Chicken is the healthiest and most versatile food on the planet. You can make hundreds of chicken dishes at a low cost at any time.
It would be best to have cooking appliances like a slow cooker, pressure cooker, oven, crock pot, grill, etc. Most people cannot think about any occasion without chicken dishes.
Here are the ways you can cook your chickens deliciously without hurting the ingredients much:
Check Out the Different Ways to Cook Chicken
Chicken has less saturated fat and can use in any cuisine. You can try out different recipes to enhance the taste and flavors:
Some of the popular cooking ways are given below:
Roasted Chicken
No one cannot think of a thanksgiving, party, or any occasion without roasted chicken. Roasting a whole chicken is not tough to make. Just preheat the oven, use your preparation method, and set the cooking temperature to your preference.
You can use a low temperature for more tender meat or a high temperature for a crispy crust. Pan-roasted chicken and vegetables can be made with simple ingredients.
You can add various flavor ingredients, like lemon, fresh herbs, onions, honey, butter, and other vegetables. Roasted chicken can be made on the frying pan manually, but using an oven will make the process easier.
Baked Chicken
Baked chicken is another easy method to make in a pan and oven. Littler oil, preheat the oven, your choice of ingredients, then cook the chicken on a frying pan for about 30 to 1 hour or in the oven for about 20 minutes.
However, you can combine these two kinds of cooking for better results. Baked chicken is prepared with separate parts, so the cooking temperature is different.
Slow Cooked Chicken
The slow cooker is another popular cooking appliance used to cook chicken. You can finish your other housework while cooking the chicken in the slow cooker.
The slow cooker takes a long time to cook chicken (around 5 to 10 hours), so the chicken gets juicy, tender, and delicious. You can also roast the chicken in the slow cooker.
Preheat the slow cooker. Add water to the chicken and your favorite ingredients, then cook at low temperature for 5 hours. If the chicken isn’t cooked enough, cook it for another hour. The meat will be very loose and juicy. Chicken breast, shredded chicken, herbed chicken, and roasted whole chicken can all be made in the slow cooker.
Braised Chicken (excellent way to cook chicken)
Braised chicken is a flavorful dish that cooks in a combined method. An oven, baking sheet or oven skillet, and pan are required.
This is a low and slow method with minimal effort. First, trim any excess fat, then heat the cooking oil in a pan or large oven.
After that, add the meat and wait for the sizzle. Remove the chicken from the pan and add your favorite ingredients when it turns brown. Still, for about 5 minutes or more, add liquids like chicken broth, wine, or beer.
Cover the lid and cook it for about 40 minutes. The cooking process is the same in an electric skillet or pan. The liquids absorb tons of flavor to turn the dish more intense.
Air Fried Chicken
An air fryer is a popular and healthier cooking appliance nowadays. You can cook various dishes, including chicken, without oil. The chicken will be crispy, fried, grilled, and lots more. The air fryer blows high-pressure hot air in a closed container to cook the food quickly.
All you have to do is, marinate the chicken or add your favorite ingredients to the chicken, then coat the chicken with flour to make a fried chicken.
Frying chicken manually is unhealthy as it uses lots of oil, and burned oil harms our bodies.
Grilled Chicken
There is nothing alternative to grilled chicken. The taste depends on marinate and sauce and also works with any flavor.
You can barbecue the whole chicken or pieces on a grill. You only need a meat thermometer, grill tongs, a basting pot, and a brush. Marinate the chicken with vinegar, oil, and lemon juice in a bowl or pan, then keep it for 30 minutes or more.
Spray oil on the grill rack or brush it, then turn the heat to medium. Put the chicken piece onto the grill rack, then cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
After that, flip the chicken piece and repeat this process until the chicken is fully cooked. When cooking in an air fryer, select 375 degrees F to make the dish crispy yet juicy.
Smoked Chicken
Cooking chicken in a smoker is another flavorful method. It is a slow cook process, and the smoker uses indirect heat to cook. All you need is a good quality smoker.
Prepare the chicken with seasoning, then put it into the smoker. Brine is not necessary for a whole chicken. The whole chicken will take 3 to 5 hours and almost 40 minutes for separate pieces.
Use wood chips with a smoker to make the chicken more flavorful and delicious. Apple wood chips make sweet-tasting smoke and cook the chicken perfectly.
Poached Chicken
Poached chicken is soft like a poached egg. It is an easy and delicious cooking method with fewer ingredients and spices. Just boil the chicken in water, milk, wine, or oil with a small amount of garlic and spice.
Then leave it to boil for at least 30 minutes to one hour. Make it aromatic with shallots, ginger, bay leaves, and more. Keep the temperature low or medium to keep the chicken soft and tender.
The water ratio should be perfect, and remove the pot from the lid when the chicken starts poached.
Chart of Different Ways to Cook Chicken
Check Out the chart to get the information quickly:
| Cooking Method | Description |
| Roasted | Preheat oven, use preferred preparation method, add flavor ingredients like lemon, herbs, onions, butter, and roast |
| Baked | Cook in the oven for 20 minutes or in pan for 30-60 minutes with a choice of ingredients |
| Slow Cooked | Cook in the slow cooker with water and your favorite ingredients for 5-10 hours |
| Braised | Combine oven, skillet, and pan for low and slow cooking with favorite ingredients |
| Air Fried | Use an air fryer to cook chicken without oil, and make crispy fried chicken with flour |
| Grilled | Barbecue whole chicken or pieces with marinate and sauce, and cook on the grill for 5-7 minutes on each side |
| Smoked | Use a smoker for slow cooking with wood chips, cook a whole chicken for 3-5 hours, pieces for 40 minutes |
| Poached | Boil chicken in water, milk, wine, or oil with garlic and spices for soft and tender chicken |
What Is the Best Method to Cook Chicken?
There is various cooking method you can use with chicken. Skillet cooking, stir-frying, roasting, baking, and boiling can make delicious chicken dishes.
If you prefer to cook in an oven, you need to prep the oven; whatever you do, it will take at least 40 minutes to cook. So, the best method depends on your personal preference.
How Many Ways Can I Cook Chicken Breast?
There are several ways to cook chicken breast with simple ingredients. Bake, grill, sauté, fry, pan seared, broil, and poach require good preparation.
What is The Easiest Method of Cooking a Chicken?
The easiest method of cooking chicken is broiling, poached, and roasting. Roasting is my personal choice to cook chicken quickly.
All you need to do is, preheat the oven, rinse the chicken, and pat it dry with a towel. Rub the chicken with olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. You can add other seasonings, such as garlic powder, paprika, or rosemary.
Then place the chicken in a roasting pan, and roast it for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.
What is The Fastest Way of Cooking Chicken?
The fastest way to cook the chicken is pan frying, sauteing, and stir-frying. The cooking time also depends on the thickness of the chicken. You must stir fry a thicker part on each side for 5 to 6 minutes.