Key West Grilled Chicken | Dirt Cheap Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make cheap chicken taste good? ›

It's low in calories, low in fat and has a high nutritional value. Grilled chicken is also a great source of protein. People who get enough of this nutrient are more likely to maintain muscle mass and support a healthy metabolism.

Make the chicken thinner

Thinner breasts or cutlets are less likely to dry out, as they won't spend as much time in the pan. A simple option is to pound the chicken until it is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, using a meat mallet/pounder, heavy skillet or even a hammer. This is best done between parchment paper or plastic wrap.

All it takes is 30 minutes in a simple brine solution of 1/4 cup kosher salt dissolved in 4 cups water. This is all the time you need for the chicken breasts to absorb enough moisture so they can better hold up to the heat of the grill without drying out.

Aside from classics like salt, pepper, basil and garlic, you could try using chilli powder, ginger, cumin, cayenne, paprika, oregano, sage, rosemary and thyme.

If your family is not keen on skin, this is the method to choose, but if you want a roasted chicken, the air fryer is next in line, if you can fit the chicken in it. The pressure cooker took 32 minutes to cook a small chicken and cost 11p, 28p cheaper than the electric oven and 44 minutes quicker.

Chicken is a healthy food (as long as it's poached, baked or grilled), but that doesn't mean you should eat it every single day. As both dietitians have explained, eating a wide variety of foods is the best way to give your body the nutrients it needs.

Both chicken and eggs are a low calorie and high protein option. However, Chicken contains double the amount of protein than eggs per serving, emerging as a clear winner. Not only that, but chicken also contains less cholesterol in comparison to eggs, making it a much healthier food choice.

Overall, grilled chicken offers better health, nutrition, and taste if cooked the right way compared to fried chicken. Fried chicken requires oil for it to be cooked, and that is its first downfall healthwise. The oil gives food high fat content, calories, and salt to any food used with it.

Brines and marinades help tenderize the meat by bringing more moisture in the protein. With that extra moisture, you lose less when you cook. The simplest way to do this is with a dry brine — unwrap the chicken breasts, salt them on both sides and let them sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

How do you keep chicken breast moist on the grill? ›

A simple brine of kosher salt and water has never let me down. Joe has the best answer. Keep a cool side and a hot side to your grill. Brine your chicken for a few hours/up to 12 beforehand.

You can do this by marinating the cooked chicken in a sauce or broth for a while. This can help rehydrate the meat and add some flavor. Just be careful not to over-marinate, as the chicken could become mushy. Steam: Reheating the chicken with steam can help add moisture back into t.

To grill: preheat your grill to medium high and lightly oil the grates. Place chicken skin-side down and grill for 5-6 minutes until grill marks appear. Flip your chicken and cook for another 6-8 minutes more until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.

Add a touch of spice to your chicken breast by combining paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ginger, garlic and olive oil to create a paste.

Use your favorite preserves, chutney, barbecue sauce, or build your own thick and sticky concoction to coat the bird with. Think honey and lemon or brown sugar and soy sauce; just be mindful of how much salt the glaze contains as most store-bought rotisserie chickens are already seasoned with salt.

Just sprinkling a little salt on top of your chicken right before cooking it will only season the surface. But seasoning the chicken with salt well ahead of time or brining it in a salt-water solution will draw salt deep into the meat, resulting in a very tasty piece of chicken.