Cooking even the quickest of meals can be difficult, as we all become more and more pressed for time. Chicken is a versatile meat that can be prepared in myriad ways and used in endless recipes. Fish is continually gaining popularity because of the heightened focus on healthy living and nutrition. However, given the time it takes to make sure chicken is fully cooked, it is understandable why people may dread preparing it; and fish, which actually cooks rather quickly, is something people are often unsure about and hesitant to cook. I’ve prepared a list of tips to help you make cooking chicken and fish easier, quicker, and more approachable that you can read here or you can even check out this link as well.
1) Cut Chicken into Smaller Pieces: Depending on what type of recipe you are using the chicken for, consider cutting or cubing the chicken. For example, if you are making baked chicken breasts, you can split the chicken breasts; however, you have to make sure the portions are the same size so that they cook evenly.
2) Try a Casserole: Casseroles are generally easy to prepare and allow you to pop everything you need for a meal into one dish and place it in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. If you wanted to make Chicken Alfredo, which would normally require you to sauté chicken breasts, you could create a Chicken Alfredo Bake instead. This way you could cube the chicken, quickly sauté it, mix it with chopped broccoli, cooked egg noodles, and cream of broccoli soup, and then place in a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes.
3) Purchase Chicken Breast Tenders or Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts: There are now a variety of packaged chicken products available in grocery stores that provide you with already trimmed and cut down a chicken. You can view one of Tyson’s products at http://www.tyson.com/recipes/product/ViewProduct.aspx?id=349
4) Cook with Chicken Broth: If you are sautéing chicken, add chicken broth to the sauté pan. This will keep the chicken moist while adding a flavor that will not change a recipe. If you sauté the chicken over medium-high to high heat with chicken broth, the broth will form almost a reduction.
5) Pre-Cook the Chicken: If you are hosting a party or will be having chicken several nights in a row, and don’t want to spend extensive amounts of time in the kitchen, you can prepare the chicken in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For example, if you are having a barbeque, you can boil the chicken the night before, and once it is cooked and cooled, you can store it in a container marinating in barbeque sauce. The next day all you will have to do is toss it on the grill until heated.
6) Roast a Whole Chicken: Roasting a whole chicken will take a bit of time, but it is something you can set in the oven and not have to think about for at least an hour (depending on the size of the chicken). Once the chicken is cooked, you can serve it that night for a roast chicken, but also you can use the leftover chicken to make chicken salad or dice the leftover chicken and toss in a pasta salad.
7) Cook Fish in Foil Packets: Individual fish portions can be wrapped in foil, like a package, with a drizzle of butter or olive oil and desired seasonings. These individual fish “packages” can be placed in the oven and baked in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Not only is this a quick and easy way to prepare fish, but the clean-up process will also be just as quick and easy.
8) Use Ice Cubes when Baking or Broiling Fish: When you bake or broil fish, place a handful of ice cubes in the pan along with the fish. The ice creates a steam effect, which keeps the fish moist and also helps expedite the cooking process.
9) Grill Fish: Grilling provides a direct heat source, which makes the cooking process quite fast. It is important to either spray the grill with a nonstick spray or lightly oil the fish so that it does not stick. After just a matter of minutes on each side, and when the fish flakes apart easily, the fish is done.
10) Cook shrimp or scallops: If you don’t want to bother with fish, you can easily prepare shrimp or scallops. Both of these take only several minutes to fully cook, and they can be prepared in a variety of ways and recipes.
