Parboil Chicken

When I took to cooking, I came across a number of terms, which sounded Greek and Latin to me. I would get flustered and scrap the recipe altogether. Till there came a day, when I decided to decipher the meaning of all these Greek and Latin sounding words. One such word was parboil. Well from the word itself, we can understand, that it has something to do with boiling.
Parboiling is very similar to boiling. In parboiling, the liquid (often water) used to parboil is separated from the food. In most normal cases the liquid is poured off, which can later be used to make some other dish. One point, which distinctly separates boiling from parboiling is the heat used to boil. When parboiling the heat is left at simmer, on the other hand, while boiling the heat used is often full. The time required will depend on the type of chicken you are parboiling. It takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes to parboil a whole young chicken. If you use chicken pieces, then the time required is much less as compared to parboiling whole chicken. Depending on the size of the pieces to be parboiled, you may need about 15 to 20 minutes.Parboil Chicken Before Grilling
Many a time, it so happens, that we choose not to grill chicken, as the entire grilling procedure, takes way too long for our liking. However, if you parboil chicken before grilling, it will reduce the cooking time a great deal. For this, place them in cold water and bring the water to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat and let them simmer for about 20 to 22 minutes. Then skim the impurities, that will form the top layer of water. Remove the pieces from the pot and place it on the grill, till the skin starts to become crisp. Coat the crisp side with sauce and turn the pieces over to the other side. Repeat the procedure on the other side as well. Leave the chicken on the grill, till the sauce on both the sides is caramelized. Before you remove the pieces from the grill, make sure that the pieces are well cooked. Eating undercooked meat may not be the best idea.Parboil Chicken Wings
Are you planning to make chicken wings for dinner tonight? Whether you plan to grill chicken wings or you plan to bake chicken wings, wouldn’t it be great, if you could finish cooking at the earliest? Well, the trick is to parboil it before you make chicken wings. Fill a sauce pan with water and add chicken wings. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer for anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from water and let it drain and cool for some time. Then you can use the regular procedure to make chicken wings. If you want you can also add onion pieces and cloves to the water, when you are parboiling chicken wings.Parboil Chicken Before Frying
Fried chicken is very heavy to digest, due to the amount of oil required to fry it. However, if you parboil it before frying, not only will it require less amount of oil, but it will also cook faster and taste better. In a pot, place the chicken pieces and pour water on the pieces, till the pieces are well submerged in water. Bring the water to a boil on high flame, reduce the heat to simmer and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pieces from the water and place it on a kitchen tissue and let it dry. Once there is no water on the pieces, follow the normal procedure to fry chicken.
The water that remains after you parboil chicken can be used to cook rice or noodles or as chicken stock. Some people choose to remove the fat that accumulates and then use the chicken stock. If you want a specific taste to the chicken, you can add the condiments of your choice to the chicken, when you are parboiling it.

Parboil Chicken

Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Shawarma is essentially a Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap made of shaved lamb, chicken, turkey, beef or a mixture of these meats. To make shawarma, normally strips of meat is placed on a stick and onion and tomato are placed on top of the stack for flavoring. The meat is slowly roasted on all sides. It is grilled for as long as a day. The meat remains juicy because of the chunks of fat in it. After cooking, the meat is shaved off the stack using a large stick.
Shawarma is to the Middle East, what burger is to the West. Normally shawarma is wrapped in pita bread or flat bread and served with some salad (like cucumber, onion, tomato, lettuce, eggplant, cabbage, pickled turnips, pickled gherkins, etc.) and it is topped with tahini, hummus, picked turnips, etc. The difference between chicken shawarma or any other shawarma is that, a chicken shawarma necessarily is served with garlic mayonnaise or garlic sauce. Also in some middle eastern countries, chicken shawarma is toasted before it is eaten, while the other shawarma is eaten immediately after it is made. The Greek dish gyros has a striking similarity with the shawarma. It is said that the origin of shawarma is in Turkey, where it is known as dőner kebab.How to Make Chicken Shawarma
Are you also bored like me of eating the regular ‘prawn mayo’ or ‘cheese and pickle’ sandwiches? Try one of the chicken shawarma recipes given below and you may never go back to any other sandwich.Recipe # 1
This is an authentic chicken shawarma recipe. It will take you approximately 40 minutes cooking time and an additional 10 times preparation time.Ingredients To Make ShawarmaBoneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breasts 1 ½ lbs
Plain Yogurt 1 cup
Vinegar ¼ cup
Garlic (crushed) 2 cloves
Pepper 1 tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Cardamom Pods 2
Allspice 1 tsp
Lemon Juice from 1 lemon
Ingredients for the SauceTahini Sauce 1 cup
Garlic (crushed) 2 cloves
Lemon Juice ¼ cup
Yogurt 2 tbsp
Ingredients for Pita FillingsPita Bread 4 large
Cucumber thinly sliced
Onions thinly sliced
Tomatoes thinly sliced
Sumac ½ tsp
Fresh Parsley (finely chopped) ½ cup
Pickles of your choice
MethodTo make the shawarma combine all the ingredients apart from chicken to make the marinade.
If the marinade seems little dry, you can add little olive oil to it.
Now add chicken to the marinade and roll it to coat well.
Leave the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. It would be good if you could leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Cook the chicken in a large sauce pan over medium heat, till it is well done. It will take approximately 40 minutes. But make sure you do not overcook the chicken.
When you are cooking the chicken, if it feels dry, you can add little water to the chicken.
In the mean time, you can prepare the shawarma sauce and the pita bread.
Combine all the ingredients of the sauce and set is aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber and onions together and sprinkle sumac on it.
Then add the other ingredients, combine well and keep it aside.
Once the chicken is done, shred the chicken.
Place sufficient quantities of chicken on the ¼ of the loaf.
Top the chicken with the vegetables and pour sauce over it.
Roll the bread, if you want it toasted you can toast it for a few minutes or eat it without toasting it.
Recipe # 2
This is another chicken shawarma recipe, which will serve 8 people and will require 10 minutes of preparation time and about 40 minutes of cooking time.Ingredients To Make ShawarmaChicken Thighs (Boneless & Skinless) 8
Mixed Spice 1 tsp
Cardamoms ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
Plain Yogurt ¼ cup
Malt Vinegar ½ cup
Vegetable Oil 1 tbsp
Ingredients for the SaucePlain Yogurt ¼ cup
Tahini Sauce ½ cup
Garlic (minced) ½ tsp
Lemon Juice 2 tbsp
Fresh Parsley (chopped) 1 tbsp
Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Ingredients for Pita FillingsPita Bread 8 rounds
Tomatoes (thinly sliced) 4
Onion (thinly sliced) ½ cup
Lettuce (shredded) 4 cups
MethodIn a baking dish mix together, malt vinegar, ¼ cup plain yogurt, vegetable oil, mixed spice, cardamom, salt and pepper, then add chicken thighs to the mixture and coat well.
Cover the chicken and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In another bowl combine tahini, ¼ cup plain yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley together. Add salt and pepper as per taste.
Cover the sauce and place the bowl in the refrigerator.
Cover the chicken and let it bake for 30 minutes, but do turn the chicken once in between.
Uncover the chicken and let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, till the chicken is browned and thoroughly cooked.
Remove the chicken from the dish and shred it.
Place shredded chicken, tomato, onion, lettuce inside pita bread and top it with the sauce. Now you can relish your chicken shawarma.
Personally I like both the shawarma chicken recipes and make them alternately. It also depends on the amount of time I have at home and also on the availability of the required ingredients. I hope you do relish the chicken shawarma as much as I do.

Chicken Shawarma Recipe

How to Bake Chicken Wings

Well, cooked chicken wings and legs are favorites for those who crave for poultry dishes. Amongst the various cooking options, baked chicken wings are popularly served appetizers in parties and special gatherings. Or these tasty finger foods can be served as healthy snacks in substitution to fried chicken recipes. But, most of us end up ordering them from restaurants, thinking homemade oven-baked chicken does not taste great. If you want to learn how to bake chicken wings at home, the following info will interest you.Baking Chicken Wings in the Oven?
Apply your culinary skills and you can make scrumptious baked chicken wings like a professional chef. Believe me, you don’t need to visit pricey restaurants to take a bite of yummy baked chicken thighs and wings. You just need to follow correct tips for chicken preparation, seasoning, oiling and cooking time, and baking tasty chicken wings is just a few steps away.Preparatory Step
Prior to starting the actual cooking method, keep some things in mind for baking tasty chicken wings. Always keep the kitchen area clean and use good quality cookware. Begin with washing your hands properly and keep the required supplies handy. If available, use only fresh ingredients, including chicken and seasoning spices. The point is to purchase 3 pounds chicken wings from a trusted meat store (not from supermarkets). Make sure you check their food safety considerations before adding it in your shopping cart.Cleaning the Chicken Wings
Considering that you have purchased fresh chicken wings, clean them thoroughly under running tap water. What you can do is fill a large bowl with water, and add the chicken wings. Rinse each of the wings individually and keep in a platter. If possible, add a mixture of lime juice and vinegar for further cleaning of the meat. After you are done with lime treatment, dab them dry with absorbent paper towels, and place in a bowl. Now, your chicken wings are ready for oiling and seasoning.Seasoning the Chicken Wings
The next preparatory step is proper seasoning of the meat. To make moist baked chicken, rub the cleaned chicken wings with oil. For the seasoning part, mix 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, pepper and salt in a large bowl. To this, add wings and combine with seasoning mixture for even coating. If time permits, marinade the wings in a mixture of your favorite seasoning spices for some time. In case you are in a hurry, just season the wings and keep in it for half an hour. For more info on cooking chicken wings, you can refer to how to cook chicken wings.Baking the Chicken Wings
If you are not sure about how long to bake chicken wings, remember that the ideal cooking time differs with the temperature setting and thickness of meat pieces. Preheat the oven to 400° F for at least 10-15 minutes, before you actually start with cooking chicken in the oven. Prepare an oven-safe baking dish by lightly brushing with non-sticky oil. Place your marinated or seasoned chicken wings in this dish in one layer. Reduce oven heat setting slightly before baking, say 375° F. Bake them in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, flipping once in between cooking, say 15-20 minutes.Serving Baked Chicken Wings
When juices from the baked chicken wings come out clear, you can be sure that the chicken wings are done and ready for serving. Allow them to cool down and let the internal cooking continue for 5-7 minutes. But, if you like the taste of crispy chicken, you can grill further to make them crunchy, like restaurant style chicken wings. Serve with spicy dip sauce and your favorite veggies on the side.
So, isn’t baking chicken wings easy for you? Instead of trying regular chicken recipes that you have been preparing for many years, bake moist and flavorful chicken wings to satisfy your taste buds. They are perfect for serving in main course, or as easy appetizers and snacks. Also, by serving baked chicken wings, you are controlling the daily calorie intake of you and your family members. Isn’t that great?

How to Bake Chicken Wings

How to Make Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken is one of the most favored fillings for sandwiches, salads, tacos, etc. Naturally! Who wouldn’t love a juicy chopped chicken filled soft or hard taco as a quick snack or as a tasty meal? Once you learn the basic recipe of shredded chicken, you can use it for making other scrumptious dishes. So, let us take a look at some easy recipes.Making Shredded Chicken in a Crock PotIngredients
4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
14.5 oz chicken broth
2-3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of poultry rub of your choice
Method of Preparation
Rub the poultry rub all over the chicken and place chicken at the bottom of the crockpot. Put the chicken broth and bay leaves in the crockpot and cover. Cook for 4 hours. After the prescribed time, open the lid, remove the bay leaves and take the chicken out of the broth. Shred using two forks or bear paws meat handlers. This is one of the easiest crockpot recipes which you can use for making tacos, sandwich filling, etc.How to Make Mexican Shredded ChickenIngredients
4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
3 cups of chicken broth
¼ cup of salsa sauce
2 jalapeño peppers
1 quartered onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 lime
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Method of Preparation
Rub lime all over the chicken and leave it for 15-20 minutes so that the flavor sets in. Now in a pot, bring chicken broth, oregano, bay leaves, peppers, onion and garlic to boil. Add chicken to this mixture and heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Drain the chicken. Next, take salsa sauce in a bowl and mix cumin and chili powder to it. Put chicken in the salsa mixture. Shred using forks or bear paws meat handlers. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste.Shredded Chicken Taco RecipeIngredients
2 chicken breasts
1 cup of chicken broth
1 minced onion
6 minced tomatoes
2 teaspoon of oregano
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 chopped garlic cloves
4 chopped jalapeño chillies
Salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
Taco shells
Method of Preparation
Follow the above mentioned method on making chicken in a crockpot. Now, in a skillet, pour the olive oil and sauté onion, chilies and garlic until soft. Add the shredded meat, tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano and salt to the sautéed mixture. Continue heating and simmer until a mixture of desired consistency is formed. Fill in taco shells and serve hot.Shredded Chicken Sandwich RecipeIngredients
4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Sandwich bread / buns
Method of Preparation
Firstly you need to season the chicken with your favorite poultry rub or salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a crockpot and pour cream of chicken soup, onion and garlic over it. Add 1-1.5 cups of water, cover and bring to boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Then remove it from the pot and let it cool. Shred it using forks or bear paws meat handlers. At the same time, let the remaining mixture in the pot boil to form a thick sauce. Put the shredded meat back in the pot / in the sauce and heat for 5 minutes. You can serve it with sandwich bread / buns along with sliced tomatoes or onions.
You can try these chicken recipes to make exciting snacks and meals for your family. Good luck!

How to Make Shredded Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

One of the cooking styles used in Japanese cooking is teriyaki, where food is either broiled or grilled. The word teriyaki is of Japanese origin. Teri stands for shine or glaze given to the food by the sugar content in the sauce used for cooking, while yaki stands for the broiling or grilling the food. More often than not, it was meat, which was cooked in the teriyaki style, where traditionally the meat pieces were either dipped in the sauce or brushed with the sauce a number of times, before the meat pieces are cooked. The ingredients used to make the teriyaki sauce are soy sauce, mirin, sugar or honey. Normally the ingredients are mixed together and then boiled to reduce it to the thickness, which one wants. The meat is then left in the sauce before it is grilled or broiled. This sauce tastes the best with chicken. One can easily make teriyaki chicken at home without having to buy the sauce from the store. These recipes will prove to be of great help for making wonderful chicken dishes at home.How to Make Teriyaki Chicken
It is important to note that different ingredients like sesame, garlic, pineapple juice may also be added to the teriyaki sauce. However in traditional Japanese food these ingredients were not added to the recipe. One of the method used these days is to cook meat first and them pour the sauce on the cooked meat, however it is not the traditional method of making teriyaki chicken or any other meat dish using teriyaki sauce.Japanese Style
There are many versions of the teriyaki chicken, which you will come across. However, to make teriyaki sauce does not take long either. The sauce can also be used in the teriyaki chicken stir fry recipe as well.Ingredients¾ pounds chicken breasts or thighs
4 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 to 4 tbsp vegetable oil
MethodClean the chicken pieces and using a fork poke the pieces.
In a mixing bowl, mix mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar together.
Continue to stir, till sugar is dissolved.
Pour the mixture on the chicken pieces and place the refrigerator for half an hour.
In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil.
Fry the chicken pieces on medium heat till the skin is browned.
Change the sides of chicken and fry the other side as well.
After the chicken is browned, pour the marinating sauce on the chicken pieces.
Cover the pan and let the chicken cook on low heat till it is done.
Once the chicken is done, open the lid and let the sauce simmer till it becomes thick.
Slice the chicken pieces and serve with rice.
Wings
Although traditionally chicken wings are made by frying chicken in oil, in this recipe we are going to broil the chicken pieces for sometime, before we place them in the crockpot. Making chicken wings using this recipe is very healthy as well. Now we will see how to cook chicken wings with teriyaki sauce.Ingredients16 chicken wings
¼ cup dry sherry
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Scallion for garnishing
MethodAfter the chicken wings are washed, pat dry them and remove the wing tips.
At the joint of the chicken wings make two sections.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken wings.
Keep them aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
Now place them on a broiler pan and broil the pieces for 10 to 12 minutes on each side, till the wings are brown in color.
In the mean time, in a mixing bowl combine chopped onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, sherry, ginger and garlic.
After the chicken wings are done, place them in a crockpot and pour the sauce on the wings.
Stir the sauce, so that all the pieces are well soaked in the sauce.
Cover the crockpot and let the chicken pieces cook on low for 4 to 5 hours till they are well cooked.
Ensure that you do stir a couple of times in between, when the pieces are cooking.
Sprinkle scallions on the chicken and serve warm.
Teriyaki chicken can be garnished using minced ginger as well. If you do not want to fry chicken, then it is best to broil the chicken, before you let it cook in the teriyaki sauce. As far as possible, let the chicken cook on low heat for it to taste better.

Teriyaki Chicken

Baked Chicken Breast

All of us non vegetarians who swear by the gustatory pleasures of carnivorous indulgences are extremely indebted to the common domestic poultry fowl from generations! Chicken is something that even the most staunch of vegetarians or the most puritanical vegan cannot dismiss as something unhealthy or nutritionally irrelevant for consumption purposes (and I know how much my vegetarian/vegan brethren hate the domestic fowl for it!!). Chicken recipes are some of those inclusions in a non-vegetarian menu which are likely to do you more good than harm, what with all that fiber rich, lean flesh power packed with beneficial proteins and a number of vitamins and minerals. We’ve often heard our elders say that beauty lies in simplicity and chicken breast, when baked, sort of holds light to this generic philosophy.
As much as a well made chicken breast indulges the taste buds and satiates the gastronomic senses, it is very easy to prepare and there is much scope for personal innovation. You can play around with a lot of ingredients to dish out a large variety of baked chicken breast recipes that would serve as a temptation to the taste buds and would exhibit your culinary creativity in a most delicious way! Here are a couple of ideas on how to bake chicken and conjure up that perfect chicken breast dish to impress a stern mother-in-law, cheer up an upset friend or sweep your better half off her/his feet!Baked Chicken Breast Recipes
From the classic oven-baked breast cuts of chicken to an exotic style baked chicken platter, you can be as flexible and innovative as you want by just having an open mind about the ingredients and playing it bold once you’ve mastered the basics. Trust your creative flair and you’ll be surprised by the rewards!Classic Oven-baked ChickenIngredients
Chicken Breasts – 6-8 (depending upon the company)
Salt – As per taste
Pepper – As per taste
Garlic Powder – 3-4 teaspoonfuls (1 teaspoonful for two chicken breast cuts)
Olive Oil – Enough to rub over all the chicken breast pieces
Method of PreparationPreheat the oven to around 375 °F.
Wash the chicken breast and pat dry to remove any excess moisture.
Cover the chicken breast pieces with olive oil by rubbing or brushing it all over them.
Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder together and rub all over the olive oil coated chicken breasts.
Brush some olive oil onto a baking pan and place the chicken breasts inside it. Cover with a baking foil and cook in the oven for about twenty to twenty five minutes (or till the chicken gets tender).
Once the chicken breasts assume a tender and moist texture, take them out of the oven and garnish them with coriander leaves or celery sticks if you want.
Ahhhh… The inviting, aromatic steam escaping the surface of the freshly baked breast pieces of chicken is motivation enough to throw etiquette out of the window and just dig in!Crispy Baked Chicken BreastIngredients
Boneless, Skinned Chicken Breast Pieces – 4-6
Garlic Butter Flavored Crackers – 1 Sleeve (finely crushed)
Cheddar Cheese – 1-2 cubes (shredded)
Roasted Garlic Pepper – 1 ½ -2 tablespoon
Garlic Powder – 1 ½ -2 tablespoon
Dried Parsley – 1 tablespoon
Low Fat Butter – 1 stick (melted)
Method of Preparation
Wash and dry the chicken breasts as directed under the previous recipe.
Mix the crushed crackers seasonings and cheese together.
Rub the melted butter all over the chicken breasts and coat them with the cracker-cheese-seasonings mixture.
Line a baking pan with baking foil, place the dressed chicken breasts in it and bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes on a temperature of 375 °F. Do not preheat oven.
You can grate some additional cheese on top of the chicken preparation during the last couple of minutes of cooking for a more gourmet look and taste.
While the former classic oven-baked chicken breast recipe gives you tender, succulent chicken breasts to drool over, the latter crispy baked chicken recipe adds some zing to the basic recipe in terms of ingredients, taste and the entire presentation. For those of you who are getting nagging thoughts about the calories, a whole 6 ounces of baked chicken breasts using the generic ingredients and cooking method packs only 330 calories if the skin is intact. However, skinned, the same quantity of baked chicken retains approximately 282 calories. You can control these calories to a large extent by manipulating the ingredients. For instance, using olive oil instead of butter and cutting down on the cheese in favor of citrus marinades will reduce the calorie intake by a significant percentage. So, create your own gustatory masterpiece and surprise the company with your culinary creativity. Trust me, they’ll be floored every time!

Baked Chicken Breast

Healthy Ways to Cook Chicken

Don’t you just love munching on those deep-fried chicken wings? Head-over-heels crazy about those richly breaded chicken portions? Well as much as these chicken preparations might make you drool, they do you more harm than good, merely on account of the way they are cooked. Yes, no matter how nutritious, fiber rich and protein laden chicken is, if not cooked the healthy way, all you get is the taste as the chicken is almost completely stripped of its health benefits and such preparations introduce more fats and cholesterol into your system, most of which does not belong to the beneficial category. So, what measures can you adopt in order to dish out healthy chicken recipes on a regular basis that allows you to include this nutritious food item into your daily diet without tipping the scales of health and nutrition? Well, skim right along this Buzzle article to find out!Healthful Ways of Cooking Chicken Breasts
Chicken breasts are perhaps the most versatile parts of the entire fowl and can be cooked in a variety of ways for a range of delightful gastronomic experiences. There are quite a number of healthy ways in which you can cook chicken breasts without stripping them of their sumptuous flavor. Here are some methods that will give you some insights on how to include health along with taste when cooking chicken breasts.Boil ‘em! The best way to get rid of any excess fat from boneless chicken breast pieces is to boil them in a pot of water till they lose the pinkish hue in the center of the flesh. Once they’ve boiled sufficiently, take them out of the water and allow any excess water to drain away by either squeezing them or keeping them in a utensil that has a perforated base for some time. You can use these boiled chicken portions in a number of ways – right from shredding and adding them to vegetable soups to making a healthy salad out of them. In case you wish to fry them, you’ll require much less oil and no added fats to prepare them. You see, keeping some boiled chicken breast in the freezer can come handy in a lot of ways!Broil ‘em! Coating boneless chicken breast pieces in a thin layer of oil, preferably some healthy oil such as that of olive, and broiling them in a preheated oven is one of the most healthful and tasteful ways of cooking chicken breasts. Take care to turn the pieces over in the broiling pan on equal intervals to avoid overcooking on one side. You can baste the chicken in any sauce or preserve of your choice while broiling. To check whether the inner layer has been properly cooked, slice the piece open when you remove from heat and cook for a few more minutes if you feel the inner recesses are a tad undercooked.
You can also grill, bake and roast chicken breasts for a healthy dinner option. As I said, chicken breasts are perhaps the most versatile part of this fowl and can be cooked in a number of ways for delightful results.Healthy Styles of Cooking Chicken Wings
Chicken wings score second to chicken breasts as the most versatile parts of chicken when it comes to the number of ways it can be cooked to retain all its health benefits and keep unwanted fats and calories away from the dish. Although you cannot do much with boiled chicken wings alone, you can always opt for grilling, baking, roasting and stir frying when you’re in a mood to chew on some light crunchy bones. As I said, it’s not a good idea to simply add boiled chicken wings to any dish (salad, soup, sandwich or any other preparation) but it would be a good idea to boil and drain them before roasting, stir frying or grilling as boiling kind of pre-cooks the wings and less oil is needed during stir frying, roasting and grilling. Pair it with a spicy sauce and there, you have one hell of a healthy killer of an appetizer!Healthy Methods of Cooking Chicken Legs
Though not as versatile a portion as chicken breasts or wings, chicken legs definitely top the charts as the more favorite among all three! The reason lies both in their dressing (no need to render them boneless) and the ease with which they can be savored. Besides, there is quite a large section of the chicken eating populace that loves crackling on those broad chicken leg bones – I know, I do! Now, the main challenge with healthy ways to cook chicken drumsticks, or any chicken portion having bones for that matter, lies in making sure that the bone and the marrow inside it does not remain uncooked or semi-cooked. As I have said before, boiling the chicken portion before further cooking eliminates most chances of inner areas of the flesh remaining uncooked. In absence of boiling, deep-frying is the only way you can ensure that tough portions like the legs and other parts which have bones get thoroughly cooked.
However, one good way to cook chicken legs without deep-frying them is to marinate them well in advance and then grilling them on a barbecue. Again, if you skin and boil the drumsticks beforehand, the flesh will absorb the marinade better, imparting a deeper flavor and allowing the bone, marrow and the surrounding flesh to get thoroughly cooked.
Those were some healthy options for cooking various chicken portions. Whichever chicken portion it is that you plan to cook for dinner tonight, make sure you skin it and boil it to remove all excess, unwanted fats. Also, this makes the flesh tender and eliminates the need to deep-fry or use additional fats for thorough cooking. Also, if it is health benefits you’re looking for and you have a low-fat chicken recipe in mind, you’ll have to give up on those high fat breading alternatives. Instead, you can use some delicious and aromatic marinades, sauces, a couple of grilling tongs and a barbecue to serve a platter of health-a-licious fare which even you won’t feel guilty hogging on!

Healthy Ways to Cook Chicken