How to cook chicken.........
Discussion
I am an amateur so bear with me! I am currently trying out different types of chicken curries. Either by mixing powders myself, using pastes or just using ready made sauces.
Either way I follow a general set of instructiosn in that
1) I put some oil in a pan, stick the chicken pieces in for about 5 minutes til they turn brown
2) I then chuck in the sauce and let it simmer on a high heat for about 15 minutes.
The thing that concerns me is that the 15minute simmer is too long and probably affecting the sauce. But my worry is that the chicken will not be fully cooked. The food itself is coming out OK, but as I say the sauces may be a bit 'drier' than they have to be.
So the question is, after the 5 minutes of the chicken borwning on its own, how much simmer time will it need minimum before it is fully cooked? The pieces are fairly small chucnks like you get in any restaurant.
Also, am I better off simemring at a high/medium heat for 10 minutes or shall I leave it longer and at a lower heat 15minutes?
Either way I follow a general set of instructiosn in that
1) I put some oil in a pan, stick the chicken pieces in for about 5 minutes til they turn brown
2) I then chuck in the sauce and let it simmer on a high heat for about 15 minutes.
The thing that concerns me is that the 15minute simmer is too long and probably affecting the sauce. But my worry is that the chicken will not be fully cooked. The food itself is coming out OK, but as I say the sauces may be a bit 'drier' than they have to be.
So the question is, after the 5 minutes of the chicken borwning on its own, how much simmer time will it need minimum before it is fully cooked? The pieces are fairly small chucnks like you get in any restaurant.
Also, am I better off simemring at a high/medium heat for 10 minutes or shall I leave it longer and at a lower heat 15minutes?
obob said:
Curry should be cooked long and slow, a lot longer than 15minutes.
Depends on the curry you are trying to make.Chinese curry made in a wok will take 5 minutes tops. Fast fry onion slices and chicken breast pieces for 2 minutes, then add sauce mix and simmer for 3 minutes to thicken. Job done.
Indian Curry time will depend on the meat used and whether the sauce is made from raw spices. It could take a couple of hours or if using chicken and a ready made sauce it might be 10-15 minutes.
stevensdrs said:
obob said:
Curry should be cooked long and slow, a lot longer than 15minutes.
Depends on the curry you are trying to make.Chinese curry made in a wok will take 5 minutes tops. Fast fry onion slices and chicken breast pieces for 2 minutes, then add sauce mix and simmer for 3 minutes to thicken. Job done.
Indian Curry time will depend on the meat used and whether the sauce is made from raw spices. It could take a couple of hours or if using chicken and a ready made sauce it might be 10-15 minutes.
If the sauce is too dry I think you're over-cooking it. This wastes flavour.
Try putting a lid on and giving it a low simmer rather than boiling it. 15 minutes should be ok, but cut into a piece of chicken and test it before serving.
If the knife you used is too hot to hold against your tongue for more than a fraction of a second, it's cooked.
ETA: I also think that if you're using cheap chicken where all that 'browning it off' will achieve is to make it dump water, toughen and shrink, you're better off putting it in the sauce raw.
Try putting a lid on and giving it a low simmer rather than boiling it. 15 minutes should be ok, but cut into a piece of chicken and test it before serving.
If the knife you used is too hot to hold against your tongue for more than a fraction of a second, it's cooked.
ETA: I also think that if you're using cheap chicken where all that 'browning it off' will achieve is to make it dump water, toughen and shrink, you're better off putting it in the sauce raw.
Edited by Mobile Chicane on Thursday 9th February 21:30
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