The Unhealthiest Way To Cook Chicken

Unfortunately, sometimes the unheathiest way to prepare food is also the tastiest. Such is the case with chicken. When served grilled, roasted, or baked, chicken is one of the finest meats available, providing dense protein, selenium, and niacin. However, chicken's nutrition profile goes sideways when deep-fried.

Fried chicken is an American obsession. A whopping 79% of U.S. consumers said that they wanted it at least once a month. But don't buy the fried chicken myth that, just because it's insanely popular, it's good for you. Eating too much of this scrumptious dish will give your heart a beating, thanks to the sucker punch of trans fats, oxidized omega-6 fatty acids, and cholesterol, all of which are terrible for cardiac welfare.

Does all this mean that you should eliminate fried chicken from your diet completely? Luckily, no — like a lot of tantalizing-but-unhealthy foods, fried chicken can be enjoyed in moderation, especially if you employ a few smart kitchen hacks to cut back on some of the concerning ingredients.

Let's break it down: Fried chicken achieves its crispy, crunchy exterior by deep-frying in oil. Therein lies the trans fat problem – heating fats to very high temperatures causes hydrogenation, which is a change in these fats' chemical makeup that causes the body to have trouble breaking them down. Heart disease is only one of the health crises that can be caused by trans fats; diabetes and cancer are others. You know what makes fried chicken taste finger-lickin' good? Salt, and lots of it. Not achieving a high enough salt-flour radio is a guaranteed way to make your fried chicken bland, but eating too much sodium is another trigger for heart problems. What's a fried chicken lover to do?

Luckily, there are some tricks that can make fried chicken a bit healthier. Oven-baked "fried" chicken is pretty darn tasty, especially when seasoned well. Speaking of seasoning, one way that you can cut back on the salt in your breading without sacrificing flavor is to marinate your fried chicken in hot sauce. You can also use skim milk as a pre-dredge binder for a bit less cholesterol than eggs.

Overall, however, sometimes you just want real fried chicken in all its unhealthy glory. That's where treating yourself in moderation comes into play. If you eat nourishing foods that promote whole-body health most of the time, you can get away with a treat — like a couple of fried drumsticks — every now and then.