How to bake chicken without drying it out will depend largely upon whether one is baking a whole chicken or merely a certain piece or pieces of a chicken. It will also very much depend, however, upon ensuring that one does not bake the chicken for too long as this is likely to dry it out regardless of whatever precautionary measures one employs.
The first way in which one may wish to bake or roast chicken is by cooking the whole bird in this fashion. The skin and the fat contained immediately underneath it will assist in preventing the chicken from drying out but there are a couple of other ways in which one can guard against this scenario and the first is by covering the chicken loosely with aluminium foil during the early stages of cooking. This prevents the outer portions of the bird from cooking too quickly and drying out before the inside is cooked. The foil should be removed entirely around half an hour before the chicken is due to be ready.
It is also possible to bake a whole chicken without it drying out by adding some additional saturated fat to the equation. This of course will compromise on the healthy nature of the chicken dish one is preparing but as chicken is such a lean meat, this process is occasionally necessary if the chicken is to be enjoyed to best effect. The first way in which one can bake chicken without it drying out in this way is by simply laying some rashers of streaky bacon across the breast, as one would perhaps more commonly do with a turkey. The second is by taking s little butter, flavoured with such as crushed garlic or lemon zest, and very carefully - so as not to burst the skin - pushing it under the skin from the neck end and down over the breast. One should take one’s time doing this, as if one bursts the skin, much of the overall benefit will be lost.
How to bake chicken legs and thighs without the chicken drying out is best achieved by casseroling them on the bone. This should be done in chicken stock - with the skin still on - and some chopped onions and carrots. If the chicken is baked slowly in this way, at a fairly low heat, the skin, bones and stock should combine to prevent the chicken drying out.
There can be little doubt that chicken breast fillets are the parts of a chicken which are most likely to dry out during baking. This is because the chicken breasts are naturally the part of the bird with the least fat on them and because chicken breast fillets are very often sold with the skin and thus what little fat they did contain already removed.
There are two incredibly simple ways, however, in which one can bake chicken breasts without them drying out. The first is by using bacon, in a similar sense as to when baking a whole chicken. One should take a chicken breast fillet in the palm of one hand, add a couple of sun-dried tomato fillets and basil leaves on top, then wrap the fillet in to a parcel with two to three rashers of bacon. The fillet(s) should then be placed in a casserole dish with a little oil to cook in a moderate oven for twenty-five to thirty minutes.
The second way in which one can cook chicken breasts without them drying out is even more simple. One should take a large sheet of aluminium foil and place the chicken breast fillet(s) in the certain. They should then be dusted lightly with a little Chinese 5 Spice or spice of choice (no salt!) and the package loosely but carefully sealed. This allows all the moisture to remain inside and the fillets should again be placed in a moderate oven for twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Although it is of course vital for health and safety reasons that chicken always be properly cooked and never be eaten in any way underdone, it is important in order to prevent the chicken from drying out that it not be over-cooked. One should check therefore when the recipe deems the chicken to be ready that the juices run clear and stop the cooking process at that stage, leaving the chicken to rest for a few minutes prior to serving.