Cooking juicy, flavorful chicken at home has never been easier. With just a few simple tricks and techniques, you can have moist, tender chicken breasts and succulent baked chicken thighs ready to enjoy in your favorite recipes. No more dry, rubbery chicken!
Don’t waste money on pre-cooked chicken products full of preservatives and sodium when you can make better tasting chicken easily and inexpensively yourself. Then use your homemade chicken in healthy recipes all week long.
This article will teach you how to bake, slow cook or pressure cook a batch of perfect chicken to have on hand anytime. Learn the secrets to ultra-tender chicken breasts and rich, savory chicken thighs. We’ll cover proper cooking times, temperatures and tips for locking in juice and flavor.
Get ready to start cooking the most mouthwatering chicken you’ve ever tasted! Let’s get started.
Benefits of Cooking Your Own Chicken
Cooking your own chicken from scratch has many advantages over buying pre-cooked chicken products:
- It’s more economical – raw chicken costs a fraction of the price of prepared chicken products.
- You control the ingredients – no preservatives, artificial flavors or excess sodium like packaged chicken can contain.
- It tastes better – homemade cooked chicken has a fresh, authentic flavor.
- It’s healthier – you can monitor the amount of oil and seasonings used.
- It’s versatile – use the cooked chicken in salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups and more.
Quick Chicken Cooking Methods
For fast weeknight meals, quick-cooking methods like baking, pressure cooking or slow cooking chicken produce tender, juicy results with little hands-on effort.
These simple cooking directions allow you to cook a batch of chicken to keep on hand for easy meals throughout the week.
How to Bake Juicy Chicken Breasts
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a fast and healthy option. But due to their leanness, they can easily dry out during cooking.
To keep chicken breasts ultra moist and tender:
- Pound them to an even thickness or slice horizontally.
- Soak in salted water for 15 minutes to tenderize.
- Pat dry and coat with oil to prevent sticking.
- Bake at 400°F for 22-26 minutes until 165°F internally.
This method reliably produces succulent baked chicken breasts perfect for meal prepping.
How to Make Flavorful Baked Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs offer more natural fat and flavor over breasts. Their rich taste stands up well to sauces and seasonings.
For juicy baked chicken thighs:
- Use boneless, skinless thighs for fastest cooking.
- Arrange in a baking dish and season well with salt, pepper and desired spices or herb rubs.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes then check internal temperature.
- Bake 5 minutes longer if needed until 165°F.
The higher fat content keeps boneless thighs tender and moist during baking.
Cook Chicken in a Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
For hands-off chicken cooking, a slow cooker or pressure cooker makes preparing multiple servings easy.
To slow cook:
- Place chicken and 1⁄4 cup broth in a slow cooker.
- Cook breasts for 3 hours on low; thighs for 4-5 hours.
To pressure cook:
- Add chicken and 1⁄2 cup broth to a pressure cooker pot.
- Pressure cook breasts for 7 minutes then quick release; thighs for 8 minutes.
- Finish cooking if needed to reach 165°F.
Both methods produce fork-tender chicken with little effort required.
Storing and Freezing Cooked Chicken
Properly stored cooked chicken will last 3-4 days refrigerated. For longer storage, freeze chicken for up to 3 months.
Refrigeration Tips
- Let chicken cool completely before refrigerating.
- Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
- Use within 3-4 days for food safety.
Freezer Tips
- Let chicken cool before freezing.
- Use freezer bags or airtight containers.
- Remove as much air as possible.
- Label with date and contents.
- Defrost in fridge before using.
Enjoy Your Homemade Chicken in Endless Recipes
From salads to wraps, bowls to casseroles, the possibilities are endless for homemade chicken. Cook up a batch to use in all your favorite recipes for easy, healthy meals any night of the week.
