Chicken is not necessarily a difficult poultry to cook and cook. However, for ever more melting, successful and tasty preparations, we can obviously improve our practices. Avoiding the few very common mistakes below will also prevent your chicken from becoming tasteless and dry or turning into inedible meat, which can definitely ruin even the simplest of recipes! So restore all their nobility to your favorite pieces of poultry (chicken legs, wings, etc.) by cooking them with all the care they deserve.
Good to know: we also offered content on the worst cooking mistakes for red meat. Absolutely worth checking out if you love good steaks!
Mistake 1: Not paying attention to quality
Here, we are not necessarily talking about buying the most expensive meat on the shelf, because that is not necessarily the case.have a guarantee of quality. However, premium meats are often full of GMOs and are not always the most tender or of the highest quality. If possible, therefore prefer Label Rouge chickens, from organic farming or bearing controlled designations, these parts offering a much better nutritional quality to cook more flavorful meat, even if it means consuming less meat over the week so as not to It’s too much of a strain on your budget. The planet and your health will thank you!
Mistake 2: Rinse the chicken
In addition to having no use, this practice prevents the chicken from browning well in the oven or in the casserole dish. What’s more, the raw chicken spreads germs all over the sink and on the work surface with the splashes. So it’s not hygienic at all. Preferably, it is better to eventually wipe it dry to make sure it is completely dry to become nicely browned or brush it with olive oil to prepare it for cooking.
Mistake 3: Cook the chicken as soon as it comes out of the fridge
If you cook the chicken directly after it comes out of the refrigerator, it will not be able to not cooked through properly because of the temperature differential. Also, prefer to take out your tray about an hour before preparation for successful cooking.
Good to know: to ensure its freshness, this poultry can be kept for three days in the lower part of the refrigerator if it is raw and up to four days if it is cooked.
Mistake 4: Salting and peppering meat at the wrong time
Pepper should be banned at the start of cooking, both for your poultry and for all your recipes in general. In fact, it tends to burn when cooking, giving a particularly unpleasant taste to your preparations. Also, if salt is recommended both inside and outside the meat (at the rate of one teaspoon per 500 g portion), pepper will be to sprinkle preferably at the end of cooking.
Mistake 5: Skipping the seasoning
The taste of plain meat is delicious and the simplest recipes are often the best. However, with good seasoning, flavor of this poultry can totally transport you. Chicken breasts combine deliciously with a whole myriad of aromatics and spices (curry, rosemary, cumin, paprika, thyme, mint, etc.), liquids to tenderize the meat and enhance its flavor (lemon juice, coconut milk, virgin olive oil, etc.) and many other ingredients (mustard, garlic, onion, etc.).
For the whole chicken, you can add Provence herbs and cook it in wine or cider to add flavor. The flour and butter will make the skin crispy as desired. Above all, we can here afford toadd a stuffing for a more original tasting. Sausage meat, candied lemon, dried apricots and figs or spiced semolina will indeed bring different textures and tastes to accompany and enhance the meat.
Mistake 6: Cooking evenly
To ensure your birds cook evenly, you can’t just throw them in the oven and wait. Stay nearby and adjust the temperature as you cook. Brown it first at 240°C for a few minutes (turning it if necessary), then lower the temperature to 200°C to finish cooking gently by basting the meat regularly with the cooking juices. And above all, only keep the oven door open very briefly during these operations!
Mistake 7: Misjudge the doneness of the poultry
Please note, the cooking time given in the recipe is only indicative. Indeed, this duration can vary enormously from one oven to another, each having a different size, and the size and quality of the chicken may vary. In general, a 500 g portion requires approximately 30 minutes of cookingbut this may vary. To avoid being fooled, consider check doneness by poking the chicken. When it is well cooked, a clear juice escapes. If this is not the case, do not hesitate to prolong the cooking.
Mistake 8: Serving the chicken as soon as it is finished cooking
If you serve the meat immediately after cooking, it will not be the most tender. Prefer to place it under a bell jar or lid and let it rest for around ten minutes before serving.
Mistake 9: Throwing away leftover chicken
Leftover poultry can be used in a cold salad, fried in egg or milk and breading or even in rillettes as long as you mix it with herb cheese for example.