Roasted chicken is one of the ultimate comfort foods, and everyone has a different way of making it. According to The New York Times, there is no right or wrong way to prepare a chicken for roasting; sometimes a little salt and a preheated oven are all that is required. If you want to try different cooking methods, spatchcocking, splaying, or trussing make subtle differences in how the chicken cooks.

Seasoning chicken is essential for almost any cooking method, but roasted chicken is frequently defined by the spices and aromatics that permeate the meat during the roasting process. Some of the most popular recipes include rosemary, lemon, and garlic — and one Costco classic, the famous roast chicken, can be replicated with a simple blend of paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper. Personal preference dictates the cooking temperature for roasted chicken. According to The New York Times, cooking at a low temperature for a longer period of time results in softer, more tender meat, whereas cooking at higher temperature results in a crispy crust with chewier meat.

Braised chicken is essentially two cooking methods combined for maximum flavor. Braising is the way to go if you want meat that melts in your mouth. To begin bringing out flavors, sear the meat, and then finish cooking over low heat in a little broth or wine, as with the French classic coq au vin. The second step can be done in the oven or on the stovetop, depending on your preference.

Braised chicken can take on a variety of flavors, and cooking it in liquid allows it to absorb a lot of that flavor. For even more flavor, The Spruce Eats recommends purchasing chicken with a backbone — similar to bone broth, in theory, the backbone adds another layer of flavor to the meat. Many traditional braised chicken recipes include flavors such as lemon, onion, and wine (red or white), but you can easily incorporate other flavors into this dish, making it the ideal protein for any cuisine.

Poaching chicken can result in some of the softest, most tender meat you've ever tasted — or a chewy, dry slab. In theory, it's a simple process — boil chicken breasts in a pot of liquid (water is most common, but wine, milk, or oil also work) — but it's easy to get it wrong and end up chewing each bite for five minutes before swallowing. One of the most important factors to consider when poaching, according to Bon Appétit, is the water-to-meat ratio. Smaller breasts are easy to overcook, and larger breasts take a little longer to cook; to avoid overcooking or undercooking, use four cups of water for two large chicken breasts.

It's also critical to season the water and make sure it's cold before adding the chicken and putting it on the stove. This allows the chicken to cook gradually, resulting in a silky texture. When the water begins to boil, it does not take long to cook. Bon Appétit suggests flipping the breasts as soon as the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat. The chicken will continue to cook with the lid on. It should only take five to ten minutes for the meat to reach 150°F. You've got yourself a meal after a quick five-minute rest on the cutting board.

Nothing compares to fried chicken. Nothing beats that hot, crispy crust and the juicy meat within. It's much easier to buy fried chicken than it is to make it, and chances are, your favorite restaurant makes it just right, so why mess with a good thing? However, if you want to practice your cooking skills or save money, making fried chicken at home can be an adventure in and of itself.

According to The Kitchn, dry bringing your homemade fried chicken is an important step in taking it to the next level. This involves salting the chicken and placing it in the fridge for 30 minutes overnight. Then, prepare a strong spice mixture to coat the chicken and heat the oil — this recipe suggests using two thermometers to ensure the oil is hot enough before adding the chicken. When frying food at home, make sure to carefully follow the instructions to avoid injuring yourself or ruining your meal.

Nothing beats firing up the grill for the first time after a long winter. Grilling gives the chicken a tasty, caramelized crust with those charred grill marks emblematic of long summer evenings spent with friends — grilling gives the chicken a tasty, caramelized crust with those charred grill marks emblematic of long summer evenings spent with friends. Grilled chicken is incredibly adaptable: from Tunisian kebabs to jerk chicken, you can make it work with any flavor.

Furthermore, there are numerous ways to cook chicken on a grill. Depending on the cut of meat, you can skewer pieces of thigh meat or throw a whole breast on the grill. Chef Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q butterflies a whole chicken for Food & Wine and puts it all on the grill, but the outlet recommends home chefs just buy pieces of chicken and grill them until crispy. However, if you want to try the spatchcock method, it only takes about 30 minutes to cook on the grill.

Spatchcocking isn't exactly a cooking method; rather, it refers to the process of breaking down a whole chicken to reduce cooking time while retaining the meaty flavor that comes from working with a whole, bone-in chicken. This method also results in crisper skin and more evenly cooked meat. The term "spatchcock" has been around since the 17th century, when it became shorthand for "dispatching the cock", which meant opening up a chicken before cooking, according to Saveur. Spatchcocked chicken is simple to grill on the grill or roast in the oven, and because the bird is flattened, the meat cooks much faster than a regular whole chicken.

All you have to do to spatchcock a chicken is remove the backbone. To do so, place the raw chicken on its belly with the backbone facing up. Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to completely remove it from the bird. Then flip the chicken over and flatten it with your hand until it's all about the same thickness.

This method, like braising, is a two-step process that combines the benefits of pan frying and baking, resulting in juicy meat with seared, crispy skin. Despite the fact that this is a hybrid cooking method, it is one of the simplest recipes to master. All you need is a cast iron pan, some oil, and a hot oven. To ensure that the chicken thighs cook evenly, allow them to come to room temperature first. Then add your spices. You can experiment here depending on the type of cuisine you're making — You should use salt, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika.

Then, in a pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil — don't rush this step! Before adding the chicken, make sure your pan is hot. The chicken will then be cooked on the stove for a few minutes before being transferred to the oven for a few minutes more. Though this method combines two types of cooking, it likely has fewer steps than most other cooking processes — and it tastes just as good.

Rotisserie chicken, made popular by grocery store delis and plastic totes, is essentially another way to roast chicken. The chicken is skewered and rotated over a flame, resulting in evenly cooked meat regardless of which part you prefer.

Though rotisserie chicken is most commonly found in grocery stores or spinning slowly in public view in restaurants, you can make it at home if you have a grill with a rotisserie set—some grills include the rotisserie hardware, and you just have to set it up, which isn't too difficult if you have a screwdriver and about 10 minutes. Setting up the chicken on the rotisserie rod is more difficult. The chicken must be tightly wrapped around the rod's tines, or a wing or leg may come loose and dangle into the flame.

Sous vide translates to "under vacuum", and this cooking method is one of the more difficult ones, despite the fact that it does not involve space vacuums or vacuum cleaners. The vacuum-sealed bag in which the meat is cooked is referred to as the "vide" of sous vide. Sous vide is a slightly complicated cooking method that involves a temperature-controlled pot of water and an airtight container. The meat is cooked inside a bag that is placed inside a pot of water that is kept at a temperature just below boiling.

Because the water is kept at a low temperature, the meat is cooked for a longer period of time than you may be accustomed to. According to Serious Eats, while most experts recommend that chicken be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the amount of time meat is cooked affects the number of bacteria as much as temperature, so even if chicken never gets past 150 degrees Fahrenheit during the sous vide process, it's still safe to eat as long as you cook it for enough time.

Air fryers have only recently gained popularity, as appliance manufacturers fulfilled the dreams of home cooks and health enthusiasts by creating a machine that produces crispy, fried food without the use of oil. Air fryers work by blowing hot air around food in an enclosed container quickly and hotly enough to crisp the food as if it had just come out of a deep fryer. However, instead of oil, all this machine requires to create that crunchy layer is air.

Making fried chicken in an air fryer is similar to deep frying — except for the frying part, of course. When air frying chicken, you should still coat it in flour to achieve the breaded crust that you would get with regular fried chicken. The Food Network suggests combining flour, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. From there, you can pretty much leave the air fryer to its own devices.

Beer can chicken almost seems too good to be true — chicken and beer on the grill for the ultimate summer cookout? Really, it sounds like something out of a movie. However, this method of cooking is as easy as it is delicious, so the next time you fire up the grill, arm yourself with a chicken and a can of beer and watch as fantasy becomes reality.

You'll need a few spices, a can of beer, and a whole chicken to make a beer can of chicken. The chicken is seasoned before being placed on top of a half-empty beer can, with the can supporting the upright bird. The whole thing is then thrown on the grill, along with a drip pan. As the beer warms, it emits steam into the cavity of the chicken, infusing it with flavor and moisture. To get even more out of the brew, use a can opener to remove the entire top of the beer can — more steam will be able to escape, infusing your meat with even more of that tasty goodness.

Smoked chicken is a simple method that results in a flavorful meal. While many people cook chicken on the grill, using a smoker adds an extra kick to the meat that pushes it over the edge of deliciousness. According to Salt Pepper Skillet, the trick to smoking is to cook the meat at a low temperature with indirect heat, so the chicken becomes tender without becoming chewy or charred.

To properly smoke meat of all kinds, you'll want to invest in a smoker, which simplifies the entire process. You can add flavored wood chips to the smoker to boost the flavor. The smoke from the burning wood infuses the meat with hints of apple or cherry, depending on the tree from which the wood was cut. Smoked chicken can be used in tacos or sandwiches, or it can be eaten on its own. Brining the chicken before smoking it or smothering it with spices that complement the rest of your meal will yield the best results.