When boiling chicken, should you place it face down or face up to prevent the skin from cracking and the bones from turning red?

How to place the chicken in the pot is also an important factor that affects the flavor and quality of the chicken when cooked. When boiling chicken, should you place the chicken belly down or face up?

When placing the chicken in the pot, the position of the chicken will affect the ability to transfer heat and the speed of cooking of the chicken meat. Normally, parts such as the breast and thigh have thick layers of meat, so they will take the longest to cook.

If the chicken is placed belly down, the breast and thigh cheeks are submerged in water, so they cook faster. The back of the chicken on top does not receive heat. However, this part has quite thin meat, so it still ensures cooking.

When placing the chicken face up, the thick meat such as the breast and thigh will be on top. At this time, that part of the meat receives less heat, so it takes a long time to cook. Meanwhile, the back of the chicken has thin meat and is exposed to a lot of heat, so it cooks quickly, the skin is easily torn, and it cannot maintain its elasticity. However, when placed upside down like that, the boiling water will enter the abdominal cavity, making the meat in the abdominal cavity cook faster.

According to professional chefs, placing the chicken upside down or upside down is only one part. During the boiling process, it is best to combine both positions.

When starting to boil, you should place the chicken upside down so that the belly and thighs receive more heat. Boil for about 10 minutes from the time the water boils.

Then, turn the chicken upside down so that the boiling water flows into the abdominal cavity, making the breast and thigh meat cook more evenly. Boil the chicken for another 10-15 minutes.

Some notes when boiling chicken:

When boiling chicken, you should add some spices such as ginger, onions, lemongrass... to make the chicken more delicious.

Note that the boiling water needs to cover the entire chicken so that the chicken is cooked evenly, the skin is not dry, and does not shrink. When the water boils, reduce the heat to maintain the temperature, just let the water bubble. Do not use too high heat, the water will boil too strongly, making the chicken cooked on the outside but still raw on the inside, the skin will easily tear.

After boiling the chicken, do not take it out immediately, but cover it with a lid and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the meat is soaked in water.

When taking the chicken out, soak it in ice water for about 5 minutes to make the chicken skin shiny and crispy.