How To Cook More Exciting Dishes With Chicken

© Nikittta

Chicken is a staple meat in most people's diets. But, did you know there are hundreds of ways of jazzing up your chicken dinner. The white meat from chicken can sometimes become quite boring and bland to eat.
However, by getting creative in the kitchen with other ingredients, you can soon turn that plain old chicken dinner into something a lot more special.

Let’s run through some ideas to help.

Marinate Your Chicken

This is a great way to add extra spice and flavour to that bland chicken meat. Marinate the bird before cooking, making sure you cover all pieces of the meat.

Lemon and garlic works really well with chicken, or should you prefer something with more of a kick, add chilli or paprika to make the dish burst with flavour.

Make sure to season the chicken with salt and pepper while it is cooking. Some people leave this job to the last minute but it is best to do this as one of the first jobs.

Different Ways Of Cooking The Bird

Choosing different cooking methods can really change the taste and texture of your chicken. Don't always cook it the same way, experiment with oven cooking, frying and grilling. You will soon start to see the differences this can make.

Instant pot cooking method is great for making meals such as a cashew chicken pot, click here for a great recipe.

Different parts of the chicken work better being cooked in certain ways as well. For example, should you choose to pan fry your chicken, it is best to dice up the breast and thigh meat, this way it’s quicker to cook, and doesn't dry out from prolonged heat exposure.

If you are having a barbecue, then legs or thighs are best because they are fattier and will stay moist for longer. Nobody enjoys eating dried chicken, so keeping the meat as moist as possible is important.

If you are on a diet and looking for the healthiest way of cooking your chicken, then oven cooking or poaching will be your best option.

Stuffing The Bird

To really get your chicken dinner bursting with flavours trying stuffing your meat with sausage meat, sage and onion or even garlic and cheese.

Using breast meat can work well with this, slightly cutting the breast open before stuffing it with ingredients. Make sure not to over pack the breast though as you don't want the whole content falling out while cooking. Perhaps try tying some string or putting toothpicks in place to hold the contents whilst the chicken is cooking

Remember you may need to adjust the cooking time if you stuff the meat with other contents, so bear that in mind.
Uncooked chicken meat can be very dangerous to consume, so if unsure always err on the side of caution and give the meat a little longer to cook through properly.

Wrapping

Another trick to make that plain chicken breast even tastier, is to wrap some other meat across the breast. Bacon or ham works best with this. It will help give more flavour to the dish as well as making it look a lot more appetising.

You could also try wrapping pastry around the meat or even adding breadcrumbs to the top, to give the meat some extra crunch.

Sauce

As well as adding spices to the meat, you could also try cooking the meat in a sauce to have it bursting with flavour.

White sauce is often used but rich tomato based sauces can work just as well.

If you are a fan of dairy, cooking the chicken in cream can really make a wonderful decadent dish.

But, be careful when using dairy products with meat. Try not to overcook the cream as it can curdle and taste bitter. So always add dairy products near the end of the cooking time.

Stir Fry

Chicken stir fry is a very underrated healthy, but tasty, meal. Using diced chicken alongside various vegetables really works well.

It's also a great way to try and increase your vegetable intake which is important for a balanced, healthy and varied diet.

Make sure to cook the chicken on a high heat pan with lots of oil. Only throw in the vegetables once the meat is almost cooked. If you put the vegetables in too soon you run the risk of over cooking them and making them mushy.

Vegetables are best eaten with a crunch, not only for their texture but this way they hold more of the vitamins inside them. 

Use Chicken Meat As An Extra Ingredient

Although you can create some amazing food where chicken is the primary ingredient, sometimes the best tasting chicken you can eat is meals that do not revolve around the white meat.
For example, adding small chopped or strips of chicken to a home cooked pizza can really taste amazing.

There are many dishes where adding meat from chicken can really enhance the dish. Instead of cooking standard spaghetti bolognese with mince meat, why not try adding chicken pisces instead.

Be adventurous with your cooking and find different ways and meals to add the white meat to and you will soon discover some amazing new ways to eat your chicken.

Conclusion

We consume a lot of chicken meat every single year so it's understandable why sometimes we can get bored of the taste of the meat. But, with so many different ways of cooking, flavouring and jazzing up this great meat there really is no excuse to grow bored of it any time soon. 

Research and look up different recipes to try out but also get creative in your kitchen by experimenting with cooking methods and styles yourself. The world is your oyster so you really don't need to settle for that boring bland chicken dish.

Chicken is a much healthier alternative to red meat, in particular pork, and it's a meat that can be used in a variety of ways.

Whether it's fast food fried chicken takeaways, or healthy chicken caesar salads, there really is a chicken dish for everyone.

Talk to your local butcher for more advice on the best cuts of chicken meat for your desired meal.