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Velvet Chicken

Recipe For A Tender And Flavourful Dish

Chinese chicken recipes that are tossed in a hot wok share one technique, and it's the reason restaurant stir-fries taste so different from home versions. It’s called velveting, where the meat is marinated, pre-cooked in oil or in boiling water, and only then added to the stir-fry with everything else. The payoff is chicken that's silky and juicy, with the flavour of the marinade locked in, instead of the dry, stringy slices that often come from tossing raw chicken straight into a wok. Everything starts with the slicing, which is the norm in most boneless chicken recipes. This velvet chicken recipe calls for pieces about one and a half to two inches long and roughly a quarter inch thick, and the easiest way to get them even is to put the chicken in the freezer until it's just firm enough to be sliced. Slice across the grain, which is subtle in chicken but still there, for the most tender bite, especially when using the chicken’s breast meat. The marinade is also quite simple, using water, soy sauce or oyster sauce, cornstarch and oil. Make a note of the order, as the water and soy go in first and need five to ten minutes to be absorbed by the chicken, which moisturises the meat and lets the seasoning get in properly. Cornstarch and oil follow, and the chicken then rests for another fifteen to twenty minutes, or even overnight if you're preparing ahead. You'll see recipes that add baking soda or egg white, but with good-quality chicken neither is necessary, which makes this one of the easiest boneless chicken recipes to master.