How can I make steamed chicken breast moist just like the chinese restaurant?

Answer 1

"Velveting" keeps the breasts moist, juicy and delicious. You precook the chicken with a protective coating of egg white, cornstarch and peanut oil.

http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/food_articles/skillset_velveting.htm
you've ever wondered why the dishes you get in Chinese restaurants are different from your attempts at home, the answer could well be: velveting. Sounds..well...odd, doesn't it? But velveting is just a method of marinating and pre-cooking the meat to make it fluffy and tender prior to incorporating it into the dish. The wonderful thing about this, of course, is that it can be done in advance, thus reducing that frantic rushing around the kitchen that always happens when you try to cook more than one Chinese dish at a time.


Here's what you'll need:

1 lb boneless chicken breasts 1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg white 1 tbl cornstarch
1 tbl oil 1 tbl rice wine or dry sherry
2 cups oil for frying

Remove any skin from the chicken and cut it into whatever sized pieces the recipe for your final dish calls for (shreds, slices, cubes, etc.). Put the chicken into a mixing bowl, then add the salt and rice wine and stir.

Beat the egg white until the gel is broken - it should not be frothy (this could cause the coating to puff and disintegrate. Add the egg white to the chicken, sprinkle in the cornstarch, and mix well.

Add the tablespoon of oil and stir until smooth (slimy is the texture we're going for here!). Place the bowl in the fridge and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, so the coating has time to adhere to the meat.

Heat 2 cups of oil in a wok or heavy pan until it is warm, about 275°, or until it foams a cube of bread very slowly. Give the coated chicken a quick stir and scatter in the pieces. Quickly (but gently) stir them to separate them. You should use chopsticks or a wooden spoon for this - a fork would damage the coating. The oil should cover every piece.

If the chicken begins to sizzle, lower the heat immediately; hot oil will make velveted chicken hard and yellow.

Once all the meat has turned white, which only takes about 30 to 45 seconds, immediately strain the chicken, which is now velveted and ready to be stir fried. This can be done some time in advance, and just kept in a covered dish until you're ready to use it. One word of warning, though: don't put velveted chicken into the fridge! It will become hard: not the effect we are looking for!

So, what can you make with your newly velveted chicken? Try Chicken in Fish Fragrance Sauce (no the sauce doesn't taste like fish, it's just a sauce that is sometimes served with fish), or Chiang-Bo Chicken.

Answer 2

This is what my mother taught me (I'm chinese). Take a very large stock pot, fill it with cold water and boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, then you submerge 1 small whole chicken (about 2lb?skin on) into the stock pot -cover with lid. Now, immediately turn OFF the heat completely (yup...turn it off, trust me). Let the chicken sit in the hot water for 1 hour. Of course the time you leave the chicken in will depend on how big your chicken is....you can leave it in longer for good measure without having to worry that the chicken will "over cook"...it won't. Do not uncover the lid at all. What you're actually doing right now is a technique known as "poaching". The residual heat will be enough to cook the chicken through. You'll get the most tender, and juicy chicken ever! I suggest not eating the skin since that's where all the fat is.

If you want to make the ginger and green onion oil /sause that chinese restaurants serve with this dish..this is how to do it:

Peel and chop up some ginger (3-4small pieces)
chop up some green onions (2 stalks)

Heat a non-stick pan with 1/4 cup of canola oil (not olive), than add the ginger and green onion and fry it up for about 2 minutes (not very long at all, you're just trying to meld the flavours together). Season with salt and white pepper (you can find this in all chinese grocery stores) if you have. This is really simple to do...you can use as much ginger or green onions to your own liking. Serve with chicken. Enjoy!

Answer 3

Clean and skin one whole chicken. Wash out the inside.
Place in a deep pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil.
Cover; turn off heat. After one hour remove chicken, allow to drain until meat is cool enough to strip off of the bones.
Discard bones.
Pack meat into small refrigerator boxes for storage. Use within two or three days.
Should be extremely moist.
May be boiled with celery, carrots, onions, and or garlic for further seasoning.

Answer 4

Not overcooking is the best way to keep any white poultry meat moist. 145-150 degrees F on an accurate instant read thermometer is enough to kill any harmful bacteria and the meat will still be moist. Dark meat doesn't dry out as much because of higher fat content.

Answer 5

Don't overcook it. The goal is to cook it until it's done, and not a moment longer. That will result in the juiciest piece of chicken you're able to get. Cooking it after it's done will just dry-out the meat.

Answer 6

You could boil the chicken in water or chicken broth. I do this to use in my chicken tetterzini, and it is moist.

Answer 7

Don't overcook it. Also, do not start it frozen or too cold, let it warm up closer to room temperature before cooking it.

Answer 8

with a bamboo steamer

Answer 9

BASTE!!!!!