Velveting Chicken: The Chinese restaurant secret to tenderising chicken! (2024)

FAQs

Velveting Chicken: The Chinese restaurant secret to tenderising chicken!? ›

There are actually a few different ways to tenderise chicken the Chinese restaurant way: marinating in a cornstarch/cornflour sludge then deep frying or blanching in water before proceeding to cook in the stir fry. egg whites – sometimes the above method is also done using egg whites.

Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique that takes your thin pieces of raw meat and coats them in a cornstarch marinade. The meat is then lightly cooked on the outside before cooking it all the way through.

Marinate your chicken.

Marinating your chicken in something overnight can help make it all the more juicier and tender. You can use a gluten-free, acidic marinade (like olive oil and lemon juice) or something breadier (like baking soda, egg whites, and buttermilk).

Velveting meat is a common practice in Chinese stir-fries: By marinating strips of meat with egg white and cornstarch, then dipping then in a hot oil bath before finally stir-frying them, the meat develops a texture that is tender, silky, and smooth.

Marinate for 20 minutes. Rinse well under running water, pat with paper towel to remove excess water. Cook per chosen recipe and marvel at the most tender chicken breast you've ever had, just like at Chinese restaurants!!!

You can always try it if you're interested. Here's how to velvet chicken with baking soda: For every 8 ounces of chicken breast (strips or pieces), toss with 1 teaspoon baking soda. Marinate for 20 minutes and then rinse well under running water using a sieve.

To start, brine your chicken in a mixture of water and a few tablespoons of salt for about 20 to 30 minutes. This will boost the natural flavor and moisture of the chicken breasts and will leave you with a super tender piece of meat. This is the one step that will really ensure your chicken won't be dry or tough.

For the most tender chicken, we simmer it gently.

We add just enough water to cover the chicken then bring everything to a low simmer and wait about 30 minutes until the chicken is very tender. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the now incredibly flavorful cooking broth and shred it.

Rinsing the thickening agent (baking soda or cornstarch) off your meat after the velveting process is imperative. Leaving it on the meat may result in a thick and clumpy sauce for stir-fries and other recipes. In a colander, wash the thickening marinade off your meat after velveting is complete.

You can velvet meat and make it melt-in-your-mouth tender by quickly tossing chunks of beef or chicken in about ¾ tsp of baking soda for about 15 minutes before your next stir fry, then rinse and pat the meat dry before putting in the pan.

What temperature is velveting? ›

“The main difference between velveting in oil and frying is the temperature of the oil — in velveting you have to make sure the oil doesn't get too hot.” The temperature of the oil is maintained at 60 to 70°C and the ingredient cooked till about 70% done before it is removed from the oil and the excess oil drained.

To better understand this, let's look at the three main methods of tenderizing meat: mechanical, thermal, and enzymatic.

Velveting starts with making a slurry: For 1 pound thinly sliced meat or alternative protein (it can be anything really: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, tofu, or even mushrooms), combine 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. vegetable or light sesame oil.

Pounding

Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. Simply place the meat in between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound it prior to cooking. If you don't have a meat mallet, you can also use a heavy kitchen tool such as a skillet, saucepan or rolling pin.

Add the cornstarch and vegetable oil and mix again until everything's incorporated and the chicken is uniformly coated. For the best results, let the chicken sit for 15 to 20 minutes to marinate.

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

It Tenderizes Meat

Treating small pieces of meat with a baking soda solution before cooking is a technique seen quite often in Chinese cooking, especially in stir-fries. If your favorite Chinese restaurant always serves incredibly supple and tender beef in their dishes, baking soda is likely involved.

To use baking soda to tenderize a tough cut of meat, rub the baking soda all over the meat and let it sit, refrigerated for several hours, according to “Baking Soda” by Vicki Lansky (Book Peddlars, $8.95). Rinse the baking soda off just before cooking.

Salmonella, Campylobacter and other harmful bacteria live on raw chicken. Washing or rinsing doesn't remove this risk, it worsens it by helping the bacteria spread. When you add water through washing or rinsing, you give these bacteria a way to travel throughout your kitchen.

Just poke the meat all over with a fork and let it sit in a modest amount of straight vinegar (or a 2:1 mix of any warm liquid like stock, broth or water and vinegar) in a covered bowl in the fridge. Tenderness aside, vinegar's sharp flavor is just the pairing for salty seasonings and smokiness.

What is the fastest way to tenderize chicken breast? ›

Pounding the chicken is one of the greatest do-it-yourself ways to tenderize chicken before cooking. This is because the pounding breaks the fibers in the chicken, allowing for faster cooking. Ensure you cover or wrap the chicken in plastic wrap or a sealable bag.

If your smoker can operate at 300°F, the high temperature will do a pretty good job of making the chicken skin more palatable. Areas of the skin with thicker fat deposits may be a bit tough, but smoking at a 300 degrees, or even 325 degrees will improve the texture of the skin.

Tenderer meat: Pounding chicken breaks down the fibers between the flesh, making the chicken extra tender. Chicken cutlets, fried chicken, and many other chicken breast recipes benefit from the meat being as tender as possible.

The key is to cook them slowly.

Gentle techniques—such as braising at a relatively low heat and grilling over an indirect fire—work best. The goal is to keep the meat at an internal temp between 140 and 195 degrees—the collagen breakdown sweet spot—for as long as possible.

As previously mentioned, the chicken loses moisture (and fat) as the cooking time increases, resulting in a rubbery texture. You can't go back and re-make the chicken, but the good news is there are ways to fix it. You'll need to add more liquid and fat back to help the chicken become more tender and enjoyable.

Since lack of moisture can cause dry, rubbery chicken, the best way to prevent it is to give it some more by soaking it in heavily salted water before cooking. This process helps to break down some of the muscle fibers of the meat and tenderize them.

And while that's better than raw chicken, it's still pretty disappointing. Why does this happen? The longer you leave the chicken on the stove or in the oven, the more moisture it loses and the greater the chance you end up with that dreaded rubbery chicken.

Velveting is a Chinese method of marinating which keeps delicate meat and seafood moist and tender during cooking. The velveting technique is very easy and gives amazing results.

If you're unsure for your cut of beef, go for 35 minutes. Even when I under or over tenderised, it was still tender and juicy. You'll quickly figure out the best marinating times for your preferred cuts of beef – just adjust up and down by 10 minutes at a time. Word of caution: The beef will turn freakishly bright red.

If you don't have cornstarch, you can substitute all-purpose flour in favor for a more routine breading and frying procedure.

Is baking soda or cornstarch better for velveting beef? ›

Baking soda – for 1 lb /450 g beef, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda is usually enough to soften the beef; if you add too much, the beef will lose its original flavor. Add cornstarch – The cornstarch is used to seal the marinade.

① Dissolve baking soda in water (for every 12 ounces of meat, use 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ½ cup of water). ② Soak the meat in the solution for at least 15 minutes. ③ Remove and rinse. ④ Cook as desired, then bite into a seriously tender piece of meat.

Rare – 120F

The steak has cool-to-warm red center, and soft, tender texture.

Raw meat is generally squishy, chewy, and full of moisture. At 120°F (48.9°C) meat slowly begins to tenderize as the protein myosin begins to coagulate and the connective tissue in the meat begins to break down. This also causes the meat to firm up as the protein contracts.

Once the meat has been massaged and velveted, you'll refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. However, you can let the meat sit (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

There are different ways to tenderize meat, including slow cooking, marinating, and pounding. While you can tenderize meat at home using a meat mallet or rolling pin, some manufacturers handle the process by using mechanical tenderization, which involves breaking down the meat's connective tissue with sharp blades.

When it comes to cooking tender steak, the seasoning matters! Salt tenderizes beef by drawing moisture out of it, then dissolving so it acts as a brine. We prefer sea salt over table salt for tenderizing, as it has the perfect texture and flavor for steak.

The acetic acid in the vinegar breaks down meat fibers, making them more tender and flavorful.

Pear juice or puree is traditionally used in Korean meat marinades—the juice not only adds sweetness but also works to tenderize the meat.

What is the science behind velveting meat? ›

It's widely believed that velveting meat somehow tenderizes it. Science, however, begs to differ. While the vinegar or other acid will slightly denature the proteins in the meat (making them softer), the heavy lifting is done by the coating.

In my opinion, cornstarch works best for chicken wings - especially when making them on a grill or baking in the oven. Baking powder almost has a gritty taste that's off-putting and lacks the "crunch."

Never use baking soda or baking powder as a substitute for cornstarch. It's simply not going to do a good job of thickening the dish up. It'll also add a bad flavor to the dish that might ruin things. These ingredients are leavening agents and should only be used when they're specifically called for in a recipe.

It's the baking soda's alkalinity that breaks the peptide bonds in the chicken skin and allows it to crisp up. Cornstarch also helps to dry the skin and crisp it more.

The baking powder speeds up the browning process, producing crispier and browner chicken wings, faster. Baking soda might have an unpleasant and intense flavor, so use baking powder for your crispy air fryer wings.

Dredging/Coating: I always use a well seasoned flour. I use regular AP flour, but add rice flour or cornstarch for that extra crunch and plenty of seasonings like paprika and celery salt. Don't just dredge it in the flour and fry away. Let this sit overnight, 8-12 hours preferably, or 4 hours minimum.

Cornstarch and high heat mean super-crispy chicken every time. Before cooking, toss the chicken in cornstarch until completely coated. When the cornstarch hits the hot oil, something magic happens and your chicken with gorgeously golden, crispy edges.

Cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. When a gravy, sauce, soup or stew recipe calls for flour, use half as much cornstarch to thicken. To thicken hot liquids, first mix cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into hot liquid until blended.

What happens when you mix cornstarch and baking soda? ›

And, cornstarch and baking soda can make air dry clay! So simple to make at home and the kids love making it as well. Here is a recipe for you to make air clay that you can shape, paint and use for whatever your heart desires- make them into magnets, wall hangings, ornaments…

If you use baking powder instead of baking soda, add a total of three times the amount of baking powder than the recipe recommends for baking soda to “fix” the mistake. However, keep in mind that adding too much baking powder can cause the baked goods to taste bitter. The batter can also rise too quickly and then fall.

Baking soda has a highly bitter aftertaste and it makes the dish unpalatable if it gets added in excess to the dish.

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.

Here's a trick for tenderizing meat that you may never have heard before: Use baking soda to tenderize meat. This may sound weird, but stay with us. As Cook's Illustrated explains, baking soda alkalizes the meat's surface, making it harder for the proteins to bond and thereby keeping the meat tenderer when cooked.

Baking soda is a raising agent that contains one or more acid ingredients, such as cocoa powder or buttermilk. Baking powder is better for recipes that contain little or no acid ingredients. Baking soda helps make fried foods crispy and light. It is also useful for cleaning and removing stains.

But baking powder doesn't only make fried chicken crunchier—it also magically gives nonfried chicken extra-crispy skin.