Best 20 Perfect Chicken Recipes

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE

Steps:

• Mix water, kosher salt, white sugar, garlic, sage, basil, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and cover with a lid. Cool brine at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating to cool completely.

PERFECT SESAME CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sift flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Pour in low-sodium soy sauce, sherry, 2 tablespoons water, vegetable oil, and a dash of sesame oil; stir until smooth. Stir in chicken until coated with the batter, then cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water, and stir into boiling sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and keep sauce warm.
• Heat olive oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to a temperature of 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time, and fry until they turn golden brown and float to the top of the oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. To serve, place fried chicken pieces onto a serving platter, and pour the hot sauce overtop. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to garnish.

PERFECT CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
• Pour chicken broth into the pot; bring to a boil. Stir in potatoes, cabbage, and carrot. Simmer soup until potatoes are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Bring soup back to a boil. Drizzle in eggs, stirring until cooked, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Rinse and pat chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels. Mix margarine, garlic salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, and rosemary in a bowl and rub the outside of the chicken thoroughly with the margarine mixture. Place any remaining margarine mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken into a glass baking dish.
• Bake chicken in the preheated oven until browned and the juices run clear, about 2 hours. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

PERFECT BAKED JERK CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the jerk rub by combining the salt, allspice, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic, nutmeg, pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and thyme. Toss the chicken pieces with the spice mixture, then cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 2 to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour the vegetable oil into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Place the chicken pieces skin-side up into the baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, until no longer pink near the bone. Turn the oven on to broil, and cook until the skin crisps, 2 to 5 minutes.

KRYSTAL'S PERFECT MARINADE FOR BBQ OR GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk together the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper until the sugar has dissolved.

PERFECT PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.
• Remove all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.
• Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.

PERFECT CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken drumsticks and thighs in a bowl and pour enough buttermilk over chicken to cover. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
• Combine flour, cornmeal, granulated onion, granulated garlic, thyme, salt, paprika, monosodium glutamate, baking powder, and cayenne pepper in a large, wide bowl.
• Remove chicken from buttermilk and shake off excess. Discard buttermilk. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
• Dip chicken into egg whites and press into flour mixture. Allow coated chicken to rest on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Fill a cast-iron skillet or deep fryer with vegetable oil about 1/3 full. Heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Fry chicken in hot oil in batches until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Thighs may take longer to fry than drumsticks. Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Keep chicken warm in preheated oven while frying remaining pieces.

GINA'S PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Lay onion slices down the center of a large cast iron skillet to create 2 rows that are touching.
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add lemon slices, thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic cloves.
• Using your hands, gently separate the skin from the meat of the breast. Evenly spread the Herb Butter on the meat underneath the skin. Take the remaining butter and gently rub the skin. Wash hands and season the skin with salt and pepper. Tie drumsticks together using twine. Place the chicken on the onion slices.
• Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the thighs have reached 165 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the oven. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest.
• Spoon off as much fat from the pan as possible. Place the pan over high heat and add white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and let reduce to about half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Strain out the onions. Add the gravy back to the pan and keep warm.
• Cut the twine from the drumsticks and carve. Pour the gravy into a serving bowl and serve with the chicken.
• In a small bowl, add the butter, chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage. Season with salt and pepper and mix together with a wooden spoon. Reserve.

PERFECT MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Whisk lemon-lime soda, olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic powder in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken breasts, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from marinade and discard used marinade. Cook chicken breasts on preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 7 to 8 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For the Chicken---.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix the spices in a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl, melt butter and blend with the olive oil.
• Clean out the chicken and rinse completely. Put the wings up and back so that the tips of the wings are behind the neck cavity, as if the chicken is scratching it's back. Pat the chicken dry and place on a roasting pan, elevated on a roasting rack in the pan.
• Cut the top off the head of garlic and remove the excess skin. Place inside the chicken.
• Pour the oil and butter mixture over the chicken, coating well. Pour the rest in the roasting pan under the chicken on the rack.
• Rub the Spice mixture all over the chicken, inside and out. It's okay if there is a little spice left over, you don't have to over do it. These spices will blend with the drippings and flavor your gravy too!
• Place in oven.
• Baste the chicken completely every 25 minutes until chicken is done. I like to use the pop up timers but if you prefer, the internal temperature should reach 170°F at the thickest point in the thigh, not touching the bone.
• After the chicken is done, drain it out into the pan, let as much of the juices flow out as possible.
• Place the roasting pan on a burner on your stovetop and bring the juice to a simmer, scraping all the little brown bits off the bottom with a spatula.
• Pour in the 3/4 cup of water and bring back to a simmer, continue to stir and scrape the bits up.
• Meanwhile, blend your cornstarch, lemon juice and broth, making sure there aren't any lumps.
• Whisk the Cornstarch mixture into the drippings and water, continuing to simmer. Gravy will start to thicken if kept over medium to low heat, be sure you whisk constantly to prevent clumps and to keep the gravy blended. Feel free to add more or less cornstarch until the desired consistency is reached.
• When the thickness of the gravy meets your satisfaction, pour it into a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can strain the gravy if you'd like, but I prefer it with the little pieces of chicken.

PERFECT CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH CLASSIC BROWN GRAVY

Steps:

• salt and pepper both sides of the meat. mix flour, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and coat both sides of each steak with flour mixture. now dip each steak in egg wash on both sides. finally put back in flour mixture on both sides again. fry in 350 degree oil browned on each side. you can either pan fry with or deep fry. it's your choice. both methods turn out fantastic! fry until deep golden brown. let rest for a few moments on a paper towel.
• for the gravy -.
• brown onion in butter until caramelized. add flour and whisk for a few minutes until rawness is out of flour. now add beef stock and whisk until it starts to thicken up. simmer for 10 minutes. add cream and mix throughout and pour over chicken fried steaks and enjoy. this is an excellent recipe and i think you'll agree.
• ***if you want to have more of a traditional white pepper gravy, use whole milk instead of beef stock. still add the cream and add more pepper.
• enjoy!

PERFECT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan with the onion and garlic; bring to a boil and cook at a boil until the liquid reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Pour in the white wine, return to a boil, and reduce the liquid by half again, about 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, rosemary, and sage; simmer until the mushrooms are tender and have given up their juice, about 15 more minutes. Stir in cream, butter, lemon, and capers; reduce heat and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 10 minutes (45 minutes in all).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and press the chicken thighs into the cornstarch on all sides until thoroughly coated. Shake off excess cornstarch. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; pan-fry the chicken thighs until they develop a golden brown crust, about 8 minutes per side. Place the chicken thighs into a 9x9-inch baking dish and pour the sauce over the chicken.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a chicken thigh should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• For the chicken: Place a heavy-bottomed pan in the oven (I prefer cast iron) and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken with the lemon halves and season liberally with salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil.
• Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, arrange the chicken in it breast-side up and place the pan on the middle rack. Roast until the thickest part of the chicken measures 160 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
• For the potato cakes: While the chicken is cooking, thoroughly mix together the sweet potatoes, eggs, onion, Old Bay and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 6 patties.
• While the chicken is resting, place the pan it was cooked in over medium-high heat with the rendered chicken fat. Working in batches and adding more oil if necessary, cook the patties, flattening them slightly with a spatula, until golden brown and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• Serve the sweet potato cakes with the chicken and some lemon wedges on the side.

THE PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper and place lemon halves inside. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Run your finger under the skin of the breast and thigh to loosen it and then place the sun dried tomatoes, garlic slices and rosemary between the meat and skin. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar. Turn the chicken so that it is breast-side down on the rack and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350°F Turn the chicken so that it is breast-side up, sprinkle the breast with the remaining sugar and roast for another 30 to 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes.

PERFECT LEMON-GARLIC CHICKEN MARINADE

Steps:

• If chicken breasts are boneless and thick, I think they turn out better butterflied.
• Peel garlic and crush using a mortar/pestol with a little salt (makes crushing garlic easier) or buy garlic already crushed and place in a small bowl.
• Add lemon juice, olive oil, and sumac, and salt if you bought crushed garlic.
• Mix together.
• Place chicken in ziploc bag, add mixture from bowl. Make sure chicken is coated, seal bag and then place in refrigerator.
• I think it tastes best when marinated for at least 4 hours. But I 'm sure less is fine too.
• Grill chicken until done.

PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• After removing giblets (discard or save for another recipe), salt and pepper inside of chicken.
• Stuff the cavity with thyme, lemon quarters and garlic halves.
• Brush the outside of the chicken with melted butter.
• Salt and pepper outside of chicken.
• Tie the legs together with string (good idea to soak string in water prior so it won't burn in the oven) and tuck the wings under the body.
• Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

PERFECT THAI FRIED RICE WITH MARINATED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chicken thighs, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.
• Heat a wok or very large skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Pour in vegetable oil. Reduce heat to medium; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and add marinated chicken to the wok; cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
• Push chicken mixture to one side of the wok; pour eggs into the empty side. Cook until just starting to set, about 2 minutes. Stir eggs slowly until scrambled. Mix into the chicken mixture. Season with 3 tablespoons soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper; stir for 1 minute.
• Stir rice into the wok until evenly incorporated and heated through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in green onion and cilantro. Mix gently until combined.