A lot of people are nervous about cooking chicken recipes and it is true that you need to take care when handling raw chicken. There is nothing to worry about though, as long as you follow basic hygiene rules, such as cleaning all the surfaces touched by raw chicken and washing your hands after handling any raw poultry.

Raw chicken should be stored in the refrigerator in its plastic wrap. It should not touch any other foods and it is best to keep raw meat, poultry, and fish on the lowest shelf so it does not drip on to anything else. Chicken needs to be cooked all the way through and not have any pink bits left inside. As long as you follow these basic rules, there is no reason not to start making tasty chicken recipes today!

Chicken is a definite health food. It is low in fat and most people enjoy the flavor. Deep fried chicken might not be as healthy as chicken baked in tomato sauce or grilled chicken salad for example but the great thing about chicken is that it is versatile and you can vary your chicken recipes because there are so many to choose from there is almost an endless supply. Chicken is also inexpensive and easy to cook once you know how.

Simple Chicken Dishes

If you are new to chicken cookery, you might like to start with an easy boneless chicken recipe. Boneless chicken recipes tend to be straightforward. You might like to slice some chicken breasts and vegetables and stir-fry them. Add some sauce and you have a delicious dinner. You can make a wonderful Asian stir-fry by using boneless chicken pieces, thinly sliced vegetables and adding soy sauce and sesame oil at the end. You can throw in some nuts and raisins too if you like.

Baked chicken recipes are usually quite straightforward and you can brown a chicken breast, pour some sauce or soup over it, and bake it in the oven. Poached chicken recipes and grilled chicken recipes are easy to do unless you have to make a complicated sauce or side dish to go with it. As long as you cook your chicken, at the right temperature for the right amount of time, you should not go far wrong and your chicken should be tender, juicy, and succulent.

Undercooked chicken, which is pink inside, is dangerous to eat because of the risk of salmonella and overcooked chicken is stringy and dry. The best way to see if your chicken is cooked is to cut into it at the thickest part to see if the meat is white all the way through and the juices are clear. If so, the chicken is ready.

As you become more confident with chicken recipes, you can have a go at slightly trickier chicken dishes. The chicken casserole recipes which once confused you will be something you can make your own by varying the ingredients, herbs and flavors.

You can also try new chicken cooking methods such as roasting a whole chicken and making all the trimmings to go with it, once you are comfortable with handling and cooking chicken.