Chicken is often a popular choice among non-vegetarians in India. And how does one like a chicken? Tender, juicy, and flavourful. As much as we love our chicken curries or chicken tikkas, making them at home is a task not favoured by all. Why? Something or the other may go wrong while trying to cook a perfect chicken dish.
From buying chicken and cleaning it to marinating the pieces and finally cooking them, looks like a lot of effort and time. And all of our efforts may go down the drain if we go wrong at even one of these steps. The result could be a dry, rubbery, paltry, undercooked, or overcooked chicken. And well, after waiting for a long time for a sumptuous feast, it can be a real disappointment.
If you are looking to ace your chicken game at home, you need to keep a few things in mind. Here are the five tips.
1. Buy Fresh Meat, Not Frozen
Contrary to the popular practice of buying frozen meat, opt for fresh meat instead. It is, in fact, a better option. Moist chicken turns out to be juicy when cooked, while frozen raw chicken often loses its moisture content and can result in a dry dish.
2. Don’t Forget To Marinate The Meat
At times when we have to cook a quick chicken dish, we often let go of the process of brining or marinating the chicken. The process of brining, which involves soaking chicken in salt water and a dash of sugar before cooking, helps prevent overcooking and also retains its moisture. Besides, marinating the chicken with some spices, curd, lemon juice or other ingredients as per your recipe, lends a better flavour.
3. Avoid Uneven Chicken Pieces
Uneven chicken pieces can lead to uneven cooking, leaving certain pieces undercooked, and some overcooked. Make sure to cut your chicken into even pieces, so that they all cook at the same time and you also know when to take off the pan from the stove.
4. Cover The Pan While Cooking
Cover the pan whenever cooking meat, as putting a lid locks the steam in and helps in rendering moisture to it. It eventually helps in not letting the chicken dry out because of the heat.
5. Go For Pounding The Meat When Required
When you are cooking a whole chicken breast, you would see how thick it is. Cooking the thick breast as is can also lead to overcooking of the outer layer or undercooking of the inner layer. This is where pounding comes into play, where you pound the chicken piece evenly with the help of a meat hammer/mallet to tenderise the chicken and to ensure uniform cooking. You can get it done from the meat seller as well.
