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velveted method to tenderize chicken

knish avatar
Recipe by
Helaine Norman
@knish
Sunrise, FL

I dislike dry, white chicken meat, but I have found a method called “velveting” to make it and any meat tender and juicy. It is used primarily in recipes like stir frying but not only. Preparing it ahead of time saves time later when you prepare the rest of a recipe. It is an almost-secret, almost-poaching method used by Asian restaurants. Here’s how to velvet chicken tenders. The prep time includes half hour marinating time.

yield 4 -6
prep time 40 Min
cook time 2 Min
method Stir-Fry

Ingredients For velveted method to tenderize chicken

  • 1 lb
    boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 2 tsp
    rice vinegar or seasoned wine vinegar
  • 1 lg
    egg white
  • 1 Tbsp
    cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp
    salt (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp
    canola or peanut oil divided

How To Make velveted method to tenderize chicken

  • 1
    Beat the egg white, cornstarch, wine, salt and 1 Tablespoon of oil in a bowl until smooth.
  • 2
    Stir in the chicken till coated.
  • 3
    Cover and refrigerate (marinate) 30 minutes to two hours. Drain in colander.
  • 4
    Add 1-2 inches of water plus the other Tablespoon oil to the skillet. Bring to a full boil over high heat.
  • 5
    Reduce the heat to medium-low. Immediately add chicken strips, individually, to the almost-boiling water. Stir with slotted spoon so they don't stick together.
  • 6
    Once the water comes back to a barely-bubbling simmer, cook the chicken strips for 1 minute longer, stirring occasionally.
  • 7
    Remove the chicken AFTER 1 MINUTE with a until ready to prepareotted spoon into the colander to fully drain. SO NOT OVER COOK.
  • 8
    Place strips in bowl covered with plastic wrap until ready to prepare the recipe of choice.
  • 9
    Use this velveted chicken in your favorite stir fry recipe.
  • 10
    You can refrigerate or even freeze and thaw the meat after velveting to use later.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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