How to Season Chicken? Discover 6 Foolproof Tips!

Love chicken, but tired of eating it the same way? Help us with amazing seasonings to improve your meal!

Forget Boring Chicken From Your Diet! If You’re Here, It Means You’re About to Learn how to season chicken so that it is delicious and you will never eat boring chicken again in your life.

Chicken meat, whether it is the breast, thigh, drumstick, wing or even the whole chicken, is considered one of the easiest meats to prepare.

Furthermore, chicken is very versatile as it is a protein that adapts very well to the different seasonings that can be used in it and that also goes very well with different side dishes.

In this article we will teach you how to season chicken so that it is juicy, tasty and perfect to eat whenever you want.

6 Tips on How to Season Chicken

After these tips on how to season chicken, you will never eat tasteless chicken again in your life.

1. Let it thaw naturally

The first tip is: let the chicken defrost naturally.

Speeding up the thawing process can make the meat tough and lose its ability to absorb seasonings. It is therefore preferable to let the chicken thaw in the refrigerator, a process that also prevents bacteria from contaminating the meat.

2. Pay attention to the cutting of the chicken

Each cut of chicken has a different and surprising characteristic: the thigh, for example, is known for its amount of fat, which guarantees a softer and tastier meat; the breast has less fat, which makes it healthier, but it dries out more easily.

Knowing this type of information helps you choose the ideal cut for each preparation and, in this way, helps you avoid making mistakes when serving meat.

3. Bet on the brine

Have you ever heard of brining? This simple technique ensures a juicy chicken that does not dry out. This is because, in brining, the chicken is hydrated in a mixture of salt and water.

Although the mixture is simple, the important thing here is the math: brine is a solution of water with 10% salt. In other words, for every 100 ml of water, you need to add 10 g of salt.

Also, you need to know the weight of the chicken you want to leave in brine. This is because, for every 100 g of chicken, the meat must be left in brine for 7 minutes. In other words, if you have 500 g of chicken, you must leave it in brine for 35 minutes.

After this time, simply remove the chicken from the brine, dry it slightly with paper towels and finish preparing it. This simple process will ensure that your chicken does not dry out and remains tender and juicy, just as everyone likes it.

4. Invest in marinades

A marinade is a culinary technique in which a cut of meat is soaked in a mixture of water, salt, seasonings, and some type of acid, such as lemon or vinegar, for at least half an hour.

The marinade helps to lock in the flavors of the chicken and the longer the meat stays in it, the more intense the flavors become. You can therefore leave the meat to marinate overnight to ensure that your chicken has an irresistible flavor.

When in doubt, stick to the basics! Salt, lemon, and fresh herbs: this is the basic seasoning for seasoning chicken.

Lemon ensures the tenderness and acidity of the chicken, aromatic herbs add a fresh and tasty touch and salt is the perfect flavor enhancer.

Don’t have much time or don’t want to think about pairings with other side dishes? Bet on this dressing.

5. The Maillard reaction guarantees delicious chicken

This extra tip is about cooking chicken. Are you familiar with the Maillard reaction?

This is a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars present in some foods that occurs when they are placed in a high temperature environment. When the Maillard Reaction occurs, these foods take on a golden hue and a characteristic flavor, called “caramelized” by culinary professionals.

The Maillard reaction is very important when we talk about meat and it would be no different when preparing chicken: to ensure that your chicken is not only well seasoned, but also delicious, use it.

To ensure that the chicken undergoes the Maillard reaction, make sure that the pan in which you will fry it is very hot. Once this happens, add the fat source and then the chicken. Do not move it for a few minutes and, when you turn it, you will notice that the meat has a brownish tone characteristic of the reaction.

This technique can also be used to seal meat that will still have to undergo the cooking process. Just seal them before starting the cooking process in water or broth.

5 Seasoning Combinations for Your Chicken

Now that you know the techniques for seasoning your chicken, let’s talk about what seasonings you can use to ensure unforgettable flavor every time you prepare chicken.

Now watch 5 combinations to know how to season chicken. And remember: like any seasoning, everything here is to be tasted.

Chicken With Orange

Orange Chicken is fresh and tender. This blend can be used on any cut, but is especially good on chicken thighs and drumsticks.

• Orange juice;
• Onion;
• Garlic;
• Parsley;
• Lemon juice;
• Bay leaves;
• Salt;
• Black pepper.

Chicken With Yogurt

Here the yogurt provides a light acidity, while the saffron is responsible for the colour of the dish.

• Turmeric;
• Yogurt;
• Lemon peel;
• Salt.

Asian Inspired Chicken

Asian countries produce some of the best chicken in the world and always serve as inspiration for seasonings and versions on other continents.

Here we have an Asian-inspired version of chicken seasoning: with soy sauce, garlic and pepper, it is sweet and sour and spicy in just the right amount.

• Oil;
• Shoyu;
• Mustard;
• sweet paprika;
• Garlic;
• Pepper;
• Lemon;
• Salt.

Asian Inspired Chicken (Version 2)

This version of Asian chicken uses some ingredients more common in dishes prepared in Asian restaurants: ginger, mirin and sesame.

• Ginger;
• Lemon;
• Orange;
• Garlic;
• Onion;
• Shallot;
• Sesame seed;
• Sake Mirin;
• Shoyu light.

Fried Chicken Seasoning

Fried chicken is the perfect appetizer, the perfect dinner, the perfect snack… In other words, fried chicken is everything.

This seasoning suggestion is perfect for fried and breaded chicken.

• Salt;
• Black pepper;
• Garlic powder;
• Curry;
• paprika;
• Hot paprika.

Now that you know how to season chicken, how about finding some side dishes at Terra Degusta? Log in now and learn more!

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.