Boiling or cold water for poaching chicken: Absolutely avoid these 3 mistakes that can make the chicken taste bland and fall apart

The following mistakes when boiling chicken result in bland meat and a visually unappealing appearance.

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The chicken is boiled while still partially frozen

One of the serious mistakes when boiling chicken is to put the chicken into the pot while it is still partially frozen. This will make the chicken easily break apart and have a bland taste with less meat texture. Many people boil chicken because of lack of time and think that “just put it in boiling water and it will cook”. So many people put the chicken into the pot when it is still frozen or not completely thawed.

Chicken meat has a long and tough protein fiber structure, so even though it feels soft on the outside, the inside can still be hard and have ice if not checked carefully. If you put it in boiling water, it will take longer and yet still be “cooked on the outside and raw on the inside”, not ensuring food safety. Therefore, when boiling chicken, you should completely thaw the chicken before boiling it, it will be much better.

Boil the chicken after the water is boiling vigorously

The habit of many housewives is to boil the water first and then put the chicken into the boiling water to make the chicken cook faster. This easily makes the chicken contract rapidly when exposed to high temperatures (thermal shock), causing it to crack, break, and be “cooked on the outside and raw on the inside”.

Depending on the purpose, there are two ways to boil chicken: If you want the meat to be sweet, put the chicken in boiling water from warm water (60 degrees) because the nutrients inside will be retained and not destroyed when boiled for a long time. If you want to use the chicken broth to make soup, noodles, pho, etc., put it in the pot when the water is still cold. But with this method, the sweetness and fat in the chicken will dissolve into the broth, making the chicken taste less flavorful.

Boil for too long and with a strong flame

Boiling the chicken with a strong flame is a common mistake that can cause the chicken skin to crack and also make the outside look cooked but the inside is still raw. Moreover, boiling with a strong flame can also make the chicken broth cloudy and less sweet in taste.

Some people, to make sure that the meat is not raw and the bones are not red, boil it for too long, even boil the chicken for half an hour. This unintentionally causes the nutrients to escape, making the chicken dry, broken, and less tasty.

The correct way to boil chicken is to put it in warm water (60 degrees), add some dried onions and crushed ginger, then simmer over medium heat until it boils, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, cover the pot. During this process, flip the chicken to cook evenly and skim off any foam if necessary. Then, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes depending on the size so that the chicken meat will be evenly cooked, juicy, flavorful, without red bones or cracked skin. If the chicken is old or large, the boiling and simmering time will be longer, depending on the size of each chicken.

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