Chicken. It’s affordable, readily available, and easy to prepare. Even cooking beginners can learn to make great chicken dishes.
Chicken is also extremely versatile. There seem to be dozens of different way you can cook chicken. But three chicken methods stand head and shoulders above the others. And whether you cook your chicken in the oven, on the grill or in a frying pan, here are some tips that will help you turn out deliciously cooked chicken.
Roasted Chicken
roasted chicken with potatoes
While you can roast chicken pieces, this cooking method is the perfect solution when dealing with a whole chicken. Roasting chicken is also pretty easy. You just put your chicken in a pan, set it in an oven that’s been pre-heated to 375° F, and let it cook.
Use a rub to season your chicken before you cook it. To keep things simple, sprinkle some salt, pepper, dried herbs and powdered spices onto the exterior of the chicken and then rub them in.
You can make a roasted chicken more flavorful by stuffing it. A simple way to do it is to quarter an onion and put them into the cavity of the chicken. If you want to get a little fancier, put some chopped onions and garlic into a bowl. Add some of your favorite herbs and spices, and give the mixture a stir. Finally, use this mixture to stuff the chicken.
To keep the chicken moist, baste it with the pan juices every 15 to 20 minutes.
How long you roast a chicken depends on how big the chicken is. You should count on about 20 minutes of cooking time for each pound of chicken, plus an extra 15 minute or so.
You don’t want to roast chicken for too long, or it might end up dry and tough. But, no matter what your timer says, a chicken should be roasted until the internal temperature reaches 165° F to 180° F. Use the thermometer to check the thickest part of the chicken.
Grilled Chicken
Photograph of two chicken filets on the barbecue
There’s just something fun about grilling chicken. It makes you think of picnics, beaches, and lazy days. Grilled chicken is also delicious.
Marinating chicken pieces overnight will help give them more flavor after grilling.
Do not over flip your chicken during grilling. Flip it too much and it will take longer to cook. Flipping it every 15 or 20 minutes should be enough.
You also shouldn’t try to guess when your grilled chicken is done. Use a thermometer to know for sure. You can take your chicken pieces off of the grill when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165° F to 180° F.
The size and thickness of a piece of chicken will determine how long it takes to grill. So a chicken breast will probably take longer to cook thoroughly than a chicken leg.
