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Mistakes to avoid when boiling chicken that can turn the dish into a ‘disaster’

There are common mistakes made in the preparation and cooking process that can turn your boiled chicken dish into a disaster - cracked skin, dry meat, unappealing appearance, and lack of flavor.

Administrator

13 January, 2024

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Boiled dishes in general are simple and easy, but boiled chicken is different. Although it doesn’t take much time, this dish requires carefulness and attention to detail because mistakes in boiling chicken can make your chicken look terrible, with cracked skin, mushy or dry meat.

Mistakes when boiling chicken

You need to focus throughout the preparation and boiling process because just a few mistakes can cause boiled chicken to fail. To keep the chicken skin intact and shiny, and the meat cooked perfectly, you need to avoid the following mistakes.

Choosing poor-quality chicken

Do not make boiled dishes if the chicken is too heavy, industrial chicken, injected with growth promoters or pumped with water. Chickens with loose skin, thin bodies, hard bones, and rough feathers are also not suitable. Boiled chicken requires high-quality chickens, they must be the best chickens. Poor-quality chickens can be used for other dishes, but not for boiling.

To have a perfect boiled chicken in terms of appearance and quality, choose locally farmed chickens weighing from 1.5 – 1.8kg. The chickens should look healthy, with bright red combs, yellow feet, shiny feathers, and plump breasts with firm meat.

Scrubbing too hard when washing

Scrubbing too hard can also cause the chicken skin to crack after boiling. Scrubbing with salt makes the skin thinner and more prone to cracking. If you don’t drain the water after washing the chicken, the boiled chicken can become dry.

It is best to wash the chicken gently and then drain it, or absorb the remaining water on the skin before boiling to maintain its beautiful appearance and tender meat.

Using a small pot

Using a too small pot is also a mistake when boiling chicken, which makes the finished product turn out poorly. It will be difficult for you to flip and rotate the chicken during the boiling process, resulting in unevenly cooked meat and extremely easy-to-crack skin. Remember that the size of the pot should be suitable for the weight of the chicken, which is an important factor to help the boiled dish turn out perfectly.

Some mistakes when boiling chicken can cause cracked skin and dry meat. (Photo: Helenrecipes)

Using boiling water to boil chicken

If you drop the chicken into a pot of boiling water, the chicken skin will definitely crack. This is the most harmful mistake when boiling chicken.

Instead, put the chicken into cold water and then place it on the stove to heat up, allowing the chicken to gradually get hot and cooked as the water temperature rises. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low for about 10 minutes to keep the chicken from shifting and maintain its perfect appearance. Then, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken continue to cook evenly.

Boiling for too long

Boiling the chicken for too long not only makes the skin soft and cracked but also makes the meat dry. Instead of being engrossed in your phone and leaving the chicken pot on the stove for a long time, you should set a timer to ensure that the boiled chicken is delicious and beautiful.

According to VTC