Basic Methods for Cooking Chicken

An Introduction to Cooking Techniques

One of the most useful and easy to accomplish kitchen skills is how to cook chicken. An extremely versatile ingredient, cuisines from around the world have a signature chicken recipe such as Chicken Cacciatore, Coq au Vin, and Southern Fried Chicken. Regardless of the origin, the majority of recipes use one of the following eight cooking methods.

In The Oven

Roasting is used most often to cook a whole chicken. Place the bird on a rack in an uncovered roasting pan to allow heat to circulate around and underneath the chicken and is basted with pan drippings to keep the meat moist and to help develop crispy brown skin.

Like roasting, baking uses dry heat but the food is cooked in a baking pan. Typically chicken is baked either as a casserole or as individual pieces that are cooked in a sauce.

Broiling uses direct heat from above and is most often used for pieces of chicken or a whole bird that has had the backbone removed and is then pressed flat. Preheat the broiler for 8-10 minutes. Use a broiler pan that has a slotted top piece and keep 6-8 inches between the broiler and the food.

On The Stovetop

Frying uses medium to high heat and depending on the type of frying, a varying amount of fat. Pan frying uses the least amount of fat, and deep-frying the most. To shallow fry, preheat a heavy bottom skillet. Add enough oil to reach midway up whatever you are frying and keep the oil at a constant temperature. Only flip the food once during cooking.

Sautéing is perfect for cooking thin cuts such as cutlets. Preheat a shallow, wide bottom pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then the ingredients but do not over crowd. There needs to be space between each piece of food to allow steam to evaporate. Turn or flip the food frequently during cooking.

Stir-frying uses high heat and only a small amount of fat. Preheat a skillet or wok until the oil is very hot, add the ingredients in groups according to cooking time. Make sure not to crowd the pan so the food will fry, not stew and then keep stirring the food continuously until the vegetables are crisp tender and the chicken juices run clear.