Even the most lazy housewife knows how much the taste of a simple dish changes under the influence of seasonings. Yes there! Any bachelor who wants to slightly diversify everyday scrambled eggs sprinkles on it what he finds in the nightstand - if only it would be more tasty and not very similar to what he ate yesterday.
And here, many make a mistake. Not every spice is combined with the main component of the dish. It happens that the added seasoning does not just make the food “no”, but can bring it to a state of complete inedibility. So, before adding spicy weed to your lunch, ask if it is compatible with this dish?
Chicken and traditions
The most unpretentious and fastest in cooking meat for ever busy contemporaries remains chicken. However, her meat is rather boring in taste. So what to decorate it with?
Those over thirty probably still remember the times when all seasonings were in salt, pepper and lavrushka. No doubt they are very democratic. And as seasoning for chicken it’s quite suitable. In principle, they are suitable for any meat (and not only). However, it is not interesting to manage only with this set.
Modern offers
The most obvious solution is to go the easy way. Now in supermarkets there are a lot of colored bags with the inscription “Chicken seasoning”, and the inscriptions on all say that it contains the best selection of herbs and spices that will make your chicken dish unique. In something they can be trusted. So, on one of the packages we read that the mixture contains paprika, dried garlic, coriander, salt, turmeric, curry, suneli hops, nutmeg, ginger, spices. In principle, these components are really combined with the bird, but what is meant by the word "spices"? Which ones do you mean? And curry is an ambiguous thing. Such seasoning for chicken is not very credible. Its composition is also not completely indicated: flavor enhancers, as well as flavorings and colorings , are not listed.
It all depends on what you cook.
There is one more nuance about which any culinary specialist (even an amateur) will confidently tell you with experience and love for cooking. Chicken seasoning is selected depending on what kind of dish you cook from the bird. So, for example, basil is very good for independent chicken dishes, but if soup is being prepared, it should be either fish or tomato-based. Chicken stock with basil is not particularly friendly.
In addition, if you fry or bake the bird, the best seasoning for chicken is herbs. Take the same basil with marjoram and sage and add rosemary, thyme and mint, and grate the carcass with this composition - you can imagine nothing tastier. And if you stew the bird, then many of the herbs will lose their aroma and will be virtually useless.
Correct combinations
And yet, what seasonings are suitable for chicken? In addition to the listed herbs and the traditional Soviet set, you can take garlic, and even dried, white pepper - it makes even a better impression than the usual black and ginger. In principle, the chicken is quite “friends” with many seasonings. But given that her meat is fresh (it is not for nothing that this bird is involved in most diet menus), you should not spend soft delicate spices on it. Seasonings should add expressiveness to the chicken, so that their aroma should be quite sharp, and the taste should be sharp or bitter.
Saffron with a bright smell fits perfectly into these parameters, in addition, it colors white meat in an unusual yellow color, which also pleases the eye. Curry is in perfect harmony with this poultry, however, it is worth noting that it fits into almost all famous dishes. Despite the mild flavor, sweet (Bulgarian) pepper is good in chicken dishes - due to the pronounced aroma. And of course, chili peppers, if you do not shy hot.
Grill features
When cooking chicken on an open fire, the effects of the flame itself must be considered. Nevertheless, some part of the aroma and pungency of seasonings are lost under its influence. That is why it is recommended to marinate the bird before cooking: it absorbs the spirit of spices, the meat will become juicy, soft and fragrant. These goals are set for seasoning for grilled chicken, the composition of which differs from others. It contains more hot spices: black pepper, paprika, garlic, and chili. Fragrant ingredients must also be present: turmeric, suneli hops, coriander, shambhala, nutmeg, ginger and curry.
In principle, knowing the preferences and “friendly relations” of chicken with spices and herbs, you can also make your own collection, which will meet your tastes, combine with poultry meat and emphasize its advantages. For example, take chervil: it miraculously sets off the taste of chicken, but, firstly, its aroma is too delicate, and you have to use it in large quantities during cooking, and secondly, it quickly fades, while losing its already faint odor. But maybe it will be your highlight in chicken dishes.
Or, for example, oregano, which is actually native oregano. They used to meet him in Italian dishes, but oregano has long been used in Russia as a seasoning. Buying it is not so simple (in any case, fresh), but it is worthy of being included in your list of favorite herbs.