Basics Of Cooking Chicken

Chicken is a convenient and inexpensive meal. It is also very delicious. Its versatility has made it one of the most popular food items in the world.

There are a variety of different ways to prepare chicken and we are going to share with you some of our favorites. Below are some guidelines that will help you create an excellent chicken meal.

Safe Food Handling

Handling the chicken should only be done while you are wearing gloves. This will prevent you from getting sick from the bacteria that is present in the chicken. After putting on your gloves, you can then remove the chicken from its package. Make sure that you immediately throw the package from the chicken away. Also make sure that you disinfect all surfaces they chicken has come into contact with once you are done.

Cutting Up The Chicken

When you buy a roasting chicken there is usually neck bones and gizzards in the carcass. Make sure that you locate these and toss them aside. After this has been done, then you can run the chicken under tap water and make sure that it is thoroughly rinsed.

You can now transfer it to your cutting board. Once there, remove the pop up timer, if there is one, and throw it away. Now we are ready to start cutting it into more manageable pieces.

Using a sharp knife, cut down the breast bone of the chicken. This will separate the chicken into halves. Now you can remove the wish bone. After that has been done you can then begin to separate the wings and the drumsticks from the body by cutting through the ball joints. If you want to leave the skin on you can, or you can peel it off at this stage. Next move on to the backbone. Using your knife, cut alongside either side of the backbone and remove it. You can then either toss it out, or save it for chicken stock.

Making A Chicken Marinade

Now we can make a basic marinade. All you will need for this step is a bowl and the ingredients below:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Onion Powder
• Basil Garlic Powder Or Whole Garlic
• Kosher Salt

Start by placing the olive oil into the bowl and adding the red wine vinegar. Make sure that these two are mixed together well before you add the rest of the ingredients. Stir the mixture together well and then allow it to sit for about 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Making A Chicken Rub

Another thing you can do to kick your chicken up a notch is to make a basic chicken rub. You will need the following ingredients:

• Chili Powder (regular or chipotle)
• Kosher salt
• Black Ground or Cracked Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Power

Add the salt and pepper into the bowl first. If you are using cracked pepper, then make sure that you don’t add too much because cracked pepper is more potent than ground pepper. Using a spoon, mix the other ingredients together. You now have a basic chicken rub.

Baking Chicken

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Now coat the chicken with either the basic chicken rub or the chicken marinade. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. After 30 minutes, lower the heat on the oven to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 10-30 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 180 degrees.

Fried Chicken

To make fried chicken you will need a few ingredients and a deep fryer set to about 300 degrees.

Ingredients

• Chicken
• Buttermilk or Whole Milk
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper

Place the chicken in the buttermilk or whole milk and allow it to sit for a couple of hours. While it is soaking mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl. After the chicken is done soaking, dredge it through the flour mixture and coat it well. You can then drop the chicken into the deep fryer and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180 degrees. This can be checked with a poultry or meat thermometer.

Now that you know the basics of cooking chicken, you can build on these recipes and create all kinds of fantastic chicken dishes for you and your family.