From making stir fry slices, cooking up a delicious roast, to munching on a spicy wing, chicken is – hands down – one of the most versatile (and greatest!) ingredients going. Apart from being a very versatile meat when it comes to cooking, chicken also promises great health benefits.
Did you know that the human body can derive about 30 different nutritional substances from just 100 grams of chicken? Apart from that there are other lesser-known benefits of Chicken like:
1. Chicken is a great source of lean, low-fat protein.
2. It is also packed with selenium, a chemical known for its anti-cancer properties.
3. The skin of the chicken is known to contain the maximum fat; therefore, skinned chicken is preferred by many.
Chicken is the meat of choice in Australia. It surpasses all sales for every other type of meat as well as meat consumption daily. Australia have pedigree though as they are the biggest meat-eaters in the world. They consume 205 pounds per person every year! The average American consumes a whopping 201 pounds of meat annually. Unsurprisingly, there is a high demand for poultry and an estimated 8 billion chickens are consumed over the course of a year in the US. Chicken’s appeal is seemingly timeless with consumption rising every year since the 1960s.
Argentina consumes around 187 pounds of chicken annually. In the country, chicken is now more popular than ever, while red meat consumption is decreasing. Chicken knows no bounds! In the UK, chicken is at the top of everyone’s shopping list accounting for half the meat eaten in the country. Around 2.2 million chickens were eaten every single day in 2013 with 95% of us Brits confessing our love for all things chicken! Whether you like your chicken grilled, fried, baked or roasted, its adaptability is what makes it so popular.
Every country in the world has their own chicken recipes. Here are some popular chicken dishes around the world.
1. Marmite Chicken
A typically Singaporean dish that needs no introduction, this culinary delight combines two flavourful ingredients – Marmite and chicken – in a frying pan and lets the flavours come together to form a delightfully savoury dish.
2. Asian Honey Glazed Wings
Tantalisingly sweet, spicy, delicious and crunchy. This deep fried delight highlights the essence of Asian food – sinful, flavourful and spicy! It’s fantastic as a side dish taken with rice, or on its own as a main.
3. Thai Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups
This is a rather addictive dish that boasts rich flavours, owing to its combination of chilli, pepper, ginger, brown sugar, fish sauce and lime that creates a unique Thai flavour that will surely have diners coming back for second helpings.
4. Indonesian Style Baked Chicken
Delight diners with a taste of Indonesia with this dish. When baked to perfection, the tender chicken is bursting with the goodness of Southeast Asian spices and its robust flavours.
5. Chicken Tikka
This chicken dish is wildly popular in India and Pakistan. The chicken is cooked on skewers over coals after being marinated with a unique blend of spices. If you want to add a spicy number to your menu, chicken tikka is an excellent choice.
