How Do You Make the Best Chicken?

Chicken is a super versatile meat and pretty easy to cook, but most of us can still benefit from a few tips to ensure that the chicken you cook is tender, juicy, and flavorful. Particularly if you're cooking a thicker cut of meat such as pasture raised chicken breasts, it’s helpful to know the simple kitchen tricks so that your chicken breasts don’t end up overcooked and tough, which can happen pretty easily. (We honestly don’t know how anyone cooks without a meat thermometer!) 

We’ll go over some important pointers in this post to help you make the best chicken, and these tips apply whether you’re roasting a whole rotisserie chicken, grilling or baking chicken breasts, or cooking chicken thighs or wings. These tips may seem basic, but it really doesn’t take much more than following a few basic rules to make the best chicken, especially when you’re using flavorful and high quality pasture raised chicken in your recipes. 

Rule # 1: Defrost your Chicken!

Trust us when we say that it is not ok to cook a partially defrosted chicken! While there are certain pressure cooker recipes that can be made with frozen chicken, this is only because in that case the temperature is uniform throughout even though the chicken is frozen, and the nature of pressure cooking will make sure the chicken is cooked through (you’ll still want to check with your meat thermometer and adjust the cook time if necessary.) But when you cook a chicken breast that is unevenly thawed, the meat will not be evenly cooked. You’ll need to cook it longer to make sure that the still-frozen sections reach a safe temperature, and this will result in the already-thawed sections getting tough and rubbery. In terms of food safety, it’s always better to give your chicken time to completely thaw prior to cooking; and the same is true for the taste and texture of the meat. 

Rule # 2: Know How to Season Your Chicken

Whether you prefer a dry rub, a marinade, or keeping it simple with just some salt and simple spices, the right seasoning can be a game changer for your pasture raised chicken.  

The right seasoning on your chicken can really be a game changer and give you something to build a meal around, such as using oregano, lemon zest and salt as a seasoning base for a Greek themed meal, or this simply organic five spice powder for a chicken stir fry. You can buy premade seasoning blends, or make your own with the herbs found in your pantry. 

While both marinades and dry seasonings add flavor to your meal, marinating chicken in a liquid marinade helps to tenderize the meat at the same time. There are plenty of premade liquid marinades and they are so easy to make at home. One of our favorite marinade staples is a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. The acidity of the lemon juice helps to tenderize the meat while at the same time allowing the flavors to soak in. We suggest marinating your chicken in a food safe container or freezer bag for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) in the refrigerator prior to cooking. 

Rule # 3: Don’t Overcook Your Chicken

Chicken is a pretty easy meat to cook, but it can sometimes be difficult to cook it just right, particularly if you’re dealing with a whole chicken, or thick chicken breasts. As you probably know, chicken must always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees for food safety reasons, but if you go much over this temperature you can wind up with chicken that’s rubbery and tough.  A meat thermometer is your best friend when it comes to cooking tender, juicy chicken every time. A digital meat thermometer is inexpensive, easy to use, and takes the guesswork and “is it done yet?” out of cooking.

Rule #4: Buy Pasture Raised Chicken!

The truth is, you can do everything right, but if you’re buying low quality chicken, there’s a limit to how good it’s going to taste, even with perfect seasoning and cooking time. If you follow our blog and our social media, you’re likely aware that Pasturebird chickens are not only higher in nutrients (and lower in saturated fat!) but their meat is more complex, savory, and tasty when compared to conventionally raised, factory farmed chicken. This is because our chickens live in a floorless mobile coop that allows them to constantly forage, and obtain a wholesome, nutritious, and varied diet of bugs, worms, legumes, plants, and seeds. That’s a pretty delectable feast for a chicken! We also supplement our chickens’ foraged diet with a non-GMO chicken feed to make sure that they’re getting everything they need. 

Check out some of the impressive statistics on our Pasturebird chicken, when compared to their conventionally-raised counterparts:

50% more vitamins A and E

3x the omega 3s

3x more NADH

21 % less saturated fat, and 

4x more ATP

Pasturebird meat is healthier and tastier because our chickens are exposed to a nutrient dense diet and moved to fresh pasture daily. This means that they aren’t foraging on the same land over and over again - which depletes the soil and lessens the nutrients they receive from foraging. Instead, they graze on new pasture each and every day, and we make sure that the land is able to regenerate before the animals graze on that section again. 

When you purchase high quality, pasture raised chicken, it really doesn’t take much to make it taste good! But if you follow the helpful tips we’ve outlined in this blog post, your chicken is pretty much guaranteed to be juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. No matter what the recipe or which cut of meat you’re using, making sure that your chicken is defrosted, perfectly seasoned, and cooked for just the right time helps you make the best chicken, whether you’re a novice in the kitchen or a master chef.