What’s your favorite way to prepare/cook chicken?

TheresaM787 · January 2021

Help! Getting bored of grilled chicken. What’s your favorite low calorie way to prepare/cook chicken?

MaltedTea · January 2021

Whole chicken: wet brined, spatchcocked then roasted
Pieces, w/ skin: breaded
Pieces, w/o skin: stir-fried

goal06082021 · January 2021

I just made chicken paprikash for dinner tonight. The following recipe makes 4 servings, around 600 cal each, closer to 450 if you skip the dumplings.

Ingredients
750g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into ~1" cubes
Sauce:
350g sweet onions, sliced thinly
24g minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
40g butter or cooking oil of your choice (but really, use butter, life is short)
5g smoked paprika
2g cayenne
15g all-purpose flour
240ml chicken broth
85g plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (I use full-fat, I find fat-free tends not to work as well in sauces like this - you can also definitely use less than this)
Dumplings:
260g all-purpose flour
5g salt
12g baking powder
220ml milk or water (using water saves you about 130 calories)

Melt the butter in a big pan over medium heat. When it's foamy, drop in the onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and sauté until the chicken is all white and just starting to get some color. Lower the heat, add paprika and cayenne and stir to evenly coat the chicken and onions. Add flour and mix for a couple of minutes until all the flour is saturated and it starts to smell toasty. Very slowly, a bit at a time, pour in the chicken broth and mix around, scraping up all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. You're developing a sauce. Once all the broth is mixed in, cover and let simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes to finish cooking the chicken. Check the biggest chicken piece you can find with a meat thermometer (should read 165F/73C) or cut it in half and take a look inside to make sure it's cooked through. Remove from heat, stir in the yogurt or sour cream, and serve. This goes well with egg noodles, rice, or simple boiled dumplings.

If you're serving this over dumplings, mix the ingredients in a bowl to make a very sticky, shaggy dough. Get some heavily salted water up to a rolling boil, then drop in spoonfuls of dough and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how big they are. You'll need to work in batches; don't put in too many at once. Dumplings will eventually float as they cook, scoop them out and drain on a plate. These quantities make about 700g of dumplings, divided 4 ways is about 250 cal per portion, roughly the same as 3oz of cooked egg noodles, which also make a nice substrate for chicken paprikash.

Gisel2015 · January 2021

Season the chicken (breasts or thighs all skinless), with a little bit of salt, lemon-pepper seasoning and paprika. Marinate it in the fridge for few hours, if possible. Saute in a frying pan coated with hot melted butter. Add some cooking wine or BBQ sauce, if needed. Eat and enjoy!

acpgee · January 2021

I agree with @MaltedTea. But to be more specific.

Whole chicken: I like to caramelize spatchcocked chicken with a coating of half honey half mustard brushed on for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking.
Pieces with skin: I like breading with the Chicago Tribune copycat KFC mix and then air frying 20-25 minutes at 200C. An oven will do the same thing.
Pieces without skin: I like to thinly slice against the grain and dredge in cornstarch and a pinch of salt. This keeps even chicken breasts tender but you do need to use a good non stick pan as otherwise you end up scraping off a lot of baked on cornstarch from the pan.

cwolfman13 · January 2021

Mostly grilled...but I use a bunch of different marinades or rubs depending. Also stir fry, in all kinds of different stews and casserole dishes...occasionally baked. I do like roasting a whole chicken once in awhile as well.

mpat81 · January 2021

boneless skinless chicken thighs cooked in the Instant Pot with a bit of broth, onions and mexican seasonings, then shred and serve in tortillas or with rice, beans and veggies in a burrito bowl.

LazyBlondeChef · January 2021

We used to grill chicken a lot and I also got to the point where I couldn't stand it so now I use different preparations. I generally only buy the skinless/boneless thighs or legs. I've never liked chicken breasts. Often too dry and flavorless. The only exception is when I put a whole chicken in the crockpot.

Shake & bake chicken legs using a mix of gluten free flour mix and spices such as a curry mix or cumin/coriander/chili pepper/smoked paprika or sage, etc. Whatever appeals to you. Obviously you can use regular flour. I always remove the skin after cooking but I've found the heavy spices permeate through the skin so it has a nice flavor.

Stir Fry: chicken thighs and an assortment of veggies such as bok choy, mushrooms, broccoli, shredded cabbage, onions, etc

Curry: chicken thighs, same veggies as stir fry, coconut milk, curry spice mix, assortment of veggies such as bok choy, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, etc

Tacos: boil chicken in water w/onion, garlic, spices of your choice. After it's done shred it. Add typical Mexican seasonings (cumin, chili pepper, etc) and either get the tiny corn tortillas and add salsa, shredded cabbage or lettuce, sliced radish, tomato plus sour cream, salsa & guac. Often I substitute a romaine leaf for the tortilla.

Cacciatore: simmer chicken thighs in a frying pan with a can of tomato paste + water, oregano, olives and capers

Crockpot: whole chicken, onions, whole garlic cloves and obligatory bay leaf. You can add potatoes and carrots but I prefer not too because it tends to be too mushy. I also always freeze the leftover broth in one cup portions to make gravy.

Tortilla-less soup: chicken, chicken broth (I usually use organic bone broth), diced tomatoes, onions, avocado, lime juice, mexican cheese. You can add tortilla strips at the end but I prefer without.

Rotisserie: we have a rotissery on our outdoor grill so somtimes we stuff the chicken with citrus, onion and fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, etc) and put whole garlic cloves under the skin. It's delicious.

Thai Larb salad: cook ground chicken, minced onions (or shallots), minced garlic and a bit of red chile. Make a salad of shredded lettuce and/or green cabbage. Add meat mixture, fresh cilantro and mint. Squeeze fresh lime juice over it. Can also add some chopped peanuts. You can do this with ground pork as well which I prefer.

I don't necessarily make any of these the same way twice but if you prefer not to wing it there are plenty of recipes out there for all of these.

Skyler103 · January 2021

Boneless skinless breasts seasoned with fiesta seasonings jalapeno salt. Brown them in a skillet with a little spray oil, then transfer them to a covered baking dish. Pour a can of green enchilada sauce over them and cover. Bake on 325 for 1.5 hours. Not only will they be so tender they'll fall apart, you end up with a great sauce to pour over veggies!

NannMC · February 2021

I like this Mexican shredded chicken recipe a lot. You can do so many things with it. I like it in a burrito bowl with rice, beans, cheddar cheese and whatever veggies are around.

If regular pre-cooked chicken is needed for quick meals during a busy week, I'll put a few breasts in a saucepan with bouillon and enough water to cover the breasts. Bring the water and bouillon to a boil, drop in the breasts, put the lid on, and reduce the temperature to a nice bubbling simmer. Check tenderness and water level every 20 minutes. When the tenderness is perfect, shred it and use it for Asian, Mexican, salad, sandwich, etc. My secret is I do not drain the remaining water from the pan. Somehow, as long as there is a reasonable amount of water in the pan, the chicken takes it back in and remains juicy.

corinasue1143 · February 2021

Chicken and dumplings with lots of veggies for a one pot meal. Freezes well, too.
Roasted drumsticks or thighs.
In soups, sometimes served over rice.
Rice and beans with shredded chicken on top
Chicken and rice casserole— lots of veggies.

Ronin8033 · February 2021

I have 2 ways:
1. Season a boneless skinless breast with poultry seasoning and toss it on the BBQ.
2. Chicken, broccoli, and mushroom casserole (cream of mushroom soup with fresh chopped mushroom added) over steamed white rice. If you really want to indulge, cover the top of the casserole with extra sharp cheddar cheese before baking. Cook the casserole separate from the rice. Will need a cup or 2 of water in the casserole as well.

What’s your favorite way to prepare/cook chicken?

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