Harry Coates
Assistant Cook
I had noticed for years that many Chinese restaurants offered their chicken pieces in dishes that actually were a bit rubbery and slippery.
I googled this and that and found there was a particular method used for chicken - called 'velveting' chicken. Paradoxically this process should bring about tender chicken - hardly rubbery or slippery - so I had not answered my own question.
Anyhow I tried it a few months go and it produced something OK - but nothing that special IMO.
Last evening I thought I'd try again. I had some 'orange section'-size pieces of chicken fillet.
I used corn starch, egg white, salt - and then I recalled sherry vinegar in the original recipe - I couldn't find my bottle so used some apple cider vinegar.
I put the mixture in fridge to marinate - then used Panko and shallow-fried.
The rsult was an AMAZINGLY tender chicken - no lingering taste of the vinegar.
(The only problem I had was the Panko not sticking as well as I'd have liked - even though I had added the yolks from the eggs before putting into the Panko.
Anyone have any idea of what I actually did? (Defintely will re-do)
++
And, of course, I'm still wondering how many Chinese restaurants manage to make these rubbery, slippery pieces of chicken.
I googled this and that and found there was a particular method used for chicken - called 'velveting' chicken. Paradoxically this process should bring about tender chicken - hardly rubbery or slippery - so I had not answered my own question.
Anyhow I tried it a few months go and it produced something OK - but nothing that special IMO.
Last evening I thought I'd try again. I had some 'orange section'-size pieces of chicken fillet.
I used corn starch, egg white, salt - and then I recalled sherry vinegar in the original recipe - I couldn't find my bottle so used some apple cider vinegar.
I put the mixture in fridge to marinate - then used Panko and shallow-fried.
The rsult was an AMAZINGLY tender chicken - no lingering taste of the vinegar.
(The only problem I had was the Panko not sticking as well as I'd have liked - even though I had added the yolks from the eggs before putting into the Panko.
Anyone have any idea of what I actually did? (Defintely will re-do)
++
And, of course, I'm still wondering how many Chinese restaurants manage to make these rubbery, slippery pieces of chicken.
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