6 days Ago By Nicola Roy
When you're cooking chicken - whether that's for a salad, curry or pasta dish - the last thing you want is for it to turn out dry. This unpleasant, chewy texture can ruin any meal, but sadly it's a common occurrence. However, according to one culinary pro, there's a very easy way to avoid this.
Food blogger Karla Walsh from Eating Well has hailed the benefits of one simple ingredient when it comes to prepping chicken, which makes it so juicy every time. Even better, it's a real kitchen staple, and you've probably already got it at home. She says the secret to the most juicy, tender chicken involves just one thing: Greek-style yoghurt.
Marinating your chicken in this affordable staple can work absolute wonders for its taste and texture. This is because the yoghurt contains lactic acid, but not as much as other common marinades like lemon juice or vinegar. So it tenderises the meat at a slower pace, meaning it's less likely to turn out dry or rubbery when it actually comes to cooking it.
As well as this, the yoghurt helps to add moisture to the chicken and gently weakens the collagens and proteins. And, if you add herbs and spices to your yoghurt marinade, they’ll absorb even better. It's recommended that you marinate chicken in yoghurt for at least one hour, as this is when it'll start to work its magic.
However, you can do it for up to 24 hours, if you really want to get a head start on meal prep. And if you want to add even more flavour, then all you need are a few extra ingredients to really kick your chicken up a notch. Just mix the yoghurt with the juice of a lemon, two crushed garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt, pepper, cumin and paprika.
After leaving it for a couple of hours, you can then bake, pan-fry or grill your chicken depending on what you're cooking. The Greek yoghurt will have tenderised it perfectly, resulting in a juicy bite..
