Chicken Can Be The Key To Healthy Cooking
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010Lots of us are looking for new recipe options that will give us something new in our lives, taste great, and still be healthier than restaurant fare or processed foods. Much of the time, this involves focusing on high protein foods that are low in fat, particularly saturated fat. That is why so many people are cooking with chicken. It is a great choice for anyone trying to eat more healthily, since chicken is mostly made up of lean protein.
Choosing healthy recipes featuring chicken can help you cut down your blood cholesterol levels and lose weight, but you do not have to give up on great taste. Chicken is incredibly versatile and works well in most types of food and with most cooking methods. It is a great choice, regardless of your preferences.
Salads with grilled chicken are becoming a popular choice, as are Mexican foods using chicken, wraps, Asian inspired chicken recipes and more. Of course, the choice of chicken will also affect the taste and health of the food. Inexpensive, mass produced chicken is often raised with a serious dependence on hormones and antibiotics, and the diet of these animals may not be desirable. Plus, there are ethical concerns about the cage rearing of animals.
One alternative that will still allow you to enjoy great, low fat foods that are high in protein is organic or free range chicken. Be sure to know what each label means. However, these chickens have generally been raised according to certain standards, which improve the health and well being of the animal and the quality of the meat they produce. While it is more expensive, chicken recipes made with organic or other specialty chicken meat are worth the extra cost in terms of flavor and healthiness.
You may find that this meat contains less fat and more muscle. If you are still concerned about an excess of fat, it is easy to trim off. You can even remove the skin to further reduce fat, resulting in a truly low fat meal that does not sacrifice much in the way of taste.
Just remember to observe the correct procedures when you are handling chicken for any purpose. Never allow raw chicken to remain at room temperature. Instead, refrigerate it at all times, and use it within two or three days. Cooked chicken can be out for two hours or so, but must be refrigerated afterwards. Frozen chicken will keep in a cold freezer for up to a year.
Chicken should always be washed in cold water, and a clean cutting board and knife should be used in all cases. Once the chicken has been prepared, anything that touched the raw meat needs to be cleaned immediately. If you handle your meat correctly, the danger of contamination is significantly less.
The good news is that preparing chicken safely and deliciously is not hard at all, and there are plenty of healthy cooking options out there. Be willing to spend some time thinking about the ways to cook chicken or look on the Internet to see what recipes are available, for healthier, better tasting meals.
Check out our chicken fajitas and chicken quesadilla recipe taste Mexico.