Five chefs have given their opinions on how to stop chicken going dry (stock) (Image: Getty)
Five professional chefs have revealed how to stop chicken from tasting dry – and they all mentioned the same ingredient. YouTuber Danny Kim, a self-described “fearless foodie” who explores everything from Michelin-starred venues to “budget meals”, spoke to the experts in a recent video.
All of the chefs had their own methods, from beating it with a special hammer to poaching it, to cooking it in brine, they all recommended the inclusion of one ingredient into the mix.
The ingredient the chefs Danny Kim spoke to recommended adding in was the classic seasoning element – salt. One of the chefs Danny spoke to, Ashish Alfred, recommended: “Most people are grilling it, or they’re pounding it and then breading it and frying it…we’re poaching it so we’re actually cooking it in liquid.”
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All the chefs recommended adding salt (stock) (Image: Getty)
Mr Alfred proceeded to prepare a court bouillion with cold water, sliced vegetables, white wine, peppercorns and salt before heating gently.
Meanwhile, fellow Carusco’s Grocery, Chef Matt Adler opted for a different method, one which first involved pounding the chicken with a special spiked hammer to thin it out and tenderise it.
After this he included a seasoning that included salt, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken powder. Matt then proceeded to fry it with some olive oil, butter, shallots, and a variety of mushrooms.
The third chef Danny interviewed about adding salt to a chicken dish was Vijay Bhardwaj who works at Dhmaka. He cooks his chicken using brine, a mixture of salt, water and sometimes sugar.
Vijay said he used an “equal amount of salt and sugar” before resting the chicken in the brine overnight before oven cooking the chicken the next day.
Danny then spoke to Treaonne Allen, an individual also known by his nickname ‘Chefchefe’. He incorporated salt into his ginger scallion sauce featuring ginger, salt, scallions, oil, chicken bourguignon flavour.
The final chef Danny spoke to was an actual Michelin-starred chef called Mitsunobu Nagae. He said: “Some chefs make a brine, but for me it takes too much time. For me I just season with salt.”
After this, he put the chicken in a bag with some butter, thyme, two halves of a garlic clove, truffle oil, and chicken stock before cooking the bath in a water bath.
These five chefs aren’t the only ones to comment on how to make chicken moist, with Erin Clare suggesting that one way to prevent the dryness is to let it stand before cooking or brining it.
She said: “Let the chicken stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before cooking it, or better yet—use those 15 minutes to brine it.”
