Are you a college student who is getting tired of cafeteria food? With a little bit of know-how, you can make your own delicious food using a microwave, an electric skillet, and a few extra ingredients. For starters, think about what kind of food you have really enjoyed when you’ve been out to a restaurant. Do you enjoy steak or chicken? If you’re a vegetarian, do you prefer tofu or tempeh? There are so many varieties of protein available, from eggs to skirt steak, but you’ll need to pick at least one protein to add to your dorm room dinner.
One of the most popular proteins in the United States is chicken: chicken wings make a great addition to any dinner and are actually quite easy to make. You’ll need to defrost the wings in a microwave first; chicken wings that are cooked from frozen will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside. You have to make sure to defrost them first so they can cook evenly in your skillet. Once your wings are defrosted, you can marinate them in olive oil and garlic for a Mediterranean flavor, or soy sauce and ginger if you prefer an Asian flavor.
Chicken is one of those meats that takes different flavor combinations very well. Every year, each person in the United States eats 90 pounds of chicken; more than 9 billion chickens are sold each year. If you’re at a loss for how to cook your chicken wings, try buying a rotisserie chicken from one of your favorite restaurants and ask them what seasonings they like to use. They’ll be flattered that you thought to ask and may even tell you their secret ingredients. That way, you can try to reproduce sophisticated flavor profiles at home.
When you’re frying chicken, you need to realize that it takes quite a bit longer to cook them all the way through than you might have anticipated. Try for 10 to 15 minutes per side and then take one chicken wing out as a tester: slice it all the way through and make sure it’s thoroughly cooked. What would go best with chicken wings? You could make some buttered pasta, flavored rice, or even heat a few tortillas and put out small dishes of onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. Your friends will be incredibly impressed that you cooked such a nice meal.
If you realize that you got a late start but don’t want to cancel your dinner date, look for local restaurants that offer rotisserie chicken delivery. Make some pasta at the last minute and slice the rotisserie chicken off the bone. Put the chicken into an attractive serving dish and put a few small pats of butter on top to give the chicken a beautiful, shiny surface. Caterers always make sure to plate their food nicely; look for some colorful serving plates at local thrift stores or consignment stores and use them when you entertain guests.
Whether you prefer Asian style chicken wings, hot and spicy chicken nuggets, or Latin style rotisserie chicken, you’re in good company: the national chicken industry is so vast that it takes more than 25,000 small farms to fill America’s plates every year. Wondering where to eat? The answer may be, “let’s just stay at home.”
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