Chicken can be cooked in so many different ways and used with a mind boggling number of herbs, seasonings, spices, and sauces to create the most wonderfully delicious meals. You can use whole chickens or already cut pieces, bone-in or boneless, and chicken with skin or without.
Some of the ways to cook chicken include baking, boiling, broiling, frying, grilling, poaching, roasting, and steaming. You can even cook chicken in the microwave.
Broiling, grilling, and roasting on a rack are three of the healthiest ways to cook chicken as it allows the fats to drip away from the meat. Steaming and poaching are two other good ways to cook chicken if you are concerned with fat content. You can even reduce the fat in chicken when frying or browning pieces in a skillet by using a fat-free nonstick cooking spray.
Also, use seasons, sauces, and marinades on your chicken that are low in fat such as fresh herbs and spices, juices, wine, and yogurt.
To keep chicken as tender and juicy as possible, avoid freezing before cooking as the thawing process causes extra moisture loss, which results in drier, tougher pieces of meat. Moreover, always follow temperatures and cooking times carefully. Undercooked chicken is not only unsafe to eat but it will also be too tough to eat while overcooked chicken will be dry and tough.
Use a food thermometer to check to see that your chicken is cooked thoroughly. Chicken and other poultry should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
When you are grilling chicken, remove the pieces as they are done rather than waiting for the whole batch to cook. Smaller pieces and pieces of white meat such as chicken breasts will cook faster than dark meat such as legs and wings.
Whatever way you cook your chicken, do not crowd the cooking surface and always leave space between each piece which will allow the chicken to brown and cook more evenly.
Pecan Mustard Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1-1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pound each chicken breast into about a 1/4 of an inch thickness. Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to make the process easier. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.
Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a shallow dish, mix together the honey, molasses, and mustard and stir until well combined. Put the chopped pecans in another shallow dish.
Dip the pounded and seasoned pieces of chicken in the molasses mixture first and then into the chopped nuts. Coat each piece completely.
Bake the chicken in the coated baking dish for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
Serve your pecan mustard chicken along with side dishes including potatoes, rice, salad, or vegetables.
- Yields: 4 servings
Use your favorite baked chicken rice recipe whenever you want a one dish dinner that is easy to prepare. grilled chicken recipes are great for picnics and parties or anytime you want to enjoy savory chicken with a variety of rubs, seasonings, and sauces.
BonelessChickenRecipe.com - Chicken so delightfully moist, you can almost smell it through your monitor.