If you have started turning away from red meats due to their high-fat content and the impact that they can have on your heart health, then that is certainly a laudable and wise step to take. However, while meats such as chicken, turkey, and the like can be delicious, there’s no denying that eating them time and time again can start to get a little bland. 

For that reason, we’re going to look at the various ways that you can unlock the real flavor potential they have to offer, as well as how to make them all tastier with a few cooking tips.

Credit – Pixabay License

Don’t be afraid to use the skin

While you might want to cut down on the fats in your meals, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use them for cooking. If you’re trying to avoid too much animal fats, period, then you can use extra olive oil. However, you can use the chicken skin in your cooking even if you’re not going to be plating it, allowing some of the fats to seep from it into your meat. Some fat should be in your diet, and eliminating it entirely can make it harder to get some of the benefits that you should be feeling from your meals. You can use leftover chicken skins in a variety of ways, too, such as for making gravy.

Cook it with some seasoned butter

Butter is a very common tool for locking some extra flavor in your meats, but you might not want to use quite as much of it as you have before. Instead, you can cut down on your butter measurements, but you can season the butter to make sure that it brings that extra flavorful punch. Herbs, spices, and lemon zest can all be added to the pan when you’re cooking with butter to maximize that flavor combination.

A little cheese won’t hurt

Again, moderation is key, but one of the most classic ways to prepare chicken is with a little grated cheese on top. This chicken parmesan recipe with homemade sauce can show you precisely how to cook the cheese flavor into the chicken as such that you don’t need to use a whole block to get that added flavor. Roast some veggies to go with it and you got yourself a full, balanced, and hearty meal. It’s real easy to make, as well, so you don’t have to worry about slaving all day in the kitchen.

Give it a good old rub

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to try Caribbean cooking, then you might be well used to the kind of flavorful versatility that a good rub can bring. A salt and sugar rub might be the easiest to prepare, but jerk rubs can also add a little spiciness that can make sure that eating is never a dull affair. Usually, rubs are made simply by mixing up ingredients in a food-safe bag before literally rubbing them over the meat.

Heat things up

As mentioned above, spices can be a great way to add some depth of flavor and excitement to your chicken. Aside from rubs or using chili, you can also get some delicious sweet and savory flavors with the right curry recipe. This Malvani chicken curry recipe makes use of one of the easier spices to adjust your measurements of, so you can find the right level of spice to suit you and your family’s tastes in a couple of tries, at most. Curries are relatively easy to make and you can just cover the chicken in it rather than having to cook them together.

Mind that you don’t dry it out

Cooking chicken with the skin on is one way to make sure that you don’t dry out the meat completely. However, another way is to make sure that you don’t overcook it. Buy yourself a meat thermometer if you’re cooking white meat more often so that you can quickly see when your meat is cooked just right. When chicken breasts reach 170 degrees F throughout, for instance, they are safe to eat. You can also cut open the chicken to see if the juices are running clear, yet, but this can actually dry it out quicker if you then have to cook it more.

White meats can be prepared in such a wide variety of ways that it can be difficult to get bored of them. You just have to make sure that you get the versatility you need in your own cooking knowledge to make the best use of the ingredients you have.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is a contributed post