Velvet Chicken Food

VELVETING CHICKEN BREAST, CHINESE RESTAURANT-STYLE

Steps:

• Whisk egg white, vinegar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl until marinade is smooth. Add chicken; cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
• Bring water and oil to a boil in a pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.
• Pour excess marinade off the chicken. Add chicken to the pot; boil until white on the outside but still raw in the middle, about 1 minute. Strain off excess liquid.
• Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use, up to a few hours. Heat until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

VELVET CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine everything except the chicken and cilantro in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
• Add the chicken, breast side down, reduce the heat, cover tightly and simmer 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pot undisturbed 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over, breast side up, recover and let stand another 15 minutes.
• Carve the chicken as usual. Serve with a few spoonfuls of broth and garnish with cilantro. The rest of the broth can be used to make ramen or rice, or toss the chicken bones back into the broth and simmer another 2 hours to make Asian chicken stock.

VELVETED CHICKEN STIR-FRY WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS AND BOK CHOY

Steps:

• For the velveted chicken: Place the chicken in a medium bowl. Add the cornstarch, baking soda, oil, 2 teaspoons of water and a pinch of salt and stir into the chicken until well incorporated. Let marinate at room temperature while you do the knife work for the vegetables. Or cover the chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• For the stir-fry: When ready to cook, bring about 4 inches water to a boil in a 4- to 6-quart saucepan over high heat. Add the marinated chicken, stirring gently and constantly for about 2 minutes. The chicken will start out pink, turn opaque and white, then float to the top. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon or spider and reserve until it's time to stir-fry. You can also hold the pre-cooked chicken for a few days in the refrigerator.
• Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Swirl in the oil then immediately stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Stir in the mushrooms. The mushrooms will sear then start to release their moisture. Cook, stirring every 20 seconds, until the mushrooms look soft and almost ready to eat, about 2 minutes.
• Add the baby bok choy and bell peppers and stir-fry until they just start to soften and pick up some color, about 30 seconds.
• Add the chicken, scallions, oyster sauce, mushroom soy sauce, chicken powder and scallions and work all the sauces into the stir-fry, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Give the dish a light dusting with white pepper right before serving.

VELVET CHICKEN SATAYS WITH FRESH CILANTRO CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For chutney:
• Process first 8 ingredients in blender until herbs are chopped. Season to taste with salt and pepper.(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• For chicken:
• Whisk first 5 ingredients together in medium bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate approximately 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Thread chicken onto skewers. Transfer to baking sheet. Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds. Bake until chicken is just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Arrange on platter and serve with chutney.

CHINESE VELVET CHICKEN

Steps:

• Peel and grate ginger.
• Finely mince garlic cloves.
• Mix ground chicken with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, 1/2 cup chicken stock.
• Lightly beat and gently fold in egg whites.
• Thinly slice mushrooms.
• Chop water chestnuts.
• Heat peanut oil in wok to frying temperature of 375°.
• Drop chicken mixture by rounded spoonful 5 or 6 at a time.
• You should taste test to be sure seasoning is to your liking.
• Finish frying chicken.
• Drain oil from wok.
• Stir fry snap peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts.
• Return chicken to wok.
• Add chili paste & soy sauce.
• Stir corn starch and chicken stock together.
• Pour into wok and toss to coat meat & vegetables; allow to thicken.
• Serve over white rice.
• Ground chicken, chili paste, mushroom soy sauce and fresh shiitaki mushrooms can all be found in Asian markets.

VELVET CHICKEN BREAST WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim chicken breasts to a uniform size, shape and thickness; they should be about 1/2 inch thick. (If using larger breasts, slice them into 1/2-inch-thick cutlets.) Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Velvet the chicken: In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy, then whisk in cornstarch until lump-free. Add chicken breasts and coat well with cornstarch mixture, then cover and marinate for 30 minutes. (Chicken may also be marinated several hours ahead and refrigerated.)
• Meanwhile in a small mixing bowl, stir together Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dried mustard, horseradish and crème fraîche. Set aside.
• Put butter or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Lay chicken breasts in the pan and sauté very lightly for 30 seconds a side without browning. Remove breasts and blot on paper towels. Discard remaining oil and wipe pan.
• Return skillet to stove and add mustard and crème fraîche mixture and chicken broth. Whisk together to make a thin sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Add breasts and simmer for 1 minute, then turn breasts over, cover pan and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 1 or 2 minutes more, until meat is firm to the touch.
• Transfer breasts to a warm platter. Bring sauce to a boil, add chopped thyme and reduce until slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over breasts, sprinkle with chives and serve.