Fire up your chicken this Heritage Day

Nobody enjoys a dry chicken breast or a crispy burnt drumstick that’s raw on the inside. Ensure your chicken comes out tops with these great braai tips and ideas.

1. Parboil your chicken before braaing it. Parboil the chicken for no more than 10 minutes and then leave it to soak in the marinade for at least an hour before placing it on the fire. Parboiling means you reduce cooking time on the fire, cook out some of the fat, and ensure that the marinade on the chicken skin doesn’t burn. It also ensures that your chicken is cooked all the way through. Be careful though, boiling it for too long can cause it to become rubbery and lose flavour. Remember, you’re not cooking it completely, you’re just starting the cooking process.

2. Lay your chicken in marinade overnight. Letting the chicken marinate overnight means you can be assured of tender, juicy, and flavourful chicken meat. It gives the chicken a chance to soak up all that flavour. Just be careful that you don’t burn the outside of the chicken, so turn it often on the braai.

3. Place the chicken on the braai first. Chicken takes quite a while to cook, so ensure you give it enough time and hot enough coals to cook properly. Place it on the fire first and be careful not to burn it. Turn, turn, and turn again is your motto when you’re braaing chicken.

4. If you’re braaing skinless chicken like kebabs or breast fillets, remember they don’t take that long to cook. So, keep a close eye on it, make sure the coals are not too hot, and baste regularly during the cooking process to ensure juicy and tender chicken.

5. Give brining a try. Brining is not the same as marinating. Brining is when you soak your meat in a salt and sugar mixture, “which preserves and seasons the food while enhancing tenderness”, according to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brining). You can also add things like herbs to enhance the flavour of the meat while brining. It holds moisture inside the meat so that it doesn’t dry out while cooking.

You’ve read the tips, and now you’re ready to make some tasty chicken on the braai.

Here are a few recipes to help you get started:

The pros from the Ultimate Braai Master cut a whole chicken into a spatchcock and prepared two marinades to use on it. Watch how its done here.

Look at this super easy but beautiful smoky and spicy chicken rub. The family will love this easy recipe.

The next time you’re in the mood for a quick braai, check out the Riversmead range of spiced chicken kebabs and flatties, chicken pieces and sausages – making your braai so much easier and tastier. You can choose from sensational flavours like honey and mustard, masala, Mexican pepper, lemon and herb, peri-peri, and barbeque.

Join Riversmead on 23 September at the SA Braai Army’s world record attempt for the most people braaing simultaneously. Be part of the 924 people lighting fires and braaing, or just come join in the fun at Sugar Rush Park, Ballito. Visit the Facebook page for more details.

Read: Four steps to choosing the perfect supermarket chicken

Main image courtesy of iStock/Vaivirga