Many home cooks struggle to replicate the tender, juicy chicken they enjoy at restaurants. The secret behind a restaurant’s perfectly cooked chicken often comes down to a few simple techniques. With the right preparation and cooking methods, you can achieve the same mouthwatering results at home. This article will provide tips and tricks to help you make chicken with a texture as soft and succulent as your favorite restaurant dishes.
Why Is Restaurant Chicken So Tender?
There are a few key reasons why restaurant chicken comes out so moist and tender:
High-Quality Ingredients
Restaurants typically use young chickens rather than more mature broilers or fryers. Young chickens like cornish hens have more tender meat and thinner skin that cooks up extra crispy. High-end restaurants may even use premium heritage breed chickens. The breed, diet, and age of the chicken all impact texture.
Brining
Many chefs brine chicken before cooking. Brining involves soaking the raw chicken in a saltwater solution, which helps season the meat and makes it more moist. The salt allows the chicken to retain more moisture as it cooks.
Precise Cooking Methods
Commercial kitchens have powerful ovens, deep fryers, and grills that can cook chicken at very high and consistent temperatures. This allows the exterior to get crispy while the interior stays tender and juicy. Restaurants also carefully monitor cook times.
Resting
Letting cooked chicken rest before cutting gives time for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Skipping this step can cause the chicken to dry out.
Tips for Tenderizing Chicken at Home
Here are some simple tips to help you achieve fall-off-the-bone tender chicken with crispy skin at home:
Buy High-Quality Chicken
When possible, splurge on premium chicken rather than the typical grocery store variety. Free-range and organic chickens have lived longer and grown more slowly, developing more flavor and tenderness in the process. Younger broilers and fryers around 3-5 lbs are more tender than large roasters.
Brine the Chicken
Before cooking, soak chicken parts or a whole bird in a brine for 30 minutes up to a few hours. Make brine by dissolving 1/2 cup salt in 4 cups water, plus aromatics like garlic, citrus, or herbs. The brine will make the meat plump and Seasoned.
Apply a Marinade
Marinading is similar to brining in that it helps keep chicken juicy. The acid in ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar gently break down connective tissue. Try marinades with yogurt, buttermilk, or fruit juices.
Use the Right Cooking Method
Opt for moist-heat cooking methods like braising, poaching, or simmering in sauce. Dry cooking methods can also work well when done properly. Here are tips:
– Braising: Brown chicken pieces first in a skillet, then braise in a flavorful liquid like wine, broth, or barbecue sauce at 300-325 F until fall-apart tender.
– Poaching: Gently simmer chicken breasts in liquid seasoned with aromatics. Poach at 180-200 F until chicken is cooked through.
– Pan Roasting: Brown bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces in a skillet first. Finish cooking in a 375 F oven until no longer pink inside.
– Grilling: Use moderate heat, position chicken away from direct flames, and rotate frequently so it cooks evenly without burning.
– Air Frying: Cook chicken in batches. Mist with oil and air fry at 380 F for even crisping.
Monitor Internal Temperature
The safest way to ensure any chicken is properly cooked but not overcooked is to monitor the internal temperature:
– Whole chicken & legs: 165 F
– Breasts: 160 F
– Ground chicken: 165 F
For extra-tender meat, remove chicken from the heat 5 degrees before it reaches the target temperature. The temperature will continue rising as it rests.
Let It Rest
After cooking, let chicken rest on a cutting board for at least 5 minutes and up to 20 minutes. This allows juices to reabsorb so you don’t lose moisture when cutting into it.
Tenderizing Chicken Marinades
A quality marinade can help chicken become even more mouthwateringly tender. Certain ingredients contain enzymes that naturally break down tough connective tissue. Here are some excellent tenderizing marinade options:
Yogurt
Plain yogurt contains lactic acid that tenderizes meat. Coat chicken pieces in yogurt mixed with garlic, herbs, and spices. Marinate for 30 minutes up to 8 hours. The yogurt also creates a tangy flavor and browns nicely.
Buttermilk
Like yogurt, the lactic acid in buttermilk helps tenderize chicken. Combine buttermilk with lemon juice, mustard, and herbs for extra punch. Soak chicken for 30 minutes to overnight. The buttermilk adds tang and moisture.
Fruit Juices
Enzymes from pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and other fruits break down tough fibers. Mix fruit juice with olive oil, garlic, and seasonings. Marinate chicken 30 minutes to 1 hour for the best texture.
Wine or Vinegar
The acids in wine and vinegars like apple cider, balsamic, rice, and red wine vinegar tenderize chicken similar to fruit acids. Use in combination with oil, spices, and aromatics.
Meat Tenderizer
Look for commercial meat tenderizers containing natural enzymes from papaya or pineapple. Follow the instructions to create a quick 15-30 minute marinade.
Best Methods for Cooking Tender Chicken Breasts
Chicken breasts are prized for their mild flavor but prone to drying out. Here are excellent cooking methods to keep breasts extra juicy:
Poach in Liquid
Gently simmering chicken breasts in seasoned liquid like broth, wine, tomatoes, or coconut milk cooks them evenly with zero risk of drying out. Shoot for 160 F internal temperature.
Butterfly and Grill
Butterflying creates an even thickness so the chicken cooks more uniformly on the grill. Use moderate heat and pull off before 160 F. Brush with sauce in the final minutes.
Cook Low and Slow
Bake breasts at a lower oven temperature like 300-325 F until 160 F internal temperature. Basting with pan juices helps keep meat moist.
Pan Sear then Bake
Browning chicken first adds flavor. Finish cooking through in a 375 F oven. Pull out before 160 F and let carryover cooking take it the rest of the way.
Marinate in Acidic Ingredients
A marinade with yogurt, citrus juice, vinegar, or wine tenderizes the meat so it stays juicier. Marinate 4 hours up to overnight.
Stuff and Roll
Pounding chicken, layering with filling ingredients like cheese or spinach, then rolling helps lock in moisture. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
Tips for Crispy Chicken Skin
Crunchy, golden brown skin is the hallmark of great fried or roasted chicken. Here are tips for achieving the perfect crisp:
Pat Skin Very Dry
Chicken skin will never get crispy if damp or wet. Pat chicken pieces extremely dry inside and out with paper towels. Let air dry for up to 1 hour in the fridge uncovered.
Loosen the Skin
Carefully loosen and lift the skin from the meat without totally detaching. Rub a little oil or softened butter underneath to help separate.
Season Under and Over Skin
Rub plenty of salt under and on top of the skin along with any other flavorings like spices and herbs. Salt draws out moisture for better crisping.
Start Skin-Side Down
When pan frying or roasting, begin with the skin facing the heat source. This helps ensure it gets direct heat to crisp up from the beginning.
Use High Heat
Fry chicken at 350-375°F or roast at 425°F so the skin gets hot enough to really crisp up. Lower heat leaves it flabby.
Brush on Oil or Fat
Coat the skin with a light layer of oil or melted butter just before and during cooking. Grease helps transfer heat for better browning and keeps skin from drying out.
Cook Uncovered
Leave the pan, sheet tray, or grill grate uncovered so steam can escape rather than making skin soggy. Avoid basting liquid over skin.
Let It Rest
As chicken rests after cooking, moisture under the skin will redistribute outward so the skin dries and crisps up even more.
Best Chicken Recipes for Tenderness
Ready to put these tips into practice? Here are some irresistibly tender, juicy chicken recipes to try:
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Soaking chicken parts in tangy buttermilk before frying keeps the interior juicy while the skin gets ultra crispy. Use cast iron for even browning.
Chicken Piccata
Quick pan frying followed by a bright lemon-caper sauce makes chicken piccata a go-to for easy, tender chicken breast. Serve over pasta or rice to soak up the sauce.
Chicken Parmesan
Tender chicken cutlets get smothered in tomato sauce and melted cheese in this classic Italian comfort food. A marinara sauce bath keeps meat moist.
Chicken Marsala
Pan frying before braising chicken breasts in a Marsala wine mushroom sauce yields incredible tenderness. The wine also imparts flavor to the meat.
Coq Au Vin
This French bistro staple simmers chicken in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions for hours of deep flavor penetration. The result is fall-off-the-bone meat.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken marinates in yogurt and Indian spices then simmers in an incredible creamy, tomatoey sauce. It’s so soft and full of flavor. Serve with rice and naan.
Chicken and Dumplings
Simmering chicken right in the broth along with simple biscuit dumplings seals in all the moisture. Pure comfort with melt-in-your-mouth meat.
Conclusion
With a few simple tricks like brining, marinading, monitoring temperature, and proper cooking techniques, you can absolutely achieve restaurant quality chicken at home. Focus on controlling moisture and preventing overcooking. As long as you stick to moist heat methods and take care not to overdo it, your chicken will turn out super juicy, tender, and delicious each and every time. What are you waiting for? Go forth and enjoy your most tender chicken creations yet!