Free – food and drink recipes

When dealing with chicken for meals, then cooking chicken safely is very important because of the harmful bacteria that live within and throughout the chicken meat. If the chicken isn’t cooked properly then the bacteria can lead to food poisoning for whoever is eating it.It is therefore important to cook it properly. Chicken is a popular and cheap method of getting together a great main course, starter, soup, salad, lunch or snack. It is very safe to eat it, unless it hasn’t been cooked as it should be and you end up eating the raw, pink meat where the bacterian live.

The article below give tips about cooking chicken safely, chicken thawing, and defrosting chicken. Basic food safety tips for working with chicken include:

- Washing your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before handling poultry, whether it’s raw or cooked.
- Washing your hands thoroughly again, after you’ve handled raw or cooked poultry.
- Using different kitchen equipment for cooked and raw poultry, such as chopping boards, knives, plates and bowls.
- Cleaning all your equipment and work surfaces thoroughly, including knives or and other utensils used, chopping boards and kitchen worktops.

If the poultry you want to cook is frozen, you must defrost it thoroughly before you cook it. If you cook poultry before it’s properly thawed, it may not be cooked thoroughly throughout the chicken and bacteria that cause food poisoning could possibly survive the cooking process.

With a whole frozen bird, such as turkey or chicken, allow plenty of time for it to thaw. The larger the bird, the longer it will take to defrost. For a chicken fillet, or breast, for example, it could easily be defrosted in the microwave.

When you thaw frozen poultry, lots of liquid comes out. The liquid spreads bacteria to anything it touches, including other food, plates and work surfaces, as well as your hands. So good hygiene is very important.

With each chicken and cooking method, times for defrosting chicken, or cooking chicken, will differ. Cooking times for whole birds should always be available on the label. When checking if the bird has cooked properly throughout, just cut open the thickest part of the bird with a clean knife. Between the drunstick and thigh is uaually the thickest part.

Check the colour of the juices that come out. If the bird is cooked, the juices will be clear, not red or pink. If any of the juices are not clear, or any part of the meat is pink then the chicken hasn’t been cooked properly and it needs to be done for a bit longer.

Cooking chicken safely isn’t hard; you just need to pay attention to the little details such as chicken thawing, the washing of equipment and hands and checking it before eating.

If you are in need of some recipes for chicken breast then let me help. I love using chicken in any recipe because of how inexpensive it is. I also love using rice for that very same reason. So here I would like to share with you 3 simple and tasty recipes for chicken breast that also have rice.

This first recipe is great for summer. The citrus fruit should be inexpensive and the flavor is very upbeat and lively. My family loves making this and eating it out on the deck.

Citrus Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 c pineapple juice

1 lime

1 lemon

1 orange

? c coconut

1 box wild rice

Bring the pineapple juice to a boil in a medium to large sauté pan. Once boiling add your chicken to the juice.

Dice up the fruit into bite sized pieces and add them to the chicken. Sprinkle the coconut over the juice. Let this all cook together until the chicken is done. Keep a watch on it and if the juice starts to evaporate then add more.

Prepare the rice according to the box except substitute ? c of the water for pineapple juice.

Then serve the chicken over the rice with a little bit of the pineapple juice/sauce from the pan.

This next of the three recipes for chicken breast is a very basic stir-fry. It is simple and quick to make and you can do the prep ahead of time so all you have to do is throw it together when your ready for it.

Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry

2 chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1-2 carrots, chopped

1 c onion, sliced

1 ? c Yoshida’s sauce

3 c rice

Start cooking the rice. While the rice is cooking prepare all the vegetables.

When the rice has about 20 minutes left, place the vegetables and sauce into a large wok or frying pan. Let this cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Then serve over the rice.

If I am in a hurry then you can cook the rice and prepare the veggies the day before. Then just cook the veggies for 15-20 minutes, heat up the rice and serve.

My family and I love Chinese food, so I have been trying to recreate all of our favorite Chinese recipes for chicken breast at home to save us the expense of eating out. I have found a sweet and sour chicken recipe that I not only love but it is so incredibly easy to make.

Simple Sweet and Sour Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Flour

2-3 eggs, beaten

Oil for frying

1 large onion, diced or sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced or cubed

1 can pineapple chunks

1 24 oz bottle Catalina salad dressing

1 jar apricot preserves

Cut the chicken into 1-2” cubes. Then roll it them in flour, dip them in the egg and then roll them in the flour again.

In a medium frying pan add about 2-3 Tbsp oil, just enough for a thin layer at the bottom. When the oil is heated add the chicken and fry until breading is golden brown.

Then add the onion, bell pepper and pineapple to the pan and continue frying until onions and peppers are tender. Keep an eye on it since you may need to add a little more oil.

While that is frying combine the salad dressing and preserves in a saucepan and heat until the preserves are completely liquefied.

To serve, place the chicken over rice and pour the sauce over it.

I hope you will enjoy these recipes for chicken breast as much as my family has.