3 Healthy Ways to Prepare Chicken this Christmas, Avoid these 8 Unhealthy Methods

As it is always the case, chicken is a key ingredient in meals for festive seasons. And as much as we make merry and enjoy our chicken meals, we must do so in a manner that ensures that our health is prioritized.

For those of you looking at healthier methods to prepare and enjoy your chicken meals, we bring you ways to prepare your chicken without compromising your health during this festive season.

High health risky ways to prepare chicken

Several types of cooking methods may produce carcinogens in meat. Carcinogens are substances capable of causing various forms of cancer in living tissues. Cooking methods that produce these substances include;

Note that cooking methods that brown the meat or produce smoke tend to be unhealthy for you.

Studies have found the consumption of such foods could also increase the risk of developing heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Fortunately, there are cooking methods that can reduce your exposure to these harmful chemicals.

Do not often prepare chicken with these high-risk cooking methods to reduce exposure to inflammatory and carcinogenic compounds.

NB: These are the predominant methods people use for preparing chicken because of the appeal and taste produced by these methods. However, chicken prepared via these methods must be consumed in moderation to limit their health impacts.

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Healthy ways to prepare chicken

Steaming

Steaming is one of the quick and healthy ways to prepare chicken.

Steaming is a high-temperature method with a short cooking time that has been shown to produce fewer harmful compounds compared with other high-temperature cooking methods.

The high temperatures melt more of the fat from the chicken.

How to Steam Chicken

1. Slice or cut the chicken into smaller pieces,
2. Add seasonings for flavor and marinate the chicken before you steam it.
3. Place the chicken in a pot with a little water and place it over the fire to steam. You may also use a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and ensure that steam is coming through the holes in the steamer basket.
4. Cover the pot or basket with a tight lid and allow the chicken to cook for 15–20 minutes. Check and remove it from the steam or fire only when it is cooked.
5. You may then use the stock to make soup or stew.

Pressure cooking

This is similar to steaming. Pressure cooking uses high temperatures for short durations and produces moist, tender, and flavorful chicken dishes.

This method produces even small amounts of harmful compounds compared to steaming because it has a shorter cooking duration.

It is also healthier because the method reduces the oxidation of cholesterol in the chicken. Oxidized cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease.

How to pressure cook chicken

1. Season your chicken.
2. Place the chicken into the pressure cooker.
3. Add just a little water. Note: During pressure cooking, the chicken will release its own juices.
4. Choose the right setting on an electric multicooker and allow the chicken to cook for about 20 minutes.
5. Once the chicken is cooked, allow the pressure cooker to slowly release the steam.

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Sous vide

Sous vide (French) means under vacuum.

This is a healthy cooking method where you vacuum-seal foods and seasoning in a food-grade plastic pouch and cook them in a water bath.

In this way, the chicken is cooked without direct heat and so harmful compounds are reduced.

However, avoid using bisphenol A (BPA) plastic bags. The chemical may leach from the plastic into the food.

With this method, the chicken cooks slowly and at a low temperature. This reduces nutrient losses and retains high minerals in the meat.

All you need is a cooking thermometer and a water bath. You may also use special sous vide equipment.

How to make sous vide chicken

1. Add seasoning to raw chicken and place it into a resealable, BPA-free plastic bag or sous vide plastic pouch.
2. Fill your pot with water. Dip the thermometer to monitor the water temperature during cooking.
3. Bring the water temperature to 140^oF (60^oC), then place the sealed bag of chicken into the pot. The temperature is likely to drop when you add the meat. So allow the temperature to reach 140^oF (60^oC) again before starting your timer.
4. Once the temperature of the water is back to 140^oF (60^oC), set a timer for 1 hour.
5. Your chicken is ready to serve.

Summary

Reduce or if possible avoid the intake of chicken prepared under unhealthy methods like barbecuing, grilling, and braising.

We recommend healthy ways to prepare chicken, like sous vide, steaming and pressure cooking.

Reference

What’s the Healthiest Way to Cook Chicken? – Healthline