8 ways to improve your chicken dinner

Chicken is popular with fitness fanatics for good reason: it’s inexpensive, easy to cook, low fat and high in protein. However, it can get boring if eaten every day. So here are eight cooking options.

1. Before grilling or boiling, marinating your bird for 24 hours will increase the flavour. Keep it in the fridge while marinating and try adding chicken broth or fruit juice instead of oil based marinades.
2. Experiment with different seasonings such as grated lemon peel, chopped hot peppers or fresh herbs.
3. A trick to cut down on oil or butter is to use a non-stick skillet. Trim off the fat and add green peppers and spice.
4. To keep the flavour and avoid drying out the meat, keep the skin on a whole chicken while cooking. Also, soaking it in brine salt water will also add flavour and tenderness. Keep it covered and completely immersed. Refrigerate for 3 to 12 hours. Rinse and dry before cooking. This adds moisture and flavour and helps it cook faster.
5. To avoid drying out the chicken don’t overcook. A whole chicken should reach an internal temperature of 180F and breasts should be cooked at 170F. If the juices are clear, not pink, it’s ready.
6. Spice is nice for an international flavour. For Italian include grated garlic, dried oregano, basil and thyme. Indian style mixes coriander, turmeric, cardamom and bay leaves. Thai includes cilantro, lime juice, ginger, coconut milk and lemongrass. Tex-Mex flavour includes cumin, sage and minced chilli peppers.
7. Another marinade is a salt-sugar rub. For chicken breasts blend 1/3 cup of sea salt with 1/3 cup brown sugar plus seasonings. Place in a large reusable plastic freezer bag and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours. Rinse before cooking.
8. Finally, there’s leftovers which can be re-heated or eaten cold. When heating cover to retain moisture. Try it with pita bread and salad.