How to Parboil Chicken and Make Mouthwatering Chicken Dishes
When you parboil chicken, not only is the cooking time reducing in half, but you're also getting a healthy meal out of it. Learn what parboiling is and how you can make delicious chicken recipes from the following article...
Bhakti Satalkar
Last Updated: May 3, 2018
What Does Parboil Mean?
Parboiling is similar to boiling, however the food is only partially cooked. In parboiling, the liquid (often water) used is separated from the food. In most cases, the liquid is poured off and can later be used to make another dish. One point that distinctly separates boiling from parboiling is the amount of heat applied to boil the food. During parboiling, the heat is left at simmer; on the other hand, during boiling, the heat applied is often full.
How to Parboil Chicken
- Choose the cut and size of chicken you wish to parboil.
- You can parboil chicken in water, chicken broth, apple cider, or a combination of all.
- If you wish, you can add onion wedges, pieces of celery and carrots, garlic cloves, and lemon peel to add flavor.
- Place the chicken inside a large pan and cover it with enough liquid.
- Add any of the additional flavors you want and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
- Once liquid starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer till the chicken loses its pink color.
- Next, remove the chicken from the liquid, pat dry, and move on to the recipe you'd wish to make with it.
How Long to Parboil Chicken?
The amount of time required to parboil chicken will obviously depend on the cut and size of the chicken. Apart from its size, the parboil time will vary on whether or not you've kept the bones in or are using boneless chicken, and if the skin is on or not. In order to help you understand what the "approximate" timings will be, here's a table you can review.
| Whole Chicken | 30 to 40 mins |
| Chicken Breasts | 10 mins |
| Chicken Wings | 15 to 20 mins |
| Chicken Legs | 5 mins |
| Chicken Thighs | 5 mins |
| Chicken Quarters | 5 mins |
Delicious Parboiled Chicken Recipes
If you and your family isn't really into eating parboiled chicken as is, there are many delicious recipes you can make. Here are a few of them.
Parboiled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients for BBQ Sauce
In a pot, heat butter for about couple of minutes on low heat and add onion to sauté. As they turn brown, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add the rest of the ingredients and mix properly. Simmer the mixture for half an hour on low heat and do a taste test occasionally. If you think that the flavors are right, turn off the heat and move on to grilling the chicken.
- 2 cups tomato sauce or ketchup
- ½ cup apple juice
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. paprika
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. Chipotle powder
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- Cayenne, to taste
In a pot, heat butter for about couple of minutes on low heat and add onion to sauté. As they turn brown, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add the rest of the ingredients and mix properly. Simmer the mixture for half an hour on low heat and do a taste test occasionally. If you think that the flavors are right, turn off the heat and move on to grilling the chicken.
Ingredients for BBQ
Before we begin, turn the grill on. Generously coat the chicken with vegetable oil and sprinkle salt on all sides. Place the chicken pieces over the grill, skin side down to sear it for about 5-10 minutes. Once the skin side is seared, place it on the cooler side of the grill or turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the grill and let the chicken cook for about 20 minutes. Next, turn the pieces over and baste with the barbecue sauce you prepared. Cover the grill one more time and let it cook for another 20 minutes. Follow the same procedure on the other side (turn, baste, cover, and cook). When the chicken pieces are properly cooked, take them off the grill, pour some more barbecue sauce on it, and serve.
- 4 pounds chicken (legs, thighs, wings, breasts), skin-on
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
Before we begin, turn the grill on. Generously coat the chicken with vegetable oil and sprinkle salt on all sides. Place the chicken pieces over the grill, skin side down to sear it for about 5-10 minutes. Once the skin side is seared, place it on the cooler side of the grill or turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the grill and let the chicken cook for about 20 minutes. Next, turn the pieces over and baste with the barbecue sauce you prepared. Cover the grill one more time and let it cook for another 20 minutes. Follow the same procedure on the other side (turn, baste, cover, and cook). When the chicken pieces are properly cooked, take them off the grill, pour some more barbecue sauce on it, and serve.
Parboiled Deep-fried Chicken
Ingredients
In a pan, heat canola oil for frying. Meanwhile, take a shallow bowl to combine flour, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes properly. In a different bowl, beat the eggs along with the milk. Now coat the chicken in flour mixture, then egg mixture, and then again the flour mixture. Carefully place the pieces in the oil and fry till they turn golden brown. Serve with barbecue sauce or ranch sauce.
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups canola oil
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- ½ tbsp. red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup milk
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
In a pan, heat canola oil for frying. Meanwhile, take a shallow bowl to combine flour, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes properly. In a different bowl, beat the eggs along with the milk. Now coat the chicken in flour mixture, then egg mixture, and then again the flour mixture. Carefully place the pieces in the oil and fry till they turn golden brown. Serve with barbecue sauce or ranch sauce.
Parboiled Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Before we begin, turn the grill on to medium. In a pan, sauté tomatillos and serrano in a little bit of olive oil. In a blender, combine tomatillos, serrano, garlic, cilantro, onion, lime juice, and honey, and blend till you get a smooth mixture. Add this paste back into the pan and sauté over the grill. As the mixture simmers, add shredded chicken and combine properly. Meanwhile, place a few tortillas on the grill, and grill for about 20 seconds on each side. Once the chicken is ready, spoon it in the middle of the tortillas, and add a few tablespoons of queso fresco. You can serve the tacos with salsa and jalapeños.
- 8 corn tortillas
- 6 tomatillos, husked, washed, and grilled
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1½ cups chicken, shredded
- 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 serrano, grilled
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ small red onion, coarsely chopped
- Olive oil
Before we begin, turn the grill on to medium. In a pan, sauté tomatillos and serrano in a little bit of olive oil. In a blender, combine tomatillos, serrano, garlic, cilantro, onion, lime juice, and honey, and blend till you get a smooth mixture. Add this paste back into the pan and sauté over the grill. As the mixture simmers, add shredded chicken and combine properly. Meanwhile, place a few tortillas on the grill, and grill for about 20 seconds on each side. Once the chicken is ready, spoon it in the middle of the tortillas, and add a few tablespoons of queso fresco. You can serve the tacos with salsa and jalapeños.
With the help of this Tastessence article, try parboiling chicken at home so that you can prepare healthy recipes for yourself and the rest of your family. It really doesn't take much!
