How to Pre Cook Chicken

As the original "white meat", chicken enjoys immense popularity on America's dinner table. But, due to time constraints that the American diner has in their daily lives, things that can be cooked ahead of time are prized as the ultimate time savers. Chicken fits that bill marvelously. With this article we will explore ways to pre-cook chicken and make dinner time a little easier. In it, we will cover both roasting a whole chicken and grilling breasts.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Whole Chicken
• Chicken Breast
• Meat Thermometer
• Cutting Board
• Propane or Charcoal grill
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Dried Rosemary
• Tongs
• Roasting Pan

Preparing the Whole Chicken

1. Wash the whole chicken, removing innards from the bird. In running cold water, rinse both the outside skin and inner cavity well. Pat dry and keep refrigerated. When you are ready to cook the chicken, lightly salt and pepper the entire bird. Take the rosemary and gently place it under the skin by gently separating the skin from the meat. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put the chicken into the pre-heated 450 degree oven. Allow the skin to brown lightly, about 10 minutes. At that point, lower the oven down to 350 degrees and allow the chicken to cook until, when inserted into the thick part of the thigh, the internal temperature is 160 degrees and the juices run clear from the thermometer insertion point.
3. Remove the chicken from the oven at 160 degrees. Place on a cutting board and allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes. When able to touch it, place the chicken ion a plate and refrigerate. The chicken will cool and be able to sit for 3-4 days. Use the chicken for salads, or reheat in a microwave until warm.

Pre-cooking the chicken breast

4. Cut off any extra fat from the breast. If it is a whole breast, remove the center piece of cartilage as well. Season with a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper.
5. Fire up a grill until medium hot. Using tongs, place the breast on the grill and allow to get grill marks on one side. Turn and allow the breast to cook until the internal temperature reaches about 160 degrees. Remove from the grill and place right into a refrigerator. When cool, place into small freezer bags and keep refrigerated until use. Use within 3-4 days.
6. The chicken can be shredded for salads, reheated slowly in an oven at 350 degrees for sandwiches and entrees or chopped up for pastas. Chopping it up prior to refrigerating allows you to have portion control.

Tips & Warnings

• To serve the whole chicken, it is actually easier to split it from top to bottom and place in an oven at 300 degrees until the center is warm. A microwave works as well but will not allow the skin to stay crisp as an oven does.
• Anytime the chicken is left at a warm temperature too long prior to cooling, it runs a risk turning sour and becoming a health hazard. The rest period for the whole chicken allows the juices to stabilize and settle for cooling.