It is common to assume that cooking chicken is much easier than cooking beef or any other type of meat, but the truth is that there are many mistakes we can make when preparing chicken meals. Even when there are many different cooking styles and techniques when it comes to meat in general, chicken tends to be left aside, which is why we might be more likely to end up undercooking our chicken, or even worse, simply ruining the meat. That’s why we have listed here some of the most common mistakes we can make when cooking chicken, and that we have to avoid.
One of the most common mistakes we can make when cooking chicken is buying meat that was previously frozen. When we want to cook the best chicken possible, we should aim at getting the juiciest and tastiest meals. However, when we buy frozen meat, we are getting a chicken that is dry and definitely not the ideal for cooking. We should instead look for fresh, even pre-cooked chicken so that we can get the most out of it.
Another very common mistake we can make, especially the first times we cook chicken, is removing the skin before or during cooking. Regardless of the cut we are preparing, leaving the skin on will help us get a juicy and crispy dish. The skin will keep the meat moist and help retain fat, which is an important element of juicy chicken. The only reason why we should consider removing the skin is if we are trying to reduce the amount of fat we consume, and we are trying to have an ultra-healthy diet.
Something that marks a huge difference in cooking between professional chefs and home cooks is brining the chicken before cooking. Brining basically consists in soaking the meat in a mix of saltwater, sugar, and herbs in order to season the meat on the inside while helping it remains juicy and moist on the outside when we cook it. Another benefit that comes from brining the meat is that it breaks the proteins in the muscle, which makes our chicken more tender without being less healthy.
We need to remember that chicken meat, just as any steak, needs to rest after it’s been cooked in order to get the best possible results. After our meat has reached 165 degrees, we should then let the chicken rest for a while, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes should be enough. This will allow the juices to redistribute through the meat, ensuring that we get a juicy cut with even flavors all around.