Many people find that farm chicken keeps a faint smell even after cooking. Some believe this may come from the birds' feed or from the way the meat is stored. But cleaned, marinated and cooked properly, farm chicken can be delicious.

According to experts, chicken from a good-quality farm is a healthy source of protein. You only need to make sure the bird was raised safely and that unnecessary antibiotics or harmful feed were not used.

After buying the chicken, clean it well and portion it. Drain off the water before storing it in the fridge. Never put raw chicken in the fridge with water.

Chicken kept in the fridge for a long time is more likely to smell, so try to use it within 7 to 10 days.

Before cooking, wash the chicken and leave it in a colander to drain off excess water. Remove as much of the extra fat as possible, especially the fat around the back end.

Marinate the chicken for at least 15 to 30 minutes with salt, ground black pepper, a little ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder and fresh lemon juice. If the marinade contains lemon or vinegar, leaving farm chicken in it for more than 30 to 40 minutes breaks down the protein and makes the meat mushy.

If you like, you can sear the marinated meat in a little oil over very high heat for 2 to 3 minutes before cooking. This seals the outside and reduces the smell considerably, though the step is optional.

Many people wash chicken for a long time before cooking. Washing raw chicken can spread harmful bacteria around the kitchen. If you need to wash it, rinse it gently and pat it dry with tissue or paper towels.

When braising the chicken, always use boiling hot water rather than cold. This keeps the texture good and makes the cooking quicker.

To remove the particular "fishy" smell of farm chicken, use ginger-garlic paste properly during cooking, and a little green chilli and lemon juice towards the end gives excellent flavour.

Don't take the meat out of the pan straight away. After taking it off the heat, let it rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes so the juices spread evenly and the meat becomes tender.

Use a little more onion, ginger and garlic when cooking the meat, and fry the spices well until the oil rises to the top. The better the spices are fried, the less the smell.

The tips draw on The Better Chicken, Healthline and other sources.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.