As I have been browsing difference food blogs and websites as of late, I am seeing tons and tons of recipes for chicken. That is not surprising since many of us are trying to eat healthier with our fresh, new lofty resolutions, and also to detox our bodies from too much peppermint bark and chocolate covered pretzels. 

With that being said, chicken can often be the least exciting of the protein options. If it is cooked well, it can be extremely flavorful and juicy. However, too often the results we get when cooking chicken at home can have any number of undesirable outcomes: dry, rubbery, or stringy. 

Here are a few of the most common blunders people make when cooking chicken and some tips I read from Food Network to avoid those mistakes:

Mistake #1: RINSING CHICKEN BEFORE COOKING

Raw chicken is, of course, not sterile and washing, rinsing or soaking will do nothing to kill the bacteria. The bacteria is killed when the chicken is cooked at high temps.

The fix: Next time just pat the chicken dry with paper towels straight out of the packaging and cook as usual. 

Mistake #2: OVER-MARINATING WITH CITRUS JUICE

Not all foods benefit from a really long marinade. Chicken is definitely one of those things that does not benefit from an extra long citrus soak. When a marinade contains lemon, lime, or orange juice, the citric acid breaks down the meat over time, making it mushy and/or mealy when cooked.

The fix: Just marinade for two hours max when using citrus. Similarly, when chicken is soaked in yogurt or buttermilk, the tangy lactic acid and enzymes can have a similar effect and over-tenderize it. So stick with one day, tops for these guys.

Mistake #3: CROWDING PIECES IN A SKILLET

Chicken pieces need a little elbow room if they are going to cook evenly and crisp up the way you want them to. If the pan is too overcrowded, the chicken will steam in it’s own juices, rather than brown. And definitely don’t overcrowd the pan if you are wanting crispy skin. You will need heat that’s just high enough to render the fat and caramelize the juices.

The fix: You want that chicken as dry as possible to start with, especially if skin is involved--a cool trick is to refrigerate skin-on chicken uncovered for several hours to air-dry it, which helps the skin get really crisp.

Add just enough oil to coat the pan and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper and let it cook undisturbed. The chicken will stick slightly at first, but leave it be--you’ll soon see the golden magic start to happen.  When the pieces are evenly browned on one side, flip and repeat.

Mistake #4: NOT RESTING ROAST CHICKEN BEFORE SLICING

While chicken is roasting, the juices percolate away from the center towards the skin. They need to time to redistribute and settle back into the meat or the juices will puddle up on your cutting board and leave the meat dry.

The fix: Next time transfer the chicken to a board, cover loosely with foil to keep warm and let rest for 5 minutes before carving. Use the downtime to finish cooking some veggies or make a tasty pan gravy. 

Mistake #5: REHEATING ROAST CHICKEN MORE THAN ONCE

Every single time you reheat already-cooked chicken you dry it out even more. Eventually it is so dry it becomes stringy and mealy. Not to mention the flavor can get quite funky with repeated warming.

The fix: Next time reheat only the portion you plan on eating so you only heat each portion of leftovers once. For best results, wrap the whole piece tightly in foil, then warm in a 350 F degree oven to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If reheating in the microwave, cut the chicken into same-size pieces, place in a microwave-safe dish, cover with a damp paper towel and cook in 1 minute intervals, rotating several times between each so the chicken heats evenly.

Do you have any tips or tricks with making chicken taste delicious and avoiding some of the pitfalls? Please share any thoughts you have in the comments below.