Quick and Easy Chicken Recipes

What can beat a quick and easy recipe that is as good for your busy schedule as it is for your health? Not only is baking considered to be the healthiest way of preparing chicken, but it is also one of the quickest and simplest ways to prepare a tasty meal. Chicken is loaded with proteins and has considerably less fat than red meat, making it an ideal source of protein.

Whether prepared in whole or in part, it is recommended to keep the skin on the chicken while baking to prevent the meat from drying and burning. The skin helps maximize taste and can be removed before serving. For those who choose to leave the skin out entirely, baking chicken in sauce or as part of a casserole is a great way to serve a more juicy and tasteful entrée. There is a range of sauces and seasonings used to prepare truly mouthwatering chicken recipes.

Follow this expert tip for getting the most taste out of your baked chicken dishes: once the dish is prepared for baking, place the contents in an oven bag to preserve flavor throughout the cooking process. Your guests will taste the difference. An alternative is to place individual pieces of chicken in aluminum foil, along with sauce and seasonings. The foil should be folded in a way that would prevent the sauce from escaping. Arrange the foil-wrapped chicken pieces on a baking dish or tray and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven. Most recipes for chicken require a baking time of 30 minutes to one and a half hours.

Chicken lends itself well to a variety of flavors and seasonings. Below are some of the most popular chicken recipes among home cooks.

Honey 'n Garlic

Take a walk on the sweet side and add some honey flavor to your baked chicken. Baked chicken works incredibly well in a honey garlic sauce. Although it may seem like an odd blend at first, the sweetness of honey and the intensity of garlic are a wonderful combination of spices to make a mouthwatering chicken centerpiece. Honey has a tendency to mellow out the strong flavor of garlic, creating a smooth and flavorful taste to complement most side dishes. Honey 'n Garlic chicken tastes wonderful served alongside rice mixed with raisins and other dry fruits.

Barbecue Spices

The sweet tanginess of barbeque is a perfect complement for chicken and a great addition to your personal recipes cookbook. Barbecue sauce bakes well and comes in a large variety of flavors. From hot and spicy to sweet and tangy, there is ample variety to suit even the pickiest eaters. Barbecue sauce makes chicken tender, juicy and flavorful and is very easy to prepare.

Cranberry Sweetness

A special recipe to share with your loved ones is baked chicken with cranberry sauce. Although cranberry sauce is most commonly associated with holiday turkey dinners, cranberries make a perfect complement for chicken. Cranberry sauce adds much freshness and juiciness to the natural texture of chicken, and makes an enlivening sauce that is sure to be noticed. Serve this chicken dish in the wintertime, when the cranberries act as an immune booster. If fresh cranberries are hard to find, dried berries can be used instead. Be sure to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe, as dried cranberries are usually pre-sweetened.

Asian Sauces

Craving exotic Asian flavors? Chicken in teriyaki sauce is a popular dish that is a sure crowd-pleaser. Homemade chicken teriyaki is healthier and tastier than takeout. Instead of opting for bottled teriyaki, make the sauce from scratch for a more intense and fresh flavor. Making the sauce yourself will also give you a great control over the final taste. With a bit of experimentation, you can create a sauce that is perfectly suited to your liking. You control the sweetness, thickness and the intensity of flavor. There is nothing quite like a teriyaki sauce made at home!

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4 Unusual Chicken Crockpot Recipes - Combinations That Will Wow Your Friends and Family

Ah yes, there is nothing more satisfying than coming home from work to find a chicken crockpot recipe slowly cooking away. It fills the room with gorgeous smells and if you are anything like me you absolutely love and simply wouldn't be without your crockpot. The reason for this is simple, it can save you both money and time. You see as far as I am concerned the great thing about a crockpot is that you can throw in some meat and some vegetables and 4-8 hours later out comes a terrific tasting meal.

Chicken really lends itself to being cooked in a crockpot and the great thing is that it goes with so many different flavor combinations and ingredients. The other awesome thing about chicken is its versatility. This means that you can really get creative with it. So with this in mind here are some different things that you can do with the humble chicken and your crockpot, that you may or may not have heard of.

1. Try chicken and fruit combo's - Believe it or not, chicken works really well with fruit, particularly apricots, peaches and pineapple. If you can add a little spice into the mix to make it fruity and zingy at the same time, it will be a match made in heaven.

2. Chicken and Cola - Coke and chicken I hear you say, but actually Cola really does work with chicken! If you add some onions, peppers and ketchup, it makes an awesome sticky sauce that will not only keep the chicken succulent and moist, but will give the dish a lovely sweet sticky flavor

3. Fish and chicken - It is a well known fact.. chicken just loves fish. Try adding shrimp or salt fish with chili peppers, spices, rice, chicken and stock to make an Asian/Thai influenced steamed rice dish. Or alternatively try adding some clams and stock with your rice and chicken to make an awesome jambalaya

4. Chicken and Blue cheese - This is a great flavor combo. The saltiness of the blue cheese works really well against the moistness of the chicken. Try crumbling blue cheese into a sauce of white wine, mustard and cream (or crème fraiche if you're feeling really healthy) and watch as it slowly melts down to create a totally unctuous sauce that is simply divine.

Hopefully this has given you some useful hints and tips when it comes to flavor combo's as these are just four combinations that on the surface, seem a little strange, but in reality really do work. However, don't stop there! Instead it might be really fun to invent some of your own.

Of course if you are not the creative type then stick to the more established recipes such as chicken and gravy or chicken and herb dumplings. Or if you are really health conscious, then there are even some really good healthy chicken recipes out there. Above all have some fun with your slow cooking and be inventive. There are no end of seriously good chicken crockpot recipes available to you. So it is just a case of trying a few out and seeing which ones your family will adore.

To learn more about Chicken Crockpot Recipes, download my 10 day e-learning course here: "Popular Restaurant Recipes"

Patrick Edwards is the owner of www.restaurantrecipesonline.com where he provides premium Restaurant recipes and tips.

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