Chicken is great — on that we can all agree, right? Unless youve ascribed to a certain way of living (shout out to the vegetarians and the vegans), chicken can be a fantastic go-to meat for pretty much any occasion. Need a cheap Christmas alternative? Chicken. Got some pesto you need to get rid of? Chicken. Feeling the uncontrollable urge to deep fry something? Friend, youd better believe that chickens on the menu.
Unfortunately, chickens status as a great all-rounder also means that its often not taken quite as seriously by home cooks as, say, beef, pork or duck. All too many people tend to think of it as an “easy” choice of meat, but the truth is that getting it right — getting it really right, we mean — is actually pretty tough. You may even be surprised at just how many of these poultry-based mistakes youre still making in the kitchen. Sort it out, yeah? That chicken deserves better.
Just like with any kind of meat or fish, the first (and arguably most important) job when preparing chicken is choosing a high-quality cut or bird. People put a hell of a lot of thought into how their beef steaks look, smell, and feel before paying good money for them, and chicken really shouldnt be any different.
There are a few key ways you can tell whether your chicken is any good. Firstly, the meat ought to be bright pink all over (including in the crevice areas, such as the thighs and wings). If that chicken is going gray, its going bad. The flesh should be firm but not stiff, and should be springy to the touch. Equally, chicken that has developed an odor should be avoided like the plague (because frankly, it might have the same effect on your body) and there should be absolutely no blood visible on the meat. Follow those rules and youll be going home with a potentially tasty chicken.
Pre-frozen food is never your friend in the kitchen, and that goes just as much for chicken as it does anything else. See, the one thing you want in chicken is juiciness, and that juiciness comes from the meat containing a suitable amount of water. During the freezing process, however, meat dries out and loses much of its water content — meaning the eventual, cooked chicken is going to be almost totally devoid of those juices.
According to James Wilschke, executive chef at Hollywoods Filifera restaurant, you cant always trust a “fresh, never frozen” label, either. “Im sure there are grocery stores that are overstocked on product,” he told Food & Wine. “And if they dont want it to spoil, they might freeze it to just extend the life of it.” If its good meat youre after, your best bet will be heading to a butcher and sourcing your meat from there.
Yes, you should always season your chicken before cooking when it’s raw. You can even do this up to 24 hours before if you have the time. Why? Because leaving the seasoning on your chicken overnight in the fridge will help it start to trap moisture in the chicken, which will make it nice and juicy once cooked.
Not drying your meat
The word “dry” might seem like anathema to anyone wanting to cook up a good chicken, but the truth is that drying out your meat after brining is a must-do for any poultry cook worth their salt. According to James Wilshcke, doing this will help encourage the caramelized outer crust which makes all good chicken even better “People want to get really crispy meat, and the general rule of cooking is moisture is the enemy of caramelization,” he told Food & Wine. “When you want to get meat crispy, you want the skin as dry as possible.”
You should air dry the meat out of its packaging in the fridge for up to four hours (though much longer can occasionally be more suitable, and Wilschke himself lets it dry for a day or two if hes making fried chicken), before taking it out and patting it down with a clean paper towel.
This is a must-do on the preparation checklist if youve got chicken breast in mind for your recipe. Many of the issues that come with cooking chicken breast can actually be mitigated, if not avoided altogether, with a good bit of heavy tenderizing prior to cooking.
Pounding the chicken helps spread out the thickness and allows the meat to cook more evenly and quickly. The process also makes the resulting chicken juicer and tastier, which is especially helpful considering chicken breast can often be neither of those things. The method is simple. All you have to do is wrap up the chicken in plastic wrap (a plastic storage bag will do), grab a heavy object such as a ladle or sauce pan, and start hitting it. Start from the thick part of the cut and slowly work your way to the thinner bits, until the whole thing is finally thin and flat. Once thats done, youre ready to season and cook. Easy!
Only using the breast
Theres nothing like a good, tender chicken breast to make a good meal, is there? After all, its the cut of the bird with the most meat, as well as the one thats easiest to cook — plus its super tasty. Whats not to love?
Well, it might give you the most meat but the breast isnt actually the easiest to cook, and its not the best, either. Too many people gravitate towards it because it appears to be the choicest cut, causing them to overlook some far more interesting parts of the bird. Arguably the most underrated of all: the chicken thigh.
The advantages of cooking with chicken thighs are numerous. Theyre far easier to cook (more-so than breasts, which are actually very easy to over-do), have a fantastic texture, season easily, and often just taste a whole lot better than the other parts of the chicken. Find a good recipe and you might never go back to breasts.
By and large, the points weve hit so far on chicken prep have dealt with ensuring the meat youre using is high-quality and suitable, and results in deliciousness rather than disappointment. This, however, is an altogether more serious element of the cooking process. Put short: never wash raw chicken.
According to the NHS, running raw chicken under the tap will likely increase your risk of food poisoning from campylobacter bacteria. This is because the water droplets which splash onto the chicken from the tap can travel over a foot and half in any direction — onto cooking equipment, clothing, surfaces and, more likely than not, your own hands. And it really doesnt take much for you to be infected with campylobacter, a form of poisoning which causes stomach pain, severe diarrhea, and vomiting for up to five days. Worse (though rarer) complications can lead to arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and damage to your nervous system. Just trust the cooking process to kill bacteria — theres no need to rinse it.
6 mistakes to avoid when cooking chicken!
FAQ
Do you season chicken before or after browning?
Is it better to add seasoning before or after cooking?
How long can you leave raw seasoned chicken in the fridge?
Should you season chicken before boiling?
Does chicken need seasoning?
Chicken is one of the most versatile and popular meats, and for good reason. It’s a healthy and tasty source of protein that can be cooked in countless ways to suit almost any taste preference. However, cooking chicken that’s flavorful, moist and tender can sometimes be a challenge. That’s where seasoning comes in.
Can one eat chicken while on a diet?
If it’s not a vegetarian, vegan diet, with restrictions on animal protein, more specifically chicken, it’s okay to eat chicken. It is recommended to consume preferably organic chicken and to have healthy habits and lifestyle.
Do You season chicken before cooking?
Before baking, the chicken is seasoned by patting it dry with a paper towel and then generously distributing the chosen seasoning on both sides. If baking bone-in, skin-on cuts, make sure to salt and season in between the meat and skin as well as the underside.
How do you use chicken seasoning?
Measure your ingredients. Use a tablespoon of seasoning for every pound of chicken. Mix the seasonings in a small bowl before applying them to the chicken. 3. Pat the chicken dry. If using a dry rub, pat the chicken dry with paper towels before seasoning to ensure the dry rub properly sticks to the meat.