How To Boil Chicken For A Delicious & Perfect Tender Taste?

Why Did You Need To Boil Chicken?

First, we must know why we need to boil chicken before how to boil chicken. There are numerous reasons why medics recommend you consider boiling chicken. The following are spellbinding reasons why you should boil the chicken.

1. To tenderize the chicken

The surest way to tenderize chicken meat is to boil it for between 20-and 25 minutes. More often than not, the longer you boil the chicken, the more you tenderize it. However, you have to be reasonable, lest you over-cook it.

2. To enjoy a tasty chicken

If you’ve read the chicken boiling recipe, you know it allows you to add flavors during boiling. Therefore, you can season the chicken, with flavors such as black pepper, fresh herbs, and salt.

3. To eat a healthy chicken

As you’ll see shortly, frying the chicken isn’t a sure way to get rid of micro-organisms such as bacteria. As I mentioned earlier, you must boil the chicken at a temperature of between 160 – 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Thanks to this, you get a chance to kill any existing bacterium in the chicken.

4. To make the chicken more digestible

Fried chicken can sometimes be difficult for your body to digest, especially if the meat is tough. Boiling the chicken makes it more tender; hence making it much more digestible. Most cooking experts opt to pre-boil the chicken before frying it.

Nutritional Facts Of Boiled Chicken

Let’s now keenly disclose the nutritional value of boiled chicken. Below is a list of some of the notable nutrients:

• Iron
• Cholesterol
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Vitamin D
• Protein
• Copper
• Sodium
• Fat
• Calories
• Zinc
• Cobalamin
• Vitamin B 6

How To Boil A Whole Chicken?

Ingredients

• Chicken
• Salt
• Water
• Pepper
• Fresh Herbs

Preparation Method

Here are the steps for boiling chicken.

1. Add some water to a well-cleaned stainless-steel pot
2. Put your chicken in the pot
3. Season the liquid with flavors such as pepper, salt, and fresh herbs.
4. Heat the water at a temperature of 90-100 degrees Celsius.
5. Let the chicken simmer for between 10-15 minutes
6. Remove your cooked chicken from the pot
7. Let the chicken cool down for 5-10 minutes.
8. Slice up your chicken for serving purposes.

Some people have different opinions on how long to boil a whole chicken. Technically, it depends on the nature of the chicken. For instance, a chicken with tough skin can cook for 15-20 minutes. Conversely. A soft-skinned chicken can fully cook within 10-15 minutes.

How To Boil Chicken Breasts?

Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts
• Water
• Onions
• Fresh Herbs

Preparation Method

1. Slice your chicken breast into small, uniform pieces
2. Add water to a clean stainless-steel saucepan
3. Add the sliced chicken breasts to the saucepan
4. Season the chicken breasts with salt, fresh herb, and pepper
5. Add your diced onions into the saucepan.
6. Let the chicken breasts simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove the hot chicken breast pieces from the saucepan
8. Let the sliced chicken breast cool  down for 10-14 minutes
9. Shred the chicken using a fork.

Perhaps you don’t know how long to boil chicken breast. More often than not, boneless chicken breasts can be cooked in under 15 minutes. On the contrary, chicken breast with a bone takes between 15 to 20 minutes.

How To Boil Chicken Thighs?

Ingredients

• Water
• Salt
• Thyme
• Chicken Thighs

Preparation Method

1. Slice your chicken thighs into uniform pieces
2. Add the chicken thighs into a stainless stockpot
3. Add water to the stainless stockpot
4. Season the chicken thighs with salt and thyme (optional).
5. Heat the chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius.
6. Remove the boiled chicken thighs using clean tongs
7. Broil the chicken atop a baking sheet.

Several studies show that over 30 % of people don’t know how long to boil chicken thighs. Frozen chicken thighs take between 35-40 minutes to cook. On the other hand, normal chicken thighs cook in under 35 minutes.

How To Boil Chicken Legs?

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of chicken legs
• Spices
• Pepper
• Water
• 1.5 teaspoons salt

Preparation Method

1. Clean the chicken legs and dip them in a sizeable saucepot
2. Add salt, pepper, and other spices to the saucepan
3. Add water until it covers all the chicken legs.
4. Let the chicken cook for 20-25 minutes at a temperature of between 160 to 165 Fahrenheit.
5. Remove the hot chicken legs and place them atop a wire rack.
6. Add BBQ sauce or any other sauce you like and let the legs broil for 5 minutes.

For those wondering how long to boil chicken legs, you must let it boil for at most 30 minutes. Please do not exceed half an hour, lest your chicken legs will not only become dry but also leathery.

How To Boil A Frozen Chicken?

Ingredients

• 175 g frozen chicken
• Water
• Pepper
• Onions
• 2 teaspoons of salt

Preparation Steps

Below are detailed instructions on how to cook or boil frozen chicken.

1.   Let your semi-frozen chicken thaw for 10 minutes
2.   Chop the chicken into small equal slices
3.   Add the chicken slices to a large stainless-steel saucepan
4.   Cut 2-3 bulb onions
5.   Add salt, onions, and pepper to the saucepan
6.   Let the chicken boil for 20 minutes
7.   Remove the cooked chicken and season it before serving it.

How to Boil Shredded Chicken?

Ingredients

• Water
• Shredded chicken
• Black pepper
• 2 teaspoon salt

Instruction

1. Add your shredded chicken to a cooking pot.
2. Season your shredded chicken with both black pepper and salt.
3. Add water to the cooking pot until it covers the chicken by an inch.
4. Boil the chicken at a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Remove the cooked chicken from the cooking pot
6. Let the hot chicken cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Related FAQs

1. What’s better between frying and boiling chicken?

Professional cooks recommend boiling instead of frying a chicken. The intriguing reality is that boiling helps to tenderize the chicken. Apart from that, unlike frying, boiling ensures that the chicken cooks fully.

2. Can I flavor my chicken with soya sauce?

No, you can’t! We only add flavors to chicken during frying. Therefore, if you must add this sauce, please do so as you fry it once it’s boiled enough. You only boil the chicken to tenderize the meat for the baby. Similarly, we boil a chicken to get a healthy chicken soup.

3. Should I boil chicken for my 3-year-old son?

Yes, you should! Dieticians say that chicken contains multiple nutrients that can enable your kid to grow stronger. Nutrients such as magnesium and zinc can help boost your son’s immune system. Therefore, minor body infections and diseases can’t easily affect your 3-year-old son.

4. Must I be a well-experienced chef to know the right way to boil a chicken?

No, you don’t! You don’t have to be a trained cook to know how to boil chicken. All you need to do is to slice the chicken into reasonable pieces. After that add the sliced chicken to a cooking pot containing water. Add 1.5 teaspoons of salt and let it boil for between 15- 20 minutes.

5. Is there any difference between a poached and a boiled chicken?

No, there’s not much difference! Boiling involves dipping the whole chicken in a stainless-steel pot to boil it for a maximum of 20 minutes. On the other hand, poaching entails simmering the chicken and other ingredients in a pot. That might explain why some cooking experts use these terms interchangeably.

6. How long should I boil my chicken breast?

In all honesty, most people don’t know how long to boil chicken breast. Well-known chefs advise that you simmer the chicken breast for a duration of 12-15 minutes. Kindly ensure that the temperature remains between 70 to 75 degrees Celsius.

7. Are chicken feet safe for human consumption?

Yes, they are! Interestingly, chicken feet have plenty of collagen, which helps improve one’s skin health. Apart from that, these feet contain calcium and other minerals that can help strengthen your joint muscles. Therefore, it’s 100 percent healthy to eat all the parts of a chicken like breasts, feet, and legs. Do you know how to boil chicken feet? You only boil the feet, as you boil any other parts of a chicken.

8. How long should I boil my chicken thighs?

There’s no standard advice by professional cooks on how long to boil chicken thighs. However, we recommend you boil the thighs for 35 – 40 minutes if your chicken thighs are frozen. On the other hand, if the thighs are thawed, you need to boil them for 30 – 35 minutes.

9. I would hate to eat an undercooked boiled chicken. how can I check for doneness?

We highly recommend you consider buying a functional meat thermometer. You can reliably use this equipment to measure the temperature of the chicken pieces. The thickest chicken should generate a temperature recording of 70-75 degrees Celsius.

10. Why must I add salt to boiling chicken?

Cooks opine that we add salt for several reasons. Firstly, salt forces the cells in the chicken meat to soak in more water. As a result, your chicken remains relatively moist even after cooling down. Secondly, salt helps to enhance the flavor of your chicken big time.

11. My doctor strongly advises me to boil the chicken instead of frying it. why isn’t frying the chicken advisable?

Most professional medics strongly oppose frying a chicken. Instead, they advise their clients to consider boiling the chicken. They say that cooking fat increases the cholesterol levels significantly thus raising the risk of getting a heart related illness.

As though that isn’t bad enough, cooking oil introduces too much sodium (Na) into your system. Unfortunately, too much sodium intake predisposes you to conditions such as hypertension and stroke. For these reasons, you have no choice but to learn how to boil a chicken.

12. What are some of the mistakes people make when boiling a chicken?

Below are the commonest mistakes some cooks make when boiling chicken.

• Not covering the saucepan: it’s essential that you cover the cooking pot when boiling your chicken. Using a lid is vital to retain heat so that the chicken cooks properly.
• Not adding flavors: you wouldn’t want to eat a tasteless chicken lest you hate chicken for good. That might suggest the reason, we urge you to add flavors to season your chicken during boiling.
• Washing the chicken before boiling: most of us think that washing the chicken before cooking rids it of bacteria. Sadly, washing a chicken is counterproductive as it may lead to food poisoning.

13. I have noticed that most bodybuilders like boiled chicken. why is that the case?

Boiled chicken contains heavy traces of protein that play a key role in building one’s muscles. You must not ignore that the body needs a balanced diet and intense workouts to build muscles. Nutritionists say that 20 percent of a boiled chicken is mainly proteins.

14. Why do some people boil chicken in milk?

Strangely enough, some people opt to boil chicken in milk. Experts say that milk contains calcium; an enzyme that tenderizes the chicken. Chicken boiled in milk is more tender than chicken meat boiled in water. Apart from that, milk contains proteins hence doesn’t drain the protein contained in chicken meat.

15. Is it a good idea to pre boil chicken before grilling it?

Yes, it is! Boiling makes the chicken softer hence it grills well. You can’t afford to jeopardize your health by consuming bacteria-rich chicken. The only danger is that you might overcook the chicken. Therefore, I advise you only boil it for not more than 10 minutes.

16. I have never gotten a conclusive answer on how long to boil chicken. what’s the right duration?

The debate on how long to boil chicken has raged on for many years now. Multiple highly experienced chefs say that they recommend between 25-30 minutes. However, a boneless chicken takes between 20-25 minutes to fully cook.

My Last Words

In conclusion, I am sure you’re persuaded that boiled chicken has multiple proven health benefits. That explains why you need to know how to boil chicken. I always insist that you consider adding approved flavors to make the chicken much more appetizing.