Does it seem to take forever for your chicken legs to cook in the oven or on the grill? And when theyre finally done (or so you think) theyre either not fully cooked or theyre overcooked? You may be able to solve both issues by preparing partially boiled chicken drumsticks before they go in the oven.
You can finish off your oven-boiled chicken legs by baking in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until your chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
To tenderize the meat: Boiling can help to break down the muscle fibers and make the meat more tender, especially for tougher cuts. To reduce cooking time: Boiling chicken prior to roasting can reduce the total cooking time, as the meat has already been partially cooked and will require less time in the oven.
The Benefits of Parboiling
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eating raw or undercooked animal meat, which includes chicken, is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States. Raw chicken may be contaminated with various types of bacteria that can make you sick, including Salmonella and Campylobacter.
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To be safe, FoodSafety.gov recommends all chicken meat — breast, legs, thighs, quarters, drumsticks and wings — be cooked until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Even if you followed your oven-boiled chicken breast recipe exactly, its always possible to end up with undercooked or overcooked meat due to the variations in sizes of the chicken parts.
Making boiled chicken drumsticks or other cuts before baking them may help prevent under or overcooking your chicken and reduce the amount of time your chicken legs spend in the oven. Parboiling your chicken before it goes in the oven may also give you an opportunity to infuse more flavor into the meat with the use of different liquids and flavorings.
Preparing Boiled Chicken Drumsticks
Technically, parboiled and boiled chicken drumsticks arent the same. When preparing your drumsticks for the oven, you want to parboil not boil. Parboiling is a technique that uses low heat to partially cook the meat, while boiling cooks the meat all the way through. Because you want to finish your chicken in the oven, its better to parboil.
Begin by first trimming the fat from your chicken legs and rinsing them under cold running water in the sink. Then place your chicken legs in a large pot and cover them with water. Add salt and other seasonings, such as crushed garlic cloves, quartered onions or slices of fresh lemon. Place your chicken on the stove over medium-high heat and boil for 7 minutes, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 3 more minutes.
You can also boil your water first and then add the chicken, which may be helpful if youre parboiling different chicken parts. Once your water is boiling, add your trimmed and washed chicken. Cook your legs, thighs and quarters for five minutes, your chicken breast for 10 minutes and wings for 15 to 20 minutes. Use tongs to remove the chicken from the water, and then place it on a plate and pat it dry.
Does Boiling Wings Before Baking Make Them Extra Crispy???
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