Perfectly Tender Velveting Chicken
Velveting is a traditional Chinese cooking technique that ensures chicken pieces remain incredibly tender and silken, perfect for stir-fries, soups, and other Asian dishes. This method uses a marinade of egg white, cornstarch, and seasonings, followed by a quick parboil or oil blanch.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
- 1 large egg white
- 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp rice wine or sherry optional
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cups water or chicken broth for parboiling
Instructions
- Pat chicken pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, combine the egg white, cornstarch, rice wine (if using), salt, and white pepper. Mix until smooth.
- Add the dried chicken pieces to the marinade, tossing to ensure each piece is evenly coated.
- Stir in the vegetable oil, mixing well. This helps prevent sticking during cooking. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water or chicken broth to a rolling boil.
- Carefully add the marinated chicken pieces to the boiling liquid, separating them quickly with chopsticks or a spoon to prevent clumping.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken turns opaque and is just cooked through. Do not overcook.
- Immediately remove the chicken with a slotted spoon or strainer and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch.
- Drain well and set aside. The velveted chicken is now ready to be added to your stir-fries, soups, or other recipes.
Notes
This technique works well with chicken breast or thigh. For an even more tender result, ensure chicken is cut into uniform bite-sized pieces. Velveted chicken can be added directly to stir-fries after parboiling, or briefly shallow-fried for extra crispness before adding to other dishes. You can also use this technique for pork or fish.