How to prepare tasty and juicy chicken meat: What temperature to set and when to salt the meat?

Crispy pieces

The crispy crust on top of the meat is simply delicious. But how to get it? Whether you decide to roast a whole chicken or you want to prepare chicken pieces, sufficient temperature is important.

1. First, fry the pieces of meat in a hot pan to make them brown.
2. Then let them cook for a few minutes on a lower flame.

However, do not overdo it with the frying/cooking time, as you could dry out the meat unnecessarily.

Baking is a little easier. It is advisable to first heat the oven to a high temperature, around 390 °F / 200 °C. The skin will be properly baked and crispy. As soon as the skin starts to change its color, it is a good idea to reduce the oven temperature. This way, the meat will be cooked through, retaining its juiciness, while you can look forward to a crispy skin. Try, for example, a juicy recipe for baked chicken thighs with cabbage.

Juicy meat

Especially with chicken breasts, drying them out is a common problem. Meat naturally loses water during heat treatment. The key is to cook or fry as briefly as possible. The easiest solution is to get a kitchen thermometer that will tell you exactly if the meat is cooked inside. The core temperature (in the centre of the meat) should be around 158-161 °F / 70-72 °C. This ensures safe consumption, while the meat does not lose water.

Achieving a perfectly juicy chicken slice is certainly not easy and requires considerable experience. If the preparation is not perfect, there is still a way to prevent dried out chicken breasts. After you remove the slice from the pan, let it rest for a while. The juice spreads inside the meat. Whereas if you cut it right away, a lot of the meat juice will run out and the slice will be much drier.

Proper use of salt

A common question is when to salt meat. It is important to understand how salt affects meat. In the first few minutes when you salt the meat, basically nothing happens. However, after a longer period of time, water from the muscle fibers begins to reach the surface, which leads to dryness. When preparing meat in a pan, it doesn't really matter when you salt it.

1. You can fry it a little first, and only then salt it.
2. If you decide to use salt before the actual frying, then it is important to proceed quickly.
3. Do not let the meat sit for too long to prevent the release of water.

If you have pieces of chicken that you want to bake or use with a sauce, you can salt them beforehand. The salt will draw out the water, but if you let the meat sit long enough, it will absorb the moisture back. Before cooking, it is advisable to thoroughly dry the meat pieces with a paper towel. If they were moist, instead of roasting, they would essentially start to cook.

Preparing juicy and tender chicken is no rocket science. However, it is important to stick to a few basic tips to avoid making basic mistakes. So you can enjoy a great meal.

Of course, we also include the 5 most popular recipes with chicken on our website. Enjoy your meal.

1. French cutlets with mashed potatoes

Chicken cutlets in a tasty marinade, coated in batter and fried in hot oil. As a side dish we choose classic mashed potatoes.

You can find recipe HERE

2. Chicken rolls with ham and cheese

A simple recipe that is worth trying. You will see that everyone will like the classics. We usually stuff chicken breasts with ham and cheese and this time it's the other way around. Chicken breast wrapped in ham and cheese, covered in sauce and baked in the oven. Add classic mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes and you have lunch ready.

You can find recipe HERE

3. A mild sauce with chicken meat perfect with pasta

A delicious creamy sauce which goes perfectly with various types of pasta, or you can serve it with rice.

You can find recipe HERE

4. Savory chicken cake with ham and cheese

Do you want to try something else than traditional sweet cakes? Make a savory cake. Chicken breast, ham, cheese, sour cream = great combination. Yummy! It is served warm or cold.

You can find recipe HERE

5. Light pasta salad with chicken and yogurt

A simple recipe for hot summer days. This salad is also great for family celebrations or parties.

You can find recipe HERE