How to velvet chicken (Chinese chicken stir fry marinade recipe)
Learn how to velvet chicken with Chinese chicken stir fry marinade that tastes just like Chinese restaurants, plus easy and pratical tips for home cooks to achieve tender stir fry every single time.
Course how to, Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, Taiwanese
Keyword Chicken stir fry marinade, How to tenderize chicken for stir fry, How to velvet chicken
Hold your knife at a 45-degree angle to make the slice wider and flatter. Slice the chicken against the grain into thin pieces (about ⅛”).
Velveting
In a medium bowl, for homecook style, combine the chicken with ingredients from coconut aminos to pepper, if using. For hot water velveting style, combine the chicken from egg white to starch. Mix well and set it aside in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes.
Cook the chicken
To stir fry the chicken: Preheat a large saute pan or wok over medium heat until it’s too hot to place your palm near the surface, about 2 to 3 inches away.
Add the oil and swirl it around the skillet. Add the chicken, turn heat up to medium-high, and quickly spread out the chicken into a single layer. Pan fry them without disturbing until they are golden brown color, about 2-3 mins.
Then use a spatula with a firm tip to flip and sear the flip side, about 1-2 mins. The chicken should be cooked through and golden brown on the outside.
To hot water velveting the chicken: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tbsp oil to the boiling water. Add the chicken and stir the water gently to separate the pieces and prevent them from sticking to each other.
After about 1 minute, or as soon as the slices turn white, scoop them out and set aside to drain well before stir frying.
Please note that after water blanching, the chicken is not cooked through. Follow the stir-fry step above to finish cooking the chicken.