to USDA?

The government provides its guidance on how long is cooked chicken good for in the fridge. The official government USDA’s web-site states, that cooked chicken can stay good in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days if kept at a temperature less than 40°F degrees. According to USDA and based on scientific research, refrigeration slows down bacteria growth but does not stop it. And it is bacteria growth that makes food start going bad.

Essentially, if your fridge settings are remarkably close to freezing temperature, then cooked chicken meat will stay good for a longer time than if the temperature setting is warmer. Or, if your refrigerator is old or had some defect, which does not allow it to trap cooled air properly, then chicken meat can go bad sooner.

Surprisingly, sometimes cooked chicken meat can stay good in the fridge for even longer – 5 or even 6 days. If you have a good fridge and if meat was cooked very well.

Why and how cooked chicken goes bad in the fridge?

Again, according to the USDA website, there are two types of bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria cause foodborne illness. And spoilage bacteria cause food to spoil and cause unpleasant odor and taste.

Pathogenic bacteria are the most dangerous. It can grow rapidly in what is called a “danger zone.” The danger zone is a temperature range between 40°F and 140°F degrees. Because of that, USDA recommends keeping food out of danger zone: below 40°F in the fridge, and above 140°F for hot food.

The worst part is that by itself pathogenic bacteria may not change the odor or taste of chicken meat in the fridge. Thus, we cannot even know that that type of bacteria is present and grows in that meat.

Spoilage bacteria, on the other hand, most of the time cannot cause a foodborne illness or even upset stomach. This means, that humans could eat spoiled meat and would not get sick from it. Yet practically all people decline to eat spoiled smelly food for obvious reasons.

Yet, some pathogenic bacteria could grow even in a cold refrigerator. But the good thing is that usually, both types of bacteria grow in the meat together. Therefore, if you feel the odor from the chicken meat, or see suspicious changes in structure or color, then it means both that:

Spoilage bacteria has grown much, and
Most likely pathogenic bacteria have simultaneously developed in the meat, even though we do not see it.

We should be very thankful for spoilage bacteria to act as an indicator of spoiled food danger for us!

Make cooked chicken stay good in the fridge longer

There are few tricks you can do to make a cooked chicken last longer in the refrigerator. Small things matter.

Cook chicken well on properly hot heat (165°F internal temperature for meat, according to USDA) to kill a maximum of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria.
Refrigerate cooked chicken for a maximum of 2 hours after cooking. On a hot summer day or in the hot kitchen refrigerate it after less than 1 hour.
Make sure cooked chicken does not touch any other food, raw or cooked. Or any unclean surface.
Therefore, I do not recommend it mixing in a salad or with pasta, like some suggest. Keep it separately from everything.
Try cutting it into smaller pieces for more effective cooling and refrigerating.
Clean very well dish or other surfaces on which you put the chicken right after cooking, or in which you will put the chicken in the fridge. This could be a cutting board, tray, or dish.
This way you remove maximum bacteria which could later transfer to chicken and grow in it, essentially.
Before refrigerating, cover the chicken well in plastic wrap or put it in a tightly closed zip log bag or airtight container. Lack of air may slow down bacteria growth. As most bacteria need oxygen. Put pieces into zip-log tight bags, or smaller shallow plastic containers with tight lids to prevent air from coming inside.
Wash well all utensils which you use to handle cooked chicken. This includes washing the knife with which you are about to cut cooked chicken.
Wash hands well after you handle raw chicken and before you touch the cooked chicken. Use plain soap and water to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

Just in case, I looked up what other authors recommend. On one of the forums, a person who is an engineer recommends cooking chicken is properly sealed a plastic bag designed for cooking (you can find such online).

After the chicken inside it is cooked, take the bag (or bags) out, and quickly cool with the iced water. I think you can drop it in the ice and put more ice on it for simplicity.

Once it cools down, put it in the fridge sealed. If a seal does not break, then this cooked chicken can stay good for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Why this method works? Because even when you leave cooked chicken to cool down for 1-2 hours, bacteria already start developing inside. Cutting cooling time to a much shorter time will not give bacteria long enough to do even that. Thus, it will take longer for it to spread and develop while the chicken is sitting in the fridge.

I think this is a cool method to use, so to speak.

Important and useful tips

Logically speaking, chicken chopped in small pieces before cooking will probably stay good in the refrigerator longer because smaller pieces are often cooked more thoroughly than the whole chicken.

Salt can penetrate meat and salt inhibits bacteria growth. Because of those salt properties, cooking chicken in well-salted water or seasoning it well with salt usually results in that cooked chicken stays good in the fridge for several days longer. It works, although the chicken comes out saltier than I like. But many people are fine with the somewhat salty meat.

Someone recommended cooking or marinating it in lemon or other citrus water but I never tried it myself. Marinating with vinegar usually also extends cooked meat storage life. Now you know quite a few useful tricks, don’t you?

Is it safe to eat cooked chicken after refrigerating for more than 4-5 days?

Well, I have eaten cooked chicken which was in the refrigerator for longer than 3-4 days. But that is rarer. Usually, if I follow the tips, I laid out above in this article. See, if you cook the chicken yourself, rather than buy cooked one from the store, you know exactly when you refrigerated it. And you refrigerate it as soon as it cooled down.

Often, I stored it for 4-5, and sometimes 6 days until finally eating the leftovers.

But recall from an earlier section that sometimes the meat can be already bad but not smell bad yet. Therefore, it is better to stay safe and follow the rules, than be sorry later.

You take the above precautions, your salt, etc., and it may be good even a week or up to two weeks in the fridge. But again, this is a case-by-case basis and food safety always comes first. In short – cooking and packing methods also make a difference. Seasoning too may increase cooked chicken shelf life.

Unless you want to become an expert in longer food storage, I would stick with USDA guidelines and consume the chicken within 3-4 days after cooking.

Fresher food tastes better and is usually a little more nutritious. It is digested better too.

Final thoughts

Few more useful tips include the following. The previously frozen chicken went bad sooner than chicken which has never been frozen. Why? Because freezing destroys the structure of meat, making it softer, more microporous, and thus creating more possibilities for entering and developing by opportunistic bacteria.

Frozen meat is to be used in times of need. Keep it for emergencies, or if you get sick, and so on. Keep things fresh as much as you can.

Also, do not boil or re-cook chicken meat after it already goes bad.

It is not a good practice because bacteria already released bad toxins (chemicals) all over the meat and boiling it again kills bacteria but does not kill all those chemicals. I think it is bad practice useful only in times of extreme hunger and lack of possibility to find other food.

Some people take 3-4 days old chicken from the fridge and boil it into a soup. That is before chicken already spoils. My grandma did that. Such a method extends the life of the cooked chicken meat.

Then there is an old rumor that chicken meat with bones stays good for a longer time. I am not sure this is true or not because I never tested it for that purpose. On the other hand, I do know that I like those thighs.

Summary of factors which prolong cooked chicken life in the fridge are:

Washing hands,
refrigerating chicken practically as soon as it is cooks,
washing and cleaning to the point of making all surfaces, utensils, and containers sterile,
Salting and seasoning well,
Packing tightly in a sterile bag, wrap or container, to prevent air from entering the packaging.

These are several simple principles that will undoubtedly work. They have been proven not only by my own experience but my experience by many other amateur chefs cooking food for themselves of their families. These simple rules have worked for thousands of years for our ancestors who did not have refrigerators. Why not use these methods to our advantage.

The post How Long is Cooked Chicken Good in the Fridge? A Guide. appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

Can Chicken Be a Little Pink? How to Know When It’s Safe

Max FV — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 11:47:26 +0000

You cooked that chicken following all the ins and outs of recipe. You put it on a plate and carried it to your table. You cut this freshly cooked chicken meat open. And what do you see there?? A little bit pink meat here and there. OMG moment. Did you undercook? Did you make a mistake? Is it unsafe to eat this pink chicken meat? Should you throw it out or leave it on the table? Let us figure out.

Is it safe to eat little bit pink chicken meat?

To put all doubts to sleep – cooked chicken can be a little pink and it is still safe to eat it. According to the government studies, cooked chicken color can be anything from white to pink to a tan. USDA says that it is fine to eat cooked chicken meat even if it is a little bit pink if all parts reached 165 F degrees while cooking. Source. Why 165 F? Because at this temperature many types of bacteria perish, including salmonella.

So, if you want to be sure about safety of chicken, just get that instant read food thermometer and stick it into chicken meat in the thickest part before taking it off the pan, out of the oven or out of the boiling pot, while it is still cooking. Or, off the grill, for that matter.

If it is 160-165 F, then it is usually ready to be consumed no matter the color, because chicken meat (and any other meat) keeps cooking for a few minutes even after it is taken off the fire, out of the oven, out of the pan or off the grill.

Why chicken meat gets pink while cooking?

Here is why. While being cooked, chicken meat undergoes chemical changes, where hemoglobin reacts with heat or gases and gets that little bit pinkish spots. According to USDA, younger chicken meat is more likely to have pink spots because gases and heat more easily penetrate young chicken skin. Older chickens have more protective layers under their skin. But older chicken meat also can get pink in spots in which fat is absent under the skin.

Therefore, you can get a hint of the age of the chicken you cook. If meat is all dark or tabbed – more likely it is older chicken. Pinkish spots, on the opposite, may indicate younger chicken.

Please do not confuse pinkish with strains of bright red which appear (remain) when chicken is undercooked.

Then, nitrates or nitrites used to treat water or as preservatives may give chicken meat those pink spots.

Finally, grilled or smoked chicken meat can have more pink areas because smoke enters the meat and mentioned chemical reactions can happen on wider scale. That can give many parts of grilled or smoked chicken pink color.

Even commercially grilled or smoked chicken can have lot of pink meat in it for the same reason – because it was prepared with natural smoke. Source.

When I looked through forums, the consensus was that also structure of the meat can be used to determine if it is ready. For example, cooked meat should be opaque, not slimy, and not look like a gel. It must be little to moderately firm, but not too firm. Still, the temperature is the most important indicator, according to both FDA and USDA guidelines.

Therefore, the pink color itself is not evidence of undercooked chicken unsafe to eat. With the right temperature and meat texture chicken with pink meat is perfectly safe to eat. You do not want to overcook it either, right?

How to tell when a chicken breast is done?

If you want to specifically check when a chicken breast is done, the easiest way is to check the temperature. Stick the instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast. According to USDA standards, chicken breast meat must reach 165 F degrees to be fully done.

The meat keeps cooking for up to 10 minutes after you take it off the pan or grill, or out of the oven. Therefore, some suggest that it is done and ready to be taken out as soon as it reaches 160 F degrees. Extra 5 F degrees will be reached while it is self-cooking. Well, I rather like to be on the safe side and stick with USDA guidelines at 165F.

Meat must have no blood anywhere, no bloody liquid coming out of anywhere if you squire chicken breast or press it firmly. The liquid juices must be clear. If they are not clear, then chicken breast is not ready.

The color of the finished chicken breast meet must be light, opaque, kind of beige. Not reddish. Pink is ok, but not red or reddish color or strings. Breast must be cooked all around – make sure you check for that.

If you do not have thermometer on you, then stick a knife into chicken breast meet and hold it there for a 1-2 minutes. Take it out and touch the metal which was inside. If it is hot – then, along with checking methods I just described, the chicken breast is most likely done.

Recall, that fully cooked meat does not have any transparent spots. If you see transparent spot – this must be undercooked.

Also, chicken breast must be firm if cooked. Firmer than, for example, chicken legs. Try to poke chicken breast with your spoon or fork – it must be firm like a good muscle when it is done.

Here is a tip for making chicken breast softer. Adding a little bit of olive oil to the water in which you boil the chicken, or brushing breast with oil before baking or grilling, may make it softer in the end.

If you cut open cooked chicken breast and inside is slightly pink – it is ok. If everything else is like described above. Again, you cook on your own risk and you are solely responsible for making sure your chicken breast is fully done.

How to tell if chicken drumsticks are done

Now, pretty much all above applies to making sure that chicken drumsticks are fully done. Drumstick meat can be slightly pinkish, especially closer to the bone. But meat must excrete clear juices if pressed, reaching 165F degrees inside of the meat, absent any red in the juice or in the meat. Meat must not be transparent but should be opaque color, no slime, or gelatin-type pieces, and so on.

Few things are different though. For example. Drumstick meat is softer than that of chicken breast. So, it should not be as firm even when fully cooked. The test is rather when drumstick meat can be easily flaked (detached) off the bone then it may be ready. Essentially, when tendon detaches – then drumstick meat is most likely done.

The bone should have no red in it, even inside, if you break it. If you open a bone and it has bright red or reddish color inside – the drumstick meat is not ready. If it is dark inside – then it should be done.

Because chicken drumsticks do not overcook as easily as chicken breast, they can be cooked longer or reach temperature higher than 165F degrees. They should still end up being softer than breasts when done.

Conclusion about chicken meat and pink color

If anything, to take from this article, it is that the surest proof way to make sure chicken breasts or chicken drumsticks are done is to check that the temperature inside has reached 164 F degrees. As long as all parts of chicken are being cooked about evenly.

The second most important thing is that some pinkish in the meat does not mean it is unsafe to eat, if you follow the temperature guidelines.

Still, get that thermometer because you will be using it for many other meals and dishes that you will make. I mean, things get invented for a reason.

But once you get experienced you will not need instant read thermometer anymore because chicken meat is easy to see when it is ready. As far as I am concerned, many chefs or amateur cooks eventually can spot undercooked meat just by checking it and smelling it. If you do not have thermometer, then check other factors from this article.

I want to tell you one thing – I used to be afraid of cooking because I did not know how to approach it. But when I tried to experiment and make different dishes, I realized that it can be fun, and I can be good at it. Do not be afraid to start trying things. I mean, we must eat to live. Therefore, cooking is important I n our lives. It is not a waste of time.

And always try to cook in real life after you find something interesting for you – a recipe, or method, or video, or article. Because we learn only by doing. Cooking is very practical thing. I still have much to learn. But man, cooking chicken has become so easy at this point that I even know how long chicken will be cooking just depending on intensity of fire in the gas oven, for example.

Good luck and keep yourself fed.

The post Can Chicken Be a Little Pink? How to Know When It’s Safe appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

How to Store Boiled Chicken: Essential Tips

Max FV — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 13:51:41 +0000

Storing Boiled Chicken

Sometimes, it happens you overdo and cook too much meat for dinner. Now, you have to keep it for later somehow. Here is a variant how!

Keeping chicken leftovers is a topic that has a lot of frequently asked questions. Since it’s cooked, you can store your boiled meat for no more than 2 hours. Afterward, the meat must be refrigerated and kept under certain conditions, of course, if you don’t want to have juiceless unchewable meat on return. If refrigerated, you can enjoy the boiled meat even after 4 days in the fridge.

Obviously, if you want to extend its shelf life, you can always freeze it. How to freeze boiled chicken? How long should you keep it frozen? Finally, how to cook the chicken to make it tender and juicy a while longer? Continue reading and you’ll find answers and even more.

Several Essential Tips:

How to boil meat?

Everyone likes tasting meat when it is juicy. Try boiling it! It is much faster than baking or roasting. Besides, the boiled meat stays tender and juicy for longer. It just so happens that the best way to cook chicken is by boiling it. You’ll be surprised how fast it is cooking!

How to flavor my meat?

How do you cook your chicken? The fastest way to boost the taste of your meat is by using a fat broth, not water. Of course, you can traditionally use water but broth will add a new deeper flavor to your dish. Sometimes, you can do a mixture of liquids. About spices, you can add garlic, bay leaves, salt, and paprika. Actually, you are free to add any ingredients you can surprisingly find on the shelf, be it carrots, celery, or onions.

How long should I boil my chicken breast?

The process is simple and logical. Add some broth and water to a large pot, put a meat portion, salt and spice it. Also, you may add some vegetables and cook them together. Boil meat for 20 minutes or a bit more if you have a big portion. Do you have a culinary thermometer? Check if the meat is ready.

How to Store Boiled Chicken?

You’d better refrigerate your boiled chicken within a minimum of two hours after cooking.

Fit it in a special box, or wrap it up well in foils. This is the one widely recommended method to prevent your product from staling and extending its shelf life. It’s not a secret that wrapping or keeping the product in a plastic box can help maintain the quality of the stored cooked breast. Sure enough, you always use this method to store any of the products in the fridge. Keep your poultry in cold for up to 4-5 days.

I can freeze already boiled meat

If you won’t use your already boiled chicken for 3 days, you’d better put it in a zip lock bag and freeze. So, the procedure is as following: put your chicken leftovers in a special bag or bags and drop them into a freezer. Also, you can wrap chicken and label it to remember what sort of meat you have and when you cooked it. Healthy-eating specialists recommend storing boiled meat in a freezer in good quality for no more than 3 months.

When it’s time to use it again, remove meat from the freezer and thaw it by using a microwave special mode. You can always keep the meat in the fridge till morning for thawing it effectively. Assure yourself that your ingredient you are going to cook with is still of good quality. Then use it in your recipe to make something interesting for dinner. Remember, once thawed, you shouldn’t freeze it again.

How long should I store boiled meat?

To sum up, you can use boiled meat from a refrigerator for up to 5 days, providing that you keep it in a special bag or a food box. Wishing to store meat for a longer period, you should put it in a freezer and keep tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.

How Do I Find That My Boiled Chicken is Off?

People say if you keep already cooked meat in the fridge or cold place for more than a few days, it will be uneatable soon. It is important to check if the cooled meat is still ok before you start eating.

First of all, if you’ve exceeded the best-recommended-to-use-by date, your meat is more likely bad. Here is how you can check your meat real condition:

Check color

If you noticed that the meat from the fridge is coloring green or grey, it is uneatable. These uninviting colored spots indicate bacterial growth.

Smell it

Check if cooked meat smells good. If it irritates your nose with a sharp acidic smell, all the signs that it goes bad. Of course, if you cooked meat with herbs or spices, this scent can be really hard to detect.

Check texture

Meat texture can indicate that it has gone bad. Give your chicken a second glance and try to notice if it became sticky.

Do you suspect the leftover chicken in your refrigerator is spoiled? It’s time to discard it.

Easy Ideas for Turning Leftover Chicken Into Dinner

As you already know, chicken leftovers don’t live long, especially if held in the fridge for more than a week. Leftover chicken should be eaten within 4-5 days of cooking it. Some people think that all you can do with the boiled chicken from the fridge is serve it with vegetables, salt and garlic. They say mustard suits chicken the most. Try it! Others prefer combining boiled chicken with beans and potato. Here are some more recipes you can try to cook and turn your chicken leftovers into a balanced ration.

Make a fast healthy sandwich

Sandwiches are the quickest and easiest way to cook dinner with chicken leftovers. You don’t even need a special recipe. Just take some bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken meat, and mozzarella.

Make speedy stir-fries

First of all, you should stripe the chicken meat and turn it into stripes. Then, add some salt, spices, and coat with what you want. You can even freeze stripes and pack them for later. Every time you want to make a quick dinner take out as many chicken strips as you need and add them to hot boiling oil.

Make a posh pate

Do you have leftover chicken in the refrigerator? Great! You can easily turn it into delicious pasta. All you need is to smash meat in a food processor with some butter, salt, spices, and a drop of lemon juice. You may also add some ham or turkey leftovers if you have any. The consistency should be quite wet and smooth. Now, you can serve your pate with bread or toast.

Make one-pot chicken noodles

Of course, for this dish, it is allowed to use speedy-preparation noodles that you can heat in a microwave. Then, add meat and all the vegetables you will find on the shelf. It can be some peas, carrots, onions, anything. For flavoring, in a small bowl mix some soy sauce and water. Pour this mixture over the noodles and mix it up. Now, you should cover the bowl with a plate and heat the dish in a microwave for a couple of minutes. Check if the chicken is hot. Leave the dish to stand for 1 minute before start eating.

Few More Tricks for Leftover Chicken:

Make spicy Thai chicken with rice balls

This dish sounds a bit complicated, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, Thai curry is really fast to cook. Also, you can add some Thai paste at the end for more calories. Luckily, if you have some rice in your refrigerator from yesterday’s dinner, serve your Thai chicken with spicy rice balls. So, what does the original recipe tell?

At first, take a bowl and make some light marinade by mixing Thai herbs and oil together. Add chicken and leave it in the fridge for 1-2 hours to soak in the flavors.

For a sauce, you need to fry the chopped onion for 5 minutes with some oil. Then, drop in some ginger and turmeric, and cook for 5 minutes more. Finally, add some coconut milk, boil it and cook your dish for 15 minutes more. To add more original Thai flavor to your chicken, you can chop the coriander or any other spice of your choice and spice your meat. Finally, when the sauce is ready, blend it with a hand blender until smooth.

Now, it’s time to fry your chicken meat in deep fat for a couple of minutes. Dry it with a paper towel, put it in the bowl, and mix with green beans and peppers. Don’t forget to coat the chicken with the sauce. If you want to make the rice balls, use your wet hands and your creativity. Form the balls and microwave them until hot. Dinner is ready!

Make chicken salad

That’s another simply-cooking dish made of chicken leftovers. This simple but absolutely amazing recipe will become your favorite one if you are for healthy eating. You should mix all the greens and veggies that you have in the fridge with the meat leftovers. Adding crunches, crackers, and toasted bread is also a good option. This can be a perfect recipe for the whole family as you can easily change it and transform it into something new.

It is a fact of life that poultry, especially chicken, is one of the products people often waste. But, with these interesting essentials, you can store any sort of meat that is left from your dinner safely for longer so it can be used for making a tasty and fast lunch.

The post How to Store Boiled Chicken: Essential Tips appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

10 Reasons why Chicken Is the Cheapest Meat

Max FV — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 12:51:20 +0000

Is Chicken the Cheapest Meat?

Chicken meat is the most consumed worldwide. This human preference for poultry meat is usually the cause of one of the most significant sacrifices of an animal species for the survival of another in history. We, humans, need chickens to massively feed us. So, the answer to the question: Is chicken the cheapest meat? It is a resounding Yes, it is the cheapest, but at the cost to nature and animals that feed us (the subject of another article).

In the recent past, butchers sold a little of everything. But today, in a society that increasingly tends to spend less time cooking, this leads to choosing to buy pieces of meat that can be prepared and cooked in a few minutes. Also, they do not require a lot of skill, like beef or pork steaks, chicken breast, or ground beef, to make hamburgers or meatballs. About 40 percent of Americans eat ready-to-eat meat at least once a week since 2017.

In the United States, the chicken industry is expanding rapidly. The overall value of all chickens was around the US $ 2.13 billion in 2017. Each poultry was worth the US $ 4.21 in that same year compared to the US $ 3.32 in 2009. Technically, the US $ 0.1113-year increase in the price of poultry continued until 2019. Today, it tends to hold up despite the current situation on the planet.

Details About Chicken Prices

This is 2020 U.S. per capita meat consumption by type (in pounds)

Broilers 95.4
Beef 57.7
Pig 52.1
Turkeys 1.1
Lamb 15.8
Veal 0.2
Another chicken 1.4

All the above is since chicken meat maintains the trend of being the most affordable meat. It is the most consumed meat.

To get an idea, we show these reference prices per pound and by type, ready to go in trays: broiler meat has a price ranging from 1.6-4.46 USD while the whole poultry ranges in price 1.6-2 USD. The beef, depending on the cut and preparation, ranges its prices from 5.9-11 USD. The price of pork ranges from 3.7-5.75 USD.

Veal prices range from 4.0-5.0 USD. Fish and shellfish prices range from 8-40 USD, depending on the species and preparation.

Problems With Chicken Meat

It should be borne in mind that chickens are beings prone to disease. Besides, the too crowded conditions in which many are raised on farms can represent a risk factor. They are given a large number of antibiotics through food and water. In some countries, antibiotics are already injected into the egg.

Some studies show a direct relationship between bacteria resistance to antibiotics in humans and poultry meat consumption. Other studies suggest that several “hidden” facts keep the chicken price below those of other meats. Still, it is known that most reports that speculate or speak negatively of some meat usually form part of a negative campaign to induce consumers to buy the products they promote.

The truth is that all meats, in general, have something that can be harmful to health, mostly if it is consumed in excess. In that sense, in the case of chickens, it is advisable to wash them very well, even passing them through the water with vinegar and skinning them to eat them without skin. In this way, the greatest number of hormones and bacteria that may have lodged in the skin is eliminated.

Closing this section, just keep in mind that with what you save by buying the cheapest chicken, you can add to your budget to alternate poultry consumption by buying grains or other meats such as meat, turkey, lamb or fish / seafood.

Alternate your dishes and enrich them with pulse and greens vegetables. They are the foods that will complement you’re your dinner.

Is Chicken Cheaper Than Beef?

Among these two meat types, chicken is the cheapest meat. However, in the United States, although buying a good piece or cut of beef may involve a little more than two hours of daily work, there are times when the same piece can be obtained at values; that imply less effort, which is when there are offers. Unless you buy meat in a cheaper presentation or cut and the broiler in its most exquisite cuts.

Keep in mind that the cut you choose has an impact on the price. When you go shopping, always look at the unit price per pound, it is an important suggestion when shopping for meat, it is essential. Look at the following example with the cheapest meat: chicken:

If you buy the whole poultry, the pound will cost you about 2.0 USD / pound, and you will pay for 1 chicken of approximately 4.41 pounds, about 8.82 USD.
Now, if you look at a tray of boneless thighs, the price goes up about $ 0.82 per pound. That is, if you buy the same 4.41 pounds, you will pay 12.44 USD.
Do you want brisket? It will cost you $ 3.64 per pound uncut and $ 4.46 /pound if you want it in steaks ($ 16.05 or $ 19.67 for 4.41 pounds of broiler chicken)
An economical cut of meat such as beef breast, the pound at a time of sale can cost you about 7.0 USD / pound, so for a cut of 4.41 pounds, you will pay about 31 USD.

As you may have observed, in those moments when meat is on discount, even when buying the exquisite cuts of broiler poultry such as thighs and breasts, poultry continues to maintain its price well below that of cuts of meat. We suggest following the advice of always looking at each type of cut’s USD / pound unit price.

Since chicken is the cheapest meat, you just must have a little patience to take advantage of the meat offers and make it possible to buy specific meat cuts cheaper by sacrificing 1 pound of poultry meat. Remember to check the effective date of the meat.

By acquiring both types of meats, you can enrich your menu and alternate your delicious dishes with chicken and beef. Remember to balance each plate with carbohydrates and green vegetables, rich in greatly beneficial vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, and fiber.

Is Ground Chicken Cheaper Than Ground Beef?

Since chicken is the cheapest meat, the answer to this question is a resounding Yes, ground chicken is cheaper than ground beef. However, you must be careful where you do your shopping. Depending on the refrigeration process, the cuts, and the cleaning that the butchers apply to the meats before their preparation, they will be beneficial for your body.

There is an investigation promoted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that helps to understand that the cheapest chicken production is one that complies with preventive measures in its conservation, hygiene, and handling until consumption. Click on the following link [preventive measures]; If the cheapest poultry you are buying does not meet these measures, find another supplier; your body benefits may be at risk.

These scientific studies are essential. They help create awareness that more important than the chicken price are preventive measures, especially those serving the most vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.

That other meats take the place of cheaper meat from chicken is a challenge. Despite all the difficulties behind poultry farming, there is a global per capita ratio of 3 chickens per person, increasing, so its price will also maintain its historical trend.

To start this section, ground chicken is not only cheaper than ground beef; it is also the flagship ingredient of many exquisite dishes and others highly sought after such as hamburgers, meatloaf, lasagna, and many more. On the internet, you can find an infinity of recipes. Find yours!

How Expensive is Chicken for a Family?

Of course, Yes. Chicken is the cheapest meat, and it saves you money. Let us see how you can save a few dollars that will be used to buy other meats.

Let us put a very conservative case. Let us imagine a family with 4 people who love veal and eat it more than once a week at a rate of 0.386 pounds/person.

That family substitutes a 0.386 pound serving of beef per person per week for a 0.386 pound serving of chicken.
$ 6.18 per week was spent on veal (1,544 pounds of meat costing $ 5.5 / pound)
You now spend $ 5.62 a week (1,544 pounds of chicken breast that costs $ 3.64 / pound)
Weekly savings: USD 0.56. Annual savings: $ 29.12.

And that is only for 4 people in one of the weekly meals eating chicken meat of an exquisite cut and without going to the extreme of buying the whole chicken, which is the cheapest. If you prefer beef cuts, the savings can be significant depending on the cut you choose, particularly if it cuts tender meats.

Remember that many prices, according to the year’s season, tend to narrow the difference due to the global situation. However, chicken continues to be the cheapest meat.

If you want to save more money, you can choose to buy other cheaper and more tasty chicken cuts. Remember that the price varies depending on the cut of chicken. As you can see, the cut that hits the pocket the most is the boneless breast.

Although this cut is convenient to buy because a boned breast is not wasted, the reality is that it could cost $ 4.46 per pound. It is difficult to find it in the sales since lovers of lean meats often choose to buy this part of the chicken over any other poultry cut, regardless of its price.

The versatility of this avian protein is what drives its protein consumption nationally and internationally. It is the hope of many households as the only protein since it allows for stretching the budget and enjoying cuts such as boneless chicken thighs infused with seasonings’ flavor and are unbelievably delicious when prepared semi-sweet spicy, or in the way you want.

Although it maintains its upward trend, chicken is the only meat that has not decreased in its consumption; on the contrary, it shows an increase of over 10%. This is because the rest of the meats still maintain their value above the value of chicken. Also, consumer habits and meat preferences keep their attention on chicken. It is the protein that hits their pockets the least and allows them to consume the amount they need to maintain their nutritional levels.

Is Chicken Cheaper Than Pork?

Yes, chicken on average, is cheaper than pork. However, the versatility of pork is not only about taste. This meat is considered by many as a delicious and healthy product. Much more yielding than higher consumption meats such as chicken and beef.

Pork pulp (0.5512 pounds) yields much more than 1,102 pounds of chicken meat and 1,102 pounds of beef, and best of all, it costs very similarly. It is even 50% cheaper than beef.

Pork is the only species that stores fat in its skin, causing most of its meat to be lean. Its fat is the most soluble in contact with hot surfaces, so many consider it the healthiest meat. Many households consider purchasing a pork piece; they remove the fat, accessing very lean and productive meat. Also, more than 65% of pork fat is unsaturated; it is relatively good fat.

The process of raising and preserving pigs has improved the most. It maintains a notable standard, reducing pork’s caloric value and dismantling the lousy publicity that pork is produced in unhealthy conditions.

Most of the nationally distributed pork comes from pig farms that meet the highest production standards. Most high-tech pig farms provide more than 80% of this meat. Buy this meat in authorized and trusted places.

After poultry meat, pork is the cheapest. It is considered among the meats that have the best price-value. It is a meat that has an exceptionally low waste. It has a few cuts of pieces that contain much more lean meat than chicken meat.

A few pork tenderloin steaks can cost around $ 4.50 per pound. It is cheaper than the chicken breast fillet, but much more expensive than buying the whole chicken.

A whole chicken is cheaper than pork meat!

Is Chicken Sometimes Expensive?

Compared to other meats, chicken meat is inexpensive. But valuing the process of raising and conserving the chicken, if it is. The slightest mistake can mean losing dozens of chickens in breeding with the losses that this implies.

So far, the chicken price has not stopped its annual average increase of $ 0.1113/year since 2017. In the United States, the poultry industry has maintained a considerable expansion. Recall that each chicken’s value was $ 4.21 in 2017, up from $ 3.32 in 2009.

Nowadays, technically, it tends to be maintained despite the situation the planet is experiencing. The price of chicken is around 4.56 USD / pound according to this trend, which is corroborated by the price published by the USDA (Economic Research Service United States Department of Agriculture).

However, some studies announce the threat of a chicken shortage that could trigger the hitherto controlled prices of chicken to unimaginable prices. They have detected a decrease in the fertility of chickens.

According to The Wall Street Journal estimates that the US requires around 750 million chickens per month to keep demand constant. WSJ analysts agree with what was announced in the first paragraph of this section, finding that a negligible 1 percent decline in viable chick hatches leads to an industry-wide loss of $ 120 million.

Poultry is one of the leanest, protein-rich, and cheapest meats available on the local and international markets.

A shortage like the latent one is terrible news for underprivileged parts of the world struggling to eat healthily.

Worse still is the fact that there is no solution to the fact of chicken infertility within reach. Scientists are not even sure what is causing the drop in poultry fertility.

Some evidence suggests that overfeeding or underfeeding chickens are affecting their health and, therefore, their libido. The answer to the question: Is chicken expensive? It is in danger of making a 180-degree turn.

The post 10 Reasons why Chicken Is the Cheapest Meat appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

Why Does Boiling Chicken Dry It Out: Tips to Fix It

Max FV — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 10:52:47 +0000

Why Does Boiling Chicken Dry It Out?

The main reason why chicken becomes dry after boiling is because of the process of boiling. Boiling is the process in which the liquid generally water is heated to a temperature of 100 degrees celsius and the food is boiled in that water until cooked. When a piece of chicken is boiled at a temperature of 100 degrees celsius the water sucks out all the moisture and oil out from the chicken making it dry and tough.

Make it Better Than Dried Out Chicken

Chicken is the most consumed poultry item in the world. It comes under the classification of game birds or game animals. These game birds or game animals mean that these birds and animals are generally killed for human consumption. Chicken is also the cheapest and easily available poultry item in the world.

Chicken is a versatile meat and can be prepared in several different preparations and cooking methods. The most common cooking methods for chicken are boiling, baking, grilling, and roasting. Chicken is the most common type of meat used for stuffing other items, like casseroles and dumplings.

Chicken is a type of white meat which means it is extremely healthy and does not have any bad effects on your body after consumption. Chicken is healthy because it has a very low level of cholesterol and saturated fat in them.

From the mid 20th century chicken has become a staple food for human consumption and also the staple for fast food.

Chicken is very easy to cook but can be overcooked very easily too. Overcooked chicken is generally difficult to eat and chew as it becomes extremely tough and dry. It is easier to understand that the piece of chicken is overcooked.

This is because once the piece of chicken is overcooked the color of the chicken changes. The color becomes yellowish and dull instead of vibrant and white.

Important Tips to Prevent Drying of Chicken

Chicken can be extremely tasty, moist, and juicy when it is cooked properly. It is common to overcook the chicken and once overcooked it will be neither tasty nor moist nor juicy. Overcooking the chicken will dry it out because the boiling process will pull the juices and moisture out of the chicken.

The preparation of chicken can be a great disaster if the chicken is overcooked. If overcooked chicken is used for stuffing for other preparations, then the entire preparation can get spoilt. Here are a few tips to remember before cooking the chicken to prevent it from drying out.

Use Chicken with Skin On: We all know that using a piece of chicken without the skin is an incredibly good and easy option to work with. But using the skin without the skin generally dries the chicken faster.

So, using a piece of chicken with the skin on helps the piece of chicken stay moist for a longer period while boiling or cooking. It is advised to cook the chicken with the skin on and then if you do not want the skin you can remove it before serving or eating.

Pound the Chicken Piece: Pounding a piece of meat or chicken is a very good way of tenderizing the piece of meat or chicken. The process of pounding is also called the process of hammering. In this, the piece of chicken is hammered to flatten it.

Pounding the chicken will help it thin out the piece of chicken equally which will finally help the piece of chicken cook equally throughout. Other than this pounding helps in breaking down the protein present in the chicken piece. This finally makes the piece of chicken more tenderized and better to taste.

More Tips to Avoid Drying Out Chicken

Check Internal Temperature: Nobody likes an overcooked or undercooked piece of chicken. Overcooked chicken can be extremely tough and chewy to eat and undercooked chicken can give you food poisoning.

So, it is necessary to cook the chicken for the correct amount of time to prevent overcooking or undercooking. The best way of doing this is by using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Only then the chicken is perfectly cooked. This is a particularly good technique to prevent overcooking of chicken and preventing it from drying out.

Use Chicken Thighs: Chicken things are the juiciest and moist part of the whole chicken. This is because the chicken thigh has a higher level of fat present in it. Other than that chicken thighs are most cost-effective than chicken breast.

Chicken breasts are generally tougher and can become dry very easily. So, it is best to use the thighs of the chicken as it can be used for any preparation and is best for soups and boils.

Few More Simple Chicken Boiling Tips

Use Chicken in Room Temperature: This is one of the most common ways of keeping the piece of chicken moist. It is crucial to thaw the chicken. Never cook the chicken when it is frozen. Cooking frozen chicken will give a tasteless and bland dish.

Make sure you bring the chicken to room temperature before you cook it. This will help you give a perfectly soft and tasty piece of chicken. Thaw the chicken for at least 30 minutes before cooking to ensure no dryness and a soft piece of meat.

Follow the recipe: A lot of people fail to follow the quite common recipe. Failing to follow a recipe can make your dish something different from the desired product with a very chewy piece of chicken. It is important to follow a recipe if you are unsure.

Following the recipe will make sure you cook the chicken at the correct temperature for the correct amount of time. This will finally give a beautifully cooked piece of meat that will be tender and moist.

Use Milk for Cooking: The use of milk for cooking chicken is an old and commonly used technique. Using milk for cooking chicken will help them stay soft and tenderized. This will prevent the chicken from drying out because using milk as a base for boiling chicken will suck out less moisture from the chicken.

Other than that, the milk which is being used for boiling chicken can be turned into a sauce or soup later and can work as an accompaniment to the chicken dish.

Use a Brine Solution: Using a brine solution can be immensely helpful when trying to keep the chicken moist. Brine a type of curing solution which is made up of equal portions of salt, sugar, and citrus (lemon or pickle juice).

Using a brine solution will help in keeping the moisture trapped inside even after the cooking process is over. Soak the chicken for an hour in any brine solution before cooking. This will finally give you a moist piece of meat.

How to Cook Chicken to Prevent Drying Out

Choose the Correct Pot: A choice of the correct utensil for cooking chicken can be immensely helpful. This is because the thickness and depth of a cooking utensil determine the even cooking of the chicken. It is important to use a heavy bottom pan or a vessel to boil a piece of chicken.

This will then help the chicken cook equally from all parts. Once the chicken is cooked equally from all parts it will be moist and juicy.

Use Chicken with High Fat: Using a piece of chicken that has high levels of fat in it will help you give a moist piece of meat. Pieces of chicken like the thigh have a lot of fat. These fats when melted with the reaction of heat helps in keeping the piece of chicken moist and prevents drying of the meat.

Cook at Correct Temperature: Chicken can be overcooked very easily so cooking the chicken at the correct temperature is important. If the chicken is cooked at a higher temperature it can become overcooked and dry.

So, avoid cooking the chicken at higher temperatures. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If the internal temperature of the chicken is more than 160 degrees Fahrenheit it will be extremely dry and tough to eat.

Always put the chicken after the liquid is boiled. If the chicken is put before the liquid is boiled then the chicken might lose a lot of its juices which will gradually make it dry.

Use a Foil Covering: Using a foil to cover the pot of the piece of chicken while cooking or boiling will help in keeping them moist. The use of foil helps to prevent the chicken from drying out.

This is because it seals the moisture inside the chicken and does not let it come out. As a result of which the chicken does not dry out and helps in keeping it moist and tenderized.

Final Word

A well-cooked, moist, and juicy piece of meat is desired by everyone, but overcooking chicken can be extremely easy. It is necessary to perfectly cook the chicken so that the beautiful piece of meat can be enjoyed by everyone.

These tips and tricks if followed can give you a perfectly cooked piece of chicken and you will not have to worry about the chicken becoming dry and tough anymore.

The post Why Does Boiling Chicken Dry It Out: Tips to Fix It appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

How to Make Boiled Chicken Taste Good and Better

Max FV — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 11:11:44 +0000

Boiling Chicken is Still a Good Way to Cook it

Today, most people have shifted to white meat and only eat red meat occasionally. Chicken is the most loved white meat among people. It is palatable, highly nutritious, easy to cook, and often readily available.

Chicken can be cooked in very many ways. You can decide to fry, roast, grill, bake, poach, pan-roast, beer-can, or boil your chicken, depending on your preference. All these cooking methods can produce tender, moist, and sweet results with varying tastes and nutritional value.

Most individuals usually disregard boiled chicken with the mentality that it is boring and not sweet. Well, if you are among one of these people, you might change your stand when you try a perfectly cooked boiled chicken.

Boiling chicken is among the best ways to prepare chicken and enjoy it even more than your favorite baked or grilled chicken.

The trick to enjoying this delicious meal is knowing the best tips and recipes that make it more flavorful and enticing. Trust me, once you have learned the perfect tips, eating boiled chicken will be your everyday choice.

Besides the chicken’s sweet taste and ease of preparation, it’s also very frugal. So, is boiled meat good? Yes, it is an excellent and most satisfying delicacy with various benefits.

In this article, we will expound on different mouth-watering recipes and cooking tips that will enhance your boiled chicken taste and the overall cooking experience.

Three Best Methods You Can Use to Boil Chicken

Boiled chicken can be eaten in many forms, such as sliced, shredded, full, or cubed forms. Depending on what you wish to prepare, it’s best to use a recipe that provides the best results.

Most methods of boiling chicken are straightforward and use readily available ingredients. Here are three of the best recipes you can use to prepare boiled chicken in a few simple steps.

It is crucial to note that most of these cooking methods have varying ingredients.

Method 1

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts or 1 full chicken
Water (sufficient to cover the meat)
1 onion
3 carrots
1tsp of whole peppercorns
2 celery stalks

Cooking method:

First, cut the onion into halves and dice the celery and carrot into chunks. Then place your chicken in a sizeable pot, add the onions, celery, carrots, and peppercorns. Next, add broth/water until it covers the meat and place a lid on the pot.

The next procedure is boiling the meat. Use medium heat to ensure the chicken boils gently. If you’re preparing chicken breasts, they should simmer until the pink color vanishes or for 15 minutes.

A whole chicken will take around 90 minutes to cook well and evenly. After this duration elapses, remove your chicken and leave it to cool and chop or shred it as you desire using a fork and a knife.

For an improved boiled chicken taste, it is best to use broth instead of water.

Method 2

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (4)
Chicken bone soup (3 cups)
Mixed herbs Italian seasoning powder (1 tsp)
Sea salt
Freshly grounded pepper (2tsp)
Garlic powder (1 tsp)
Turmeric (1tsp)
Sweet paprika (1tsp)

Cooking Method.

Put the breasts in a large cooking pot, add all the ingredients, and cover them with a fitting lid. Ensure all your meat is submerged in the broth and boil your meat over medium heat for 90 minutes.

In case all the broth evaporates before the meat becomes tender, you can add a small amount of water. You will know the chicken is ready when you can easily pull pieces apart using a fork. After it’s ready, remove it, let it cool, and then shred it.

You can serve it immediately and refrigerate any surplus meat for later consumption in the week.

Method 3

Ingredients

4 Celery stems
A small chicken
5 garlic cloves
An onion, cut into four pieces
4 carrots
Dried sage and thyme (1tsp)
Water (10 cups)

Cooking Method:

Add all the above ingredients to a sizeable pot and heat it over moderately high heat. After 45 minutes, reduce the heat to a low setting and leave your chicken to simmer for about 45 minutes.

After that, please switch off the heat, remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool. Since the meat will be tender, handle it with care, or it will fall apart while removing it from the pot.

After cooling, get rid of the bones and skin, chop the meat, and strain out the broth and save it for other use. The results will be approximately 5 broth cups and 3-4 cups of meat.

Hacks to Improve the Boiled Chicken Flavor and Tenderness

The way you prepare your chicken will determine its taste and tenderness qualities. If you want boiled chicken with a mouth-watering aroma and palatable texture, you should incorporate several cooking techniques and additives when preparing it.

Some of the useful hacks you should know when cooking boiled chicken include;

Avoid heating chicken over too high heat. Most people usually think that if they use high heat levels to boil their meat, it will fasten the cooking process and will tenderize meat faster. However, this is just a cooking myth that can affect the quality of your boiled chicken.

Using high heat when boiling chicken can make the meat tough. It is best to poach the meat. Please place it in water/broth and simmering it for low heat for an extended time. Doing this infuses the chicken with sufficient moisture and tenderizes it well while reducing the fat content.

When you poach chicken, it removes fats and leaves them in your broth, leaving your meat fats-free; a healthier alternative when consuming chicken.

Season your chicken to improve its taste and aroma. Spices and herbs are essential during this stage. For a better chicken flavor and smell, use whole and fresh ingredients to season your meat.

You can add some carrots, salt, thyme, peppercorn, garam masala, lemon juice, coriander leaves, ginger, chermoula, and sofrito, depending on your preference and side dish. Choose your herbs wisely. Adding excess herbs can affect its taste negatively.

A Straightforward Guide to Shredding Chicken

To easily shred chicken, you should poach it first to make it tender. After that, pull the meat apart using forks as the shredding tools. Another option is using a mixer.

Several ways you can prepare boiled chicken dishes

There are diverse ways that can make your boiled chicken enjoyable and eliminate blandness. Eating boiled chicken that is cooked using the same old recipe can make you dislike boiled chicken for life.

You can break the monotony by trying other boiled chicken recipes and side dishes. Some of the recipes you can prepare using chicken include the following:

Chicken pie
Chicken noodles soup
Chicken salad
Tacos
Casseroles
Stir-frys
Chicken Pizza, among others.

How You Can Store Your Boiled Chicken

As mentioned earlier, boiled chicken is frugal. Meaning it’s more economical and convenient in terms of procurement and cooking versatility. Buying a full chicken and boiling it saves you the hassle of going to the store every time you feel like eating chicken.

You can buy chicken once or twice a week, boil it, eat a portion of it and save some for the remaining days in the week. So, how can you ensure you store your chicken properly to ensure it lasts longer?

The best way is refrigeration. After boiling your chicken and cooling it, slice it into small pieces for easier storage and use when you want to cook it with other dishes. Put the slices separately and freeze for about 1-2 hours till they are completely frozen.

After this, remove the chicken pieces from the freezer, put them in an airtight container, and label the storage date. Including storage dates on foods you are refrigerating helps to monitor how long food stays in the fridge.

Freezing the broth is not a bad idea too. Kindly place it in a container, cup, or freezing bag and refrigerate it. The broth can be useful when serving grain foods such as rice. Another hack is putting the broth in ice cube plates and serving it with sautéed veggies instead of butter.

Refrigeration can preserve your chicken for at least three days, while freezers can preserve more extended periods, approximately three months.

The Best Way to Thaw Your Boiled Chicken

Since your frozen chicken is pre-cooked, the thawing procedure will strongly rely on the side dish you plan to serve with the meat. You should not thaw your chicken for foods that need to be cooked, such as casserole and soup. Instead, prepare them together while the meat is still frozen.

You will need to heat the meat for a few minutes or unfreeze it overnight if you plan to prepare it with dishes that have been pre-cooked first. In case you want your chicken to turn brown, you should sautéed; it first before adding it to your other dishes.

In Conclusion

Boiled chicken is a good and delightful dish if you know the best way to prepare it. One great way to make this dish more palatable is by using herbs, spices, and identifying a good recipe.

If you always have busy schedules, boiling chicken and refrigerating it can save you a lot of time and the struggle of going to stores every day. With the above information, preparing a delicious, boiled chicken dish will be a cup of cake.

The post How to Make Boiled Chicken Taste Good and Better appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

How to Keep Chicken Moist In Soup: A Few Juicy Tips

Max FV — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 11:01:31 +0000

How to Keep Chicken Moist and Juicy In Soup

As we all know, soup is one of the best and healthiest food that we can have. Be it in your lunch or dinner, having some coup can be refreshing as well as filling. Talking about soup, chicken soup is certainly a favorite for all the non-vegetarians.

Well, there can be different types of soup that you can prepare with the chicken. But one of the most important things that you need to ensure is the chicken is not drying out and is still moist and flavorful. If you have already tried making some and the chicken turned out to be dry, do not worry! We are here to help you with some great tips on how to keep the chicken moist in your soup.

To keep chicken moist in soup you can use a combination of relatively simple methods ranging from timing your boiling to marinating chicken. I described these methods below.

Have you ever had a soup in the restaurant or at home with chicken being dried and chewy? That does not taste well. Isn’t it? But, sadly, that is a major concern and a quite common problem that many people face. Some of you may not be aware of some of the smallest details and technicalities about preparing the soup.

There are many things that you must consider and keep in mind. Starting from how to prepare for the chicken before cooking to how you will know the chicken is done, there are few important steps.

Read on to know exactly how to keep chicken moist in soup.

Why Does Boiling Chicken Dry it Out?

Besides preparing soup, there are many recipes where you must boil the chicken. Is your boiling chicken making it dry and chewy? Well, you are not the only one! There are many people who face the same issue.

Cooking is an art, and you need to master it by first learning technicalities. But you may think that how something as simple as boiling the chicken can be an art. You need to know that there are many technicalities that you must know and keep in mind when cooking or boiling anything.

Just like undercooking can keep the chicken raw, overcooking can also make it too dry. But why does boiling chicken dry it out?

The main reason why the chicken pieces dry up when you boil it is because the process of boiling can take away all the oils from the chicken. Chicken breasts or any pieces, for that matter, contain some natural oil in it. This oil helps in holding the moisture of the chicken in it.

When you boil it, the process pulls the oil away from the chicken. Hence, the chicken also starts losing the moisture slowly. Also, chicken contains a high amount of protein in it. When the protein comes in contact with high heat, it tends to contract and tighten.

As the proteins of the chicken contract more tightly, it squeezes the moisture out of the chicken when you are boiling it.

Methods to Keep Chicken Breast Moist in Soup

No one likes to have dry and chewy chicken piece in the soup. Ideally, if you are using chicken breast in the soup, then it must be moist and juicy containing all the flavors in it. But many people complain about how the chicken dry out in their soup resulting in a chewy and rubbery texture.

Of course, no one wants that as it tastes awful. Hence, you need to know how to keep the chicken breast moist in the soup. Here are some of the important and easy-to-follow tips that can help you:

Tip 1: Use marinade

No matter what dish you are cooking, you can marinate the chicken properly. Using the marinade before cooking the chicken is extremely helful as it helps to keep the piece moist and retain the flavors. While marinating, make sure to use a marinade which is moist. After that, you have to seal the chicken for at least 3 hours and let the marinade to soak up completely.

Tip 2: Perfectly boil the chicken breast

Of course, you must boil the chicken breast first before you can add it to the pan. This is the main part which you must be very careful. Over-boiling the chicken breast can lead to losing all the moisture from the piece making it dry and mushy.

For the chicken breast with bone-in or skin-on, boil it for about 25 to 30 minutes or until it reaches 165 degree Fahrenheit. For the skinless and boneless chicken breast, you have to cook it for 12 to 15 minutes or till it reaches 165 degree Fahrenheit. Hence, it is best if you have a thermometer with you to keep the track.

Try it with the fork while it is cooking. Fork penetrates easily or chicken is still stuffy? Sometimes, just sometimes, you just need to cook for a long time. Depends on the chicken.

Homegrown chickens, which are grown without any artificial food additives, may sometimes (rarely) require even 1-2 hours of boiling on low heat on gas stove, or electrical stove. Just slightly above boiling temperature. You can watch whole movie while such chicken is cooked.

And I meant only when boiling, not when frying or baking for so long.

Tip 3: Cook at the right temperature

If frying or baking, one of the common mistakes that people do is to place the chicken pieces immediately on the cold pan. This is wrong! A lot of moisture or juices of the chicken can get evaporated when the pan is heating up.

Let the pan reach to right temperature first and then add the chicken pieces. This way, the chicken will immediately start to cook and it will not look any moisture unnecessarily.

Tip 4: Use the chicken stock in the soup

Another best way to keep the flavor and moisture intact in the chicken breast is by the chicken stock into the soup. The chicken stock has a lot of flavors in it as the bones have the maximum flavors.

When it is added to the chicken soup, the chicken breast will soak it up and become juicy and moist at the same time. This is one of the most commonly used way to add flavor and juiciness to the chicken pieces in the soup.

It is better to make the chicken stock at home to ensure that you are getting the purest version.

Tip 5: Cook on medium to low heat

Do not cook the soup or the chicken breast in high heat! If the heat is high, it will dry out the chicken breast completely within few minutes. So, when you will cook later, it will tend to give a chewy and mushy texture.

Just to avoid this, you will have to cook the chicken breast on medium to low heat to ensure that the juice remains intact in the chicken breast.

Tip 6: Cover up the lid

One important thing that you have to make sure is the lid is tightly on when the soup is in simmer. If you keep on cooking the chicken soup without the lid, it will take away all the moisture and juices from it.

When the lid is tightly closed, it will ensure that the flavors are not escaping from the pan. This is one of the important tips to keep your chicken breast moist and tender. It traps and heat and moisture inside. So, cover the pan where the soup is cooking on low.

Tip 7: Let the soup sit for 10-20 minutes

After the soup is done, do not open the lid right away. Turn the heat off and let that soup to sit for more than 10 minutes. This is an important step that you have to follow to ensure the chicken breast pieces in your soup are tender and moist.

The soup along with the flavor will soak into the chicken pieces increasing the flavor. Though the chicken pieces will have its moisture, this step will add some more to it.

If no rush, leave chicken in the same liquid in which you boiled it for a 1 hour. Chicken may absorb some of the liquid to become softer and tastier. If it is chicken soup – then you just leave chicken inside anyway. Both chicken and liquid exchange flavors with each other.

One More Easy Tip – Add Onions to Boiling Chicken

Tss…it is a secret. Adding a half of onion may help soften the boiling chicken. Or, any other meat for that matter.

How to know the chicken is perfectly boiled?

After all these tips, hopefully, you have got the answer about how to keep the chicken moist while making the soup. But many of you may ask how you will know if the chicken is properly done or not.

As mentioned above, you can measure the temperature of the chicken to exactly know when the chicken is done. It is best to check the internal temperature of the chicken when cooking or boiling it as it is the best sign.

Ideally, when the chicken does not have the pinkish tint and the juices coming out from it is clear it is time for consuming the chicken. As already stated above, the right temperature is 165 degree Fahrenheit.

Place the thermometer in the thickest chunk of the chicken piece and keep an on the temperature. Remember that even if the temperature touches 165 degree Fahrenheit, the chicken can have a slight pinkish tinge at times.

That does not mean you have to cooking longer. But that does not mean you have to keep on cooking or boiling chicken even after the temperature reaches 165 degree. If you do so then the chicken will definitely start to dry out. You need to experiment and fail a few times to begin recognizing when chicken is cooked.

Final Summary

Now, you already know about why does boiling chicken dry it out! And you also know how you can stop that and retain the moisture in the chicken while preparing the soup. Make sure to follow all the important tips and minute details mentioned above to prepare the tastiest chicken soup with moist and tender chicken pieces in it.

The most important thing that you will need here is a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have one, you can get it easily online or even offline. Keeping it handy can help you to avoid overcooking of the chicken which can certainly lead to drying out. So, you can now make the best soup with moist and juicy chicken pieces!

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