I Feel Like Chicken Tonight! Perhaps you are looking for a delicious chicken recipe you can make for dinner tonight. Or maybe, these words trigger another memory from the early 1990s! No matter what you are after, we have it all for you, right here!
Back in the early 1990s, there was a very popular commercial that seemed to play all the time. It featured sauce called Chicken Tonight, which is surprisingly still sold today. I was curious if it was still able to be purchased, so I did some checking, and it is still available! The commercial was a cute little jingle. Do you remember when commercials used to be catchy jingles? This one is a great example! It’s even better because all the people in it are walking around, flapping their elbows as if they are chicken wings! It’s quite the funny, classic commercial, that is for sure!
Now that we have you humming “…I feel like chicken tonight, chicken tonight…” Let’s see if we can help you out with making chicken tonight! We have got you covered with some great ideas!
There are many great reasons for cooking with chicken! There are so many different ways you can cook chicken, all of which taste very good! Chicken is also very beneficial to your health; it contains many great nutrients that your body needs. Another thing about chicken is that it is relatively cost effective. Once you get the hang of cooking chicken, it is an easy dish to prepare as well! It’s a win, win, win all around! …. I feel like chicken tonight….!
Types of Chicken
There are many different ways you can purchase chicken. At your local grocery store, or wherever you obtain your chickens, you can find it available from frozen to fresh, to farm raised, to organic, and raw or already cooked.
Frozen Chicken
Commonly found in the freezer or cooler section, is frozen chicken. You can find whole chickens, or pieces of chicken that have been frozen right in their packaging. If you look in the freezer section, you can also find frozen chicken that has gone through a flash freeze process to freeze each piece individually. Depending on your needs, frozen chicken is always a great option to purchase and use at a later date.
Organic, Non-Organic and Farm Fresh Chicken
Chicken can also be purchased organic, non-organic and as farm fresh chicken. Non-organic is your typical chicken that has been raised for meat. There is major momentum behind the organic movement, however, the difference between organic chicken and farm fresh might surprise you.
There are few differences between organic and non-organic chickens. Really the main difference is that organic chickens are fed organic food. They don’t have any better living conditions.
There are many differences between “organic” chicken and farm fresh, or “Primal Pastures Chicken”. Farm fresh chickens are allowed outside all the time to hunt for bugs. They are fed organic food and are not given vaccines.
Canned Chicken
Chicken is also available and can speed the process of meal preparation. Canned chicken is pre-cooked when you purchase it from the store, and can sit on your pantry shelf for several years before going bad. This type of chicken is very easy to prepare, you literally open the can and add to your dish. If you are looking for a quick and easy meal, try making chicken salad from a can. This is one of our favorite meals when we are in a hurry!
Rotisserie Chicken
Another favorite way to purchase chicken is a rotisserie chicken! You can find a chicken that has already been cooked, and costs little more than a raw chicken. Rotisserie chickens make great meals for the whole family. Or they can be used by removing the meat and using it in another dish, such as a casserole, pastas, or chicken salad. You can’t go wrong with a rotisserie chicken. You can find great rotisserie chickens at Costco, Sam’s, or even sometimes your local grocery store.
Cuts Of Chicken
When you are looking to buy chicken, it is important to know what cut you are looking for, and how each one can be used differently. There is also a price difference amongst the different cuts of chicken. Being aware of the difference is helpful, both in your kitchen and for your budget.
Wings
Wings are just like they sound. This meat is a chicken’s wing. It’s a part of the chicken that has very little meat on them most of the time. In most cases, the wings have mostly bones. The meat that is on a chicken’s wing is very tender and moist.
Drumsticks
As a kid, I remember thinking that drumsticks were the best part of a chicken. This section of meat is from the chicken’s leg. A drumstick is considered dark meat, although it may not look very dark in some cases.
Tenderloin
Chicken tenderloin is part of the chicken that is attached to the underside of each chicken breast. This part of the chicken is the most delicate part of a chicken. Tenderloins are shaped narrow and thin, in comparison to the breasts that they are near. Chicken tenderloins are made up of white meat and are used in chicken tenders.
Gizzard
Perhaps you have not heard of gizzards before, or you don’t know what it is. A chicken’s gizzard is its stomach! That’s right, gizzard = chicken’s stomach. It is part of the stomach that does all of the chewing of their food. It is made up of a muscle that contracts when food enters. So, can you eat it? Yes, you sure can eat chicken gizzards. Chicken gizzards are commonly eaten around the globe.
Breast
A chicken’s breast is one of the most common portions of meat used for cooking and grilling today. As a result, is it usually one of the higher priced cuts of chicken meat. Chicken breasts are white meat that can be prepared in various ways. Check out a few of our ideas below!
Thigh
Chicken thighs are often the overlooked meat. These cuts of chicken are some of my all-time favorites. Thigh meat is brown chicken meat that is from, yes, a chicken’s thigh. You can purchase them at your local grocery store with bones in, as well as skin intact, or you can buy them boneless and skinless. The choice is up to you, and how you plan to cook them! This meat is good both ways. Because thigh meat is often overshadowed by breast meat, it usually costs less, which is great! However, there are times and uses for both kinds of meat.
What temperature does chicken have to reach to be considered done?
Like most meat, there is a specific internal temperature that you will want your chicken to reach before enjoying it. Unlike most red meats, you do not want to eat chicken unless it has reached that temperature. It can be harmful to your health to eat chicken that is not fully cooked. In order to enjoy chicken, you will want to be sure that it reaches at least 160F degrees. The temperature of 160F needs to be the internal temperature in the very center and the thickest part of your chicken.
How many pounds of chicken should you buy per serving?
Knowing how much chicken to buy and prepare is an important step in cooking. My family enjoys eating food, so it is important to make sure I am going to have enough food to go around. Maybe you understand that sentiment as well 🙂 !
There are two scenarios to consider when trying to determine how much meat to prepare. First determine if your meat is the main feature or if it is not. For example, if we were grilling out chicken thighs with the bone and skin still intact, along with potato salad, corn on the cob and cheesecake for dessert. My chicken thighs would be considered my main feature for the meal.
Contrast this to preparing chicken pot pie for dinner. While my chicken would still be considered one of the features of the dish, it is not the main feature. Meaning that I could stretch my chicken further by adding more vegetables to my dish.
Rule Of Thumb To Remember…
A good rule of thumb is to allow about 1/3 pound per person when meat is not the feature and ½ pound to ¾ pound when meat is the feature dish. That being said, in my example of grilled chicken thighs, it would also be important to have at least one large piece for everyone who is going to eat the dinner I prepare. If I am planning to serve eight people, I will want to be sure I have at least eight pieces of chicken. Then consider how large the pieces of chicken are, and how much meat each piece has. If I know I have a group of foodies coming, I prefer to play it safe and prepare a few extra thighs just in case. On the occasion that there happens to be any left-over meat, I can always use it and make it into something different the next night, when chicken is not the main feature.
Chicken Recipes And Ideas!
I feel like chicken tonight! Here are a few of our favorite dishes featuring chicken! This is to get your creativeness flowing. If you would like to try one of our specific recipes, I have provided a couple of my favorites below that I wanted to share with you! Also, if you would like more chicken recipes, you should consider signing up for our 10 Chicken Dinners that we have planned for you! This includes step by step instructions as well as what equipment you might need. Sign up today, and we will send you a copy!
…. I feel like chicken tonight…
Chicken Recipes For Tonight:
Chicken, Broccoli and Rice
Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Ritz Cracker Chicken
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Salad
Fried and Baked Chicken
Chicken Bake with Cream Cheese
Chicken Alfredo
Bacon, Ranch Chicken Salad
Chicken Da Van
Dutch Oven Whole Chicken
Whole Chicken Bake
Chicken and Rice Bowls
Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad
Chicken Enchiladas
Chimichangas with Chicken
Chicken Noodle Soup
One of our favorite go to meals that is simple, quick and healthy for you to eat is a chicken, broccoli and rice bowl. It is super easy, and hits the spot!
Chicken, Broccoli and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken brest cooked
- 2 cups rice prepared per package instructions
- 12 ounce broccli florets frozen or fresh
- Teriyaki sauce to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan, prepare rice according to package. Make sure that there is enough for two servings.
- In a large skillet, cook broccli with a little water and a drizzle of olive oil, until it is mostly cooked, but slightly crunchy.
- Add cooked chicken to the pan. Cook over medium low heat until chicken is warm.
- In a bowl, place half of the warm rice top with chicken and broccli mixture. Drizzle Teriyaki sauce on top before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Whole chickens make for a great meal. The best part is that the leftovers can be used to make anything! Try this simple recipe below.
Whole Chicken
Equipment
- dutch oven
- Crockpot
- Cooking Bags
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken thawed
- olive oil to drizzle
- garlic powder to taste
- garlic salt to taste
- parsley sprinkling
Instructions
Dutch Oven
- Begin by drizzling olive oil in the bottom of your pan. Remove your chicken from it's wrapping, take the bag of guts out of the inside, rinse the chicken off under cold water. Inspect it to make sure all of the feathers have been removed.
- Place in the dutch oven and bake at 375F for about two hours. After two hours, check the internal temperature to see how much longer it may need. You may need to add an additional hour to the baking time. The internal temperature of your chicken needs to reach 160F before eating.
- Remove from the oven and let rest before eating. Serve and enjoy!
Crockpot
- Begin by drizzling olive oil in the bottom of your crockpot. Remove your chicken from it's wrapping, take the bag of guts out of the inside, rinse the chicken off under cold water. Inspect it to make sure all of the feathers have been removed.
- Place in your crockpot, make sure your temperature is on high. Cook for three hours and then check on it.
- Because crockpots take longer to cook, it may need to cook more like four to five hours on high in your crockpot. If you are going to leave it cooking all day, while you are at work, it is a good idea to place one cup of water in the crockpot with it as well.
- Be sure that your internal temperature has reached 160F before eating.
Cooking Bag
- Begin by drizzling olive oil in the bottom of your crockpot. Remove your chicken from it's wrapping, take the bag of guts out of the inside, rinse the chicken off under cold water. Inspect it to make sure all of the feathers have been removed.
- Sprinkle flour on the inside of your bag. Open the bag wide and place your chicken inside. Twist and seal it shut. Place the bag on a baking pan and place in your oven at 375 for two to three hours. Be sure that your internal temperature has reached 160F before eating. Remove from the oven and let rest before eating. Serve and enjoy!
Now that we have gotten you thinking about chicken, what chicken recipe are you going to make for dinner tonight?! “I feel like chicken tonight, chicken tonight…!”. Write to us and let us know your favorite ways to incorporate chicken!
Now that you are all ready to make chicken for your dinner tonight, you need to know How Long Thawed Chicken Can Stay In Fridge. On these hot summer days, chicken salad is a perfect dinner recipe. Learn all about How Long Does Chicken Salad Last. Be sure you don’t miss out!
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