What Herbs And Seasonings Are Best For Chicken?

Chicken is one of the easiest and inexpensive ingredients to use for making a countless variety of various dishes. Naturally it is purely a matter of personal taste when it comes to seasoning chicken with the numerous herbs, spices, and seasonings available. However, some of them definitely bring out the flavor of the poultry better than others.

Depending on the herb or spice used, some should be cooked right along with the chicken while others are added at the end or sprinkled on top just before serving. The reason for this is because the flavor of some seasonings intensifies with heat but with others, the taste is reduced during the cooking process.

Rosemary is perfect for roasting chicken and it can be used fresh or combined with oils and used to baste the meat. Rosemary chicken can be served with side dishes such as roasted potatoes, steamed mixed vegetables, rice, and garden salads.

Parsley, basil, and thyme are also ideal for all types of chicken. Although there are more than 30 varieties available, stick to curly leaf or flat leaf parsley for seasoning chicken with the latter being the more flavorful choice. Basil can be used fresh or dried and this aromatic herb also comes in several different varieties.

Thyme, a member of the mint family, is commonly used for flavoring chicken as well as other meat dishes, salads, sauces, soups, breads, and even desserts. Along with rosemary, parsley, and thyme, use dried bay leaves for making bouquet garni, an herbal mixture used for seasoning both meats and vegetables. Combine all of the ingredients for bouquet garni in cheesecloth making it easy to remove and discard after cooking.

Garlic, either fresh or powdered, is a great seasoning that can be used along with a host of other ingredients for making chicken full of flavor and interest.

Lemon is another ingredient used for adding a distinct flavor to chicken. Fresh lemon juice can be used for coating chicken before baking or for adding to sauces. There are also herbs like lemon balm and ginger lemongrass to consider along with allspice, curry, fennel, mustard, paprika, saffron, sage, savory, and tarragon.

Broiled Herb Chicken Recipe

What You Need

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste

How to Make It

Preheat the oven to the broiler setting.

Line a pan with aluminum foil and place the chicken breast halves on top.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with the garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Spread a dollop of the butter mixture onto each piece of chicken and broil in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink inside.

Turn the chicken twice during the cooking process and baste with the remainder of the butter mixture.

Serve the broiled herb chicken while hot.

Stick to simple fried chicken made with breadcrumbs for making a quick lunch or dinner when you only have a few ingredients on hand. Make your favorite country fried chicken recipe and serve with fresh biscuits, potatoes, a vegetable, and of course, homemade gravy.

SouthernFriedChickenRecipe.com When it has to be Real Fried Chicken

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