Regarding Chicken

A lot of people seem to love the chicken I make, whether it’s grilled or fried or whatever. Here’s the secret, though it’s not one for any of the hypochondriacs out there: I simply undercook it. Not by a lot mind you, but if you cook chicken too long, it — surprise! — gets tough and dry. And so I always make sure there’s still a hint of pink in the meat when I’m done.

Sure, there are a lot of health concerns about undercooked meat, especially with chicken. But sometimes there’s such a thing as too cautious, I think. I’ve been doing it this way for years, with nary a side effect… except for the super delicious chicken in my belly.

A few other chicken-related tips…

• When seasoning your chicken, you don’t need to go overboard. I find that a blend of good ol’ Lawry’s “Seasoned Salt” and garlic powder/salt work just fine.
• If you’re frying or cooking chicken over the stove, use lots of butter in your pan. Also, spread a little butter over the chicken when you’re done as well. Keeps it nice and moist, and besides, there’s never such a thing as too much butter.
• Cook the chicken fast, on a high temperature. This sears and blackens the outside, while keeping the inside nice and moist. Keep flipping and moving the chicken around, so it doesn’t get too blackened.

On a somewhat related note, I was surprised to find that there was no “Meat” category on this blog. Obviously, no men were involved in the set-up of “Needs More Butter.” This glaring oversight has since been rectified.

Beer Bread & Honey Butter

This recipe is courtesy of my co-worker Mary, and it makes the best beer bread you’ve ever tasted.

Ingredients
3 cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 cups of beer (or 1 can plus an extra 1/2 cup)

Directions
Mix flour and sugar together.
Add the beer.
Stir everything together and pour into a greased bread pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Serve hot.

As an added bonus, Mary also recommends serving the beer bread with honey butter. Just mix together equal portions of honey, margarine (or butter), and powdered sugar and start spreadin’.