Chicken is incredibly convenient for bodybuilders. Not only is it one of the most affordable sources of protein but it’s also one of the tastiest, most convenient and leanest. It’s for these reasons that eating chicken is pretty much a staple in the routine of any bodybuilder. Want to gain lean muscle? Hope you like chicken then!
But while chicken is ‘pretty convenient’ compared with say, liver, it still comes with its challenges. It still takes time to cook for instance and it can certainly taste a little bland if you don’t do it right. Read on then and we’ll look at some tips that can help any bodybuilder to make their chicken tastier and more convenient…
Cook Ahead
The first tip for bodybuilders eating lots of chicken, is to make sure that you cook ahead. Prepare a bunch of chicken at the start of the week and you can leave it in your fridge in a Tupperware to eat whenever you want it throughout the week. This is a much easier way to ensure that you have a steady supply of chicken throughout the week without having to spend your evenings cooking.
Cooking Methods
There are plenty of ways you can cook your chicken too. The easiest way is to simply bake it in the oven: just lay the chicken out on a tray (with edges to catch the fat that comes off) and sprinkle on some paprika for seasoning. Leave it for 30 minutes or so on about 200C and it should be pretty tasty.
If you want leaner chicken though then there are healthier ways to cook it. One is to boil it in a pan, which also happens to be quicker (no need to preheat) as well as easier and leaner. Another option is to steam your chicken. If you don’t have a steamer you can still do this by boiling about an inch of water in a pan, and putting the chicken in it inside a colander with the lid on. The colander should let the steam up and through to cook the chicken, while holding it above the water so it doesn’t get wet.
Tip: When cooking chicken, always stop just before it’s completely done. Residual heat will remain within the chicken which will help it to continue cooking afterwards. By taking your chicken off a little earlier then, you can avoid it becoming too dried out and bland.
Slow Cooking
Another strategy though is to get yourself a slow cooker. Slow cookers slowly heat food throughout the day and never get hot enough to risk burning your house down. You can also add hot water, stock, vegetables and more to a slow cooker which makes it pretty convenient.
Slow cooking is great because it means you can prepare yourself a delicious chicken stew in the morning and then have it ready for you when you get home from the gym.
Chicken Freezes
Remember: chicken freezes. That means you can buy it in bulk and store it in your freezer, cooking it in batches to prepare you throughout the week.
