Seasoning for chicken: how to make a familiar dish new and unusual

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Even the laziest hostess knows how much the taste of the simplest dish changes under the influence of spices. What is there! Any bachelor who wants to slightly diversify his everyday scrambled eggs pours into it what he finds in the bedside table - if only it would be tastier and not very similar to what he ate yesterday.

And this is where many people make a mistake. Not every spice is combined with the main component of the dish. It happens that the added seasoning does not just make the food "no", but can bring it to a state of complete inedibility. So, before adding herb to your dinner, ask if it is compatible with this dish?

Chicken and traditions

Chicken remains the most unpretentious and quick-to-cook meat for eternally busy contemporaries. However, her meat is rather dull in taste. So how to decorate it?

Those over thirty probably still remember the times when all seasonings consisted of s alt, pepper and lavrushka. Without a doubt, they are very democratic. And as a seasoning for chicken, they are quite suitable. In principle, they are suitable for any meat (and not only). However, it is not interesting to manage only this set.

Modern offerings

The most obvious way out is to take the easy way out. Now in supermarkets there are a lot of colored bags with the inscription “Chicken seasoning”, and the inscriptions on all of them say that this is the best set of herbs and spices that will make your chicken dish unique. In a way, they can be trusted. So, on one of the packages, we read that the mixture contains paprika, dried garlic, coriander, s alt, turmeric, curry, suneli hops, nutmeg, ginger, and spices. In principle, the listed components are really combined with the bird, but what is meant by the word "spices"? What exactly do you mean? Yes, and curry is an ambiguous thing. This seasoning for chicken does not really inspire confidence. Moreover, its composition is not fully indicated: flavor enhancers, as well as flavorings and dyes are not listed.

It all depends on what you cook

There is one more nuance that any culinary specialist (even an amateur) with experience and love for cooking will tell you with confidence. Seasoning for chicken is selected depending on what kind of dish you are preparing from poultry. So, for example, basil is very good for independent chicken dishes, but if soup is being prepared, then it should be either fish or tomato-based. Chicken broth with basil is not particularly friendly.

Also, when frying or roasting poultry, the best seasoning for chicken is herbs. Take the same basil with marjoram and sageyes, add rosemary, thyme and mint, and rub the carcass with this composition - you can’t imagine anything tastier. And if the bird is stewed, then many of the herbs will lose their flavor and will be virtually useless.

Correct combinations

And yet, what seasonings are suitable for chicken? In addition to the listed herbs and the traditional Soviet set, you can take garlic, and even dried, white pepper - it makes an even better impression than the usual black, and ginger. In principle, the chicken is quite “friendly” with many seasonings. But given that her meat is insipid (no wonder this bird is included in most diet menus), you should not spend soft delicate spices on it. Seasonings should add character to the chicken, so their flavor should be quite sharp, and the taste should preferably be spicy or bitter.

Saffron with a bright smell fits perfectly into these parameters, besides, it colors white meat in an unusual yellow color, which is also pleasing to the eye. Curry harmonizes wonderfully with this poultry, however, it is worth noting that it fits into almost all known dishes. Despite the mild taste, sweet (Bulgarian) pepper is good in chicken dishes due to the pronounced aroma. And, of course, chili peppers, if you're into spicy food.

Grill Features

When cooking chicken over an open fire, you need to consider the effect of the flame itself. Nevertheless, some part of the aroma and sharpness of seasonings are lost under its influence. That is why it is recommended to marinate the bird before cooking:it will absorb the spirit of spices, the meat will become juicy, soft and fragrant. These goals are set by seasoning for grilled chicken, the composition of which differs from others. It contains more hot spices: black pepper, paprika, garlic, and chili at the same time. Fragrant ingredients must also be present: turmeric, suneli hops, coriander, shambhala, nutmeg, ginger and curry.

In principle, knowing the preferences and “friendly relations” of chicken with spices and herbs, you can make your own collection that will suit your tastes, combine with poultry meat and emphasize its merits. For example, take chervil: it miraculously sets off the taste of chicken, but, firstly, its aroma is too delicate, and you have to use it in large quantities when cooking, and secondly, it quickly fades, while losing its already weak smell. But maybe it will become your highlight in chicken dishes.

Or, for example, oregano, which is actually native oregano. They are used to meeting it in Italian dishes, but oregano has long been used in Russia as a seasoning. It's not easy to buy (fresh, anyway), but it deserves to be added to your list of favorite herbs.