If you want to use yogurt, generally use a plain yogurt. Flavors such as vanilla yogurt may come out unpalatable. Some flavored yogurt, such as lemon, lime, coconut, or other fruit flavors that work well with chicken can yield wonderful results. Full fat or low-fat yogurt both work fine. The chicken will have a slight yogurt flavor, which pairs well with peppers and other spices. Buttermilk is a little milder and will not affect the flavor of the chicken. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can make it. Simply add 1 tablespoon (30 mL) of white vinegar to a cup-sized measuring cup. Fill up the rest of the cup with whole or low-fat milk. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until it curdles. You can use this in place of buttermilk.
You can season the marinade with spices and salt to brine the chicken while it’s marinating. After the chicken is done marinating, shake or rinse off the excess buttermilk or yogurt before using it in your recipe.
Using a very acidic marinade, like one with vinegar or lemon juice, may slightly toughen the meat. Acid-based marinades infuse the meat with great flavor, but you may have to get very aggressive with mechanical tenderizing. This works best when you’re making a curry. You cannot really detect the fruit in the finished curries, but you may be able to in dishes without a strong-tasting sauce. [3] X Research source For a mushy chicken, use an enzyme-based marinade that contains pineapple or meat tenderizer. These may do the job a little too well, causing chicken meat to become “mushy”. Of course, this may be the desired outcome, and this may be fine for dishes that call for very soft chicken. Alternatively, use a fruit marinade. If you want the chicken to be as tender as possible, and don’t mind if it gets a little mushy, you can take advantage of the enzymes naturally found in certain fruits. Peel and puree a Kiwi fruit, pineapple, or mango and mix with your raw chicken pieces. Keep it covered in the refrigerator for about an hour. Try soda as a marinade. An easily available and surprisingly good marinade is a soft drink. The highly acidic properties of pop chemically break down the chicken, and the flavor is delicious. Simply cover your chicken with your choice of soda, and add about a teaspoon of salt. If you do not have quite enough soft drink, add some water to the mixture Cola flavors tend to work well: Coca Cola, Pepsi, RC, etc. Lemon-Lime flavors also work well: Sprite, Mountain Dew, 7 Up, Sierra Mist, etc. Moxie (an uncommon American soda brand) also works very well. While some brines use sugar and that requires hot water to dissolve, be sure to let the mixture cool down before adding it to the chicken, or you might end up cooking it with the brine.
Blackening the chicken: Take a pan, put 1 tbsp (30 mL) oil (olive oil adds extra flavor!!) and heat up the oil. Meanwhile, season the chicken using whatever spices you like. Cover the chicken with the spices, and then place in the pan. Cook until no longer pink on the inside. Oven-baking the chicken: Season chicken and place in a greased baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until no longer pink. Grilling the chicken: Transfer the tenderized,seasoned chicken to the grill and cook until done. This way, you can have your chicken without the need to add other ingredients , as the grill will give the dish its own kind of flavor. Stewing the chicken: In a proper stew, it is virtually impossible to produce tough chicken. This is one of the many reasons chicken stews of various types are found throughout the world. This can use both plain or marinated cuts of chicken.
Use a probe thermometer when cooking a whole bird, plunged into the deepest part of the breast. Use an instant read for smaller cuts like breasts and thighs.
While this advice is absolutely true, be assured that carving right away will also not take your succulent chicken into a dry mess of a meal. It also makes sense to wait until the chicken is cool enough to handle, anyway. A chicken just out of the oven is too hot to cut into without risking burns. Chicken that hot will also burn when bitten into.
