Cooking Chicken Pieces in a Pan – Is It Possible?
When talking about the healthiest way of cooking chicken pieces or cubes, most chefs tend to advise people to opt for pans. But what’s the reason behind it? Well, for starters, with a pan, you can cook without using too much oil.
Additionally, as you are doing your cookery task on open surroundings, you would also not have to worry about waste. Besides, a pan is much easier to use and maintain, as well. So do you want to know how to cook chicken pieces in a pan?
Don’t worry! We have got you covered here. In this write-up, you are going to know about cooking both the pieces of chicken thighs and breasts. So, make sure to go through this yummy experience as meticulously as possible!
Cooking Chicken Breasts in a Pan
If you are a huge fan of chicken breasts, then let us give you a good piece of news. You can cook them in a pan without breaking a sweat. Here are a few steps that might help you out in your endeavor!
Step: 1 – Get onto the Preparation Mode
Before you do get to know about how to cook chicken pieces in a pan, you’ll first have to go through its preparation method. So, to begin with, if you have kept the meat on your refrigerator, then make sure to bring them out at least 30 minutes before the prep session.
Once its temperature has worn out, you will have to ensure the even thickness of the chicken breasts. It, in turn, can help you to prevent the meat from losing its moisture, especially when you are frying them.
Anyways, to perform this task, you will have to keep the breasts inside of a plastic wrap and place them on the top of the board. After that, you will need to pound them with a kitchen mallet and keep them at a thickness of ½ inches.
You can use a heavy skillet or saucepan in this context as well, particularly, if you do not own a mallet.
So, after completing the pounding task, you can move onto seasoning the chicken breasts. Make sure to use a blend of pepper, salts, and a few other dry flavorings to complete your preparation of the chicken breasts.
Step: 2 – Start Cooking
Now, you will have to start with your cooking session. For this, you can pour a little bit of butter and olive onto your pan. Make sure to keep the same under medium heat for around five to six minutes. Once you have heated it enough, you can put the chicken breasts on the pan.
Most people tend to start fiddling with the meat right away after putting them. However, if you do the same, then it might prompt the breasts to stick on the pan and get ripped. Thus, it will be better for you not to touch it for two to three minutes.
After the suggested period, you can flip the breast pieces again and then wait for six to seven minutes for them to get fried. Sometimes, you may feel like increasing the heat of the burner a little bit.
Nevertheless, in that case, the outside of the chicken might get fried or burnt too quickly while keeping the inside of the same undercooked. So, it will be better for you to keep it on a medium temperature, especially during the frying period!
Step: 3 – Keep Measuring the Temperature
Now, we are going to move onto the next step of how do you cook chicken pieces in a pan, which is all about checking the temperature. To make sure that the chicken breasts are not undercooked, you will have to maintain a temperature of 165⁰F.
You can use an instant-read thermometer for this reason. Insert it on each of the chicken pieces and check their temperature out individually. If the pieces of chicken have reached 165⁰F but do not have the golden brown tinge on the outside, then you can increase the heat a little bit.
Otherwise, the meat will stay undercooked, even after you are done with cooking them.
Step: 4 – Keep It for Rest
After you have completed cooking, be sure to pour the dish in a proper container or plate and rest it for around ten minutes. It, in turn, will enable the juices of the chicken breasts to redistribute throughout the body and lock it inside.
After that, you can serve your extravaganza with either Italian or American mix-ups to make everything look and taste even more delicious.
Cooking Pieces of Chicken Thighs on a Pan
In essence, the chicken thighs tend to be a lot juicier than the chicken breasts. Thus, the cooking procedure, in this case, would be a little bit different than the previous one. Moreover, in this case, you may have to keep the whole cooking duration in check as well.
So, let’s get started with it.
Step: 1 –Make Your Preparation Properly
Unlike chicken breasts, the chicken thighs tend to have a lot of unwanted fatty substances. Moreover, they usually feature a lot of hanging skins as well. Thus, in this case, you cannot employ the pounding method that you had used previously.
Here, you will have to remove the excessive substances by cutting them out. However, if you are cooking boneless chicken for your purpose, then, naturally, there is no need for you to do much at all.
Step: 2 –Do the Seasonings in a Proper Manner
If you are trying to make an extravaganza with the chicken thighs, then you will have to focus on the seasonings more than everything. You can start by sprinkling salts on both sides of the meat first and, then, keep it for one or two.
It, in turn, will help the food item to soak everything up and achieve a better flavor. After that, you can add some other dry seasonings as per your cooking style or menu.
The answer to how long do you cook chicken in a pan is going to depend on the number of seasonings you have added. So, make sure to keep an eye on that as well!
Step: 3 –Begin Cooking
Now, you will need to place your pan on the burner and heat it up on moderate temperature. After a few minutes, make sure to add a small amount of oil in it and reheat it until it is hot. Add the thigh pieces of the chicken now and pan sear them for around three to four minutes.
Make sure not to touch them until the lower sections of the meats feel crispier and brown in color. The whole procedure might take around three to four minutes. So, after it is done, you can then flip them around and fry them for a few minutes as well.
Step: 4 – Add the Chicken Broth
After frying the pieces of meat appropriately, you will have to add the chicken broth in the mixture as well. To mix it up thoroughly with the fried meats, you will fiddle with it as frequently as possible for around five to six minutes.
It, sequentially, will help you to make the chicken sauce taste even more delicious and lip-smacking. Anyways, if you are bone-in chicken thighs, then you may have to wait for at least 20 minutes before pouring your dish in a container.
Nevertheless, the time taken will reduce massively in case of cooking boneless meat. If you do put up a lid over the pan, then you can complete the whole procedure within 10 minutes or less. Moreover, if you do so, then you can also keep moist in the chicken intact.
How Should Your Serve Your Chicken Extravaganzas?
So, until now, we were answering your question of ‘can you cook chicken in a pan?’. This time, we will offer you some suggestions about how to serve your luscious dish to make everything look even tastier.
So, in the case of the chicken breasts, you can enjoy them without serving with anything at all. However, the rice, especially fried rice, usually goes well with them. Conversely, for the chicken thighs, the mashed potatoes generally work the best.
However, if you wish to get a snacking experience out of it, then you can opt for French Fries as well. The gravy in your cooking will taste delightful with them.
Conclusion
So, hopefully, now you do have a decent idea about how to cook chicken pieces in a pan. However, before you go, we would like to suggest a few things for you. For starters, while frying chicken, you should always avoid stirring.
It might prompt the meat to stick with the pan. Besides, maintaining proper temperature, too, can work wonders for you. Hence, be sure to keep an eye on these two things to make the daunting task of cooking in a pan will be a lot easier.
Hopefully, our article will help you in your future endeavors and make you a marvelous cook.