Food & Receipts

Poached Chicken: To cover or not to cover – that is the question

With the following boiled chicken recipe, you will experience a delicious and flavorful dish with tender and crispy skin that everyone will enjoy.

Administrator

24 December, 2023

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When boiling chicken, should you open the lid or cover it?/

Boiled chicken is a familiar dish to the people of Vietnam because it is an indispensable dish during holidays, festivals, and parties… But whether to open or cover the lid when boiling chicken is not known by everyone.

Advantages and disadvantages of covering the lid when boiling chicken?

Many people believe that when boiling chicken, it is advisable to boil it for about 20 minutes and then cover the lid to let the chicken cook with the remaining heat.

The advantage of this method is that it helps save gas and electricity costs and does not waste time waiting for the chicken to cook. However, the disadvantage of this method is that it can make your chicken overcooked, resulting in cracked skin and a loss of crispiness.

Opening or covering the lid when boiling chicken?

Advantages and disadvantages of opening the lid when boiling chicken?

When boiling chicken with the lid open, you can observe whether the chicken is cooked or not. However, with this method, you have to stand by the stove until the chicken is cooked from inside and then turn off the heat. This way, it consumes gas, electricity, and a lot of time and effort. But with this method, you will accurately monitor the chicken’s cooking process and prevent the chicken from being overcooked or broken.

After the chicken is cooked, immerse it in a bowl of ice water to cool it down. This will prevent the chicken’s skin from cracking and keep it intact when cutting. The chicken skin will be much crispier after it is cooked.

However, whether to open or cover the lid when boiling chicken depends on each person’s belief. You can follow your own habit as long as the boiled chicken is delicious, evenly cooked from inside to outside.

In addition, to make the chicken more delicious, you should avoid the following mistakes

Do not place the chicken upside down when boiling: One of the mistakes that makes the boiled chicken less delicious is placing the chicken upside down to cook, causing the thighs and legs to be submerged in the broth, making them cooked faster.

Therefore, when boiling chicken, you should place the chicken thighs down so that they will be cooked faster due to direct contact with the heat at the bottom of the pot.

Is it better to open or cover the lid when boiling chicken?

Boiling chicken for too long: Many people have the habit of boiling chicken for a long time because they are afraid that the chicken is not cooked. However, doing so will make the meat mushy and less tasty. It is recommended to boil the chicken for about 15 minutes, or longer for older chickens.

Therefore, to make the boiled chicken delicious, you should bring the water to a boil first, wait for the water to start evaporating, and then add the chicken to boil. Do not add the chicken at the beginning, nor wait until the water boils vigorously before adding the chicken.

After adding the chicken, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the chicken is evenly cooked. Then, let the chicken soak in the broth for about 5 – 10 minutes. The boiling time for chicken should be around 15 minutes, or longer for older chickens.

Boiling chicken in a pot that is too small: When boiling chicken or duck, you should choose a pot that is suitable for the size of the chicken. Because if you choose a pot that is too small, it will make flipping the chicken more difficult, and the chicken’s skin may crack, resulting in uneven cooking.