Chewy Chicken!

[Clueless20something]

The other half and I love fajitas but I have a real problem with the chicken going chewy and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.... theres only two of us so I tend to buy big packs of chicken breast and freezing most of them.

I defrost them either out of the fridge during the day but preferably for a full 24hours in the fridge for the next day.

I heat up rapeseed oil in the pan, throw in the chopped chicken and brown it before adding seasoning etc.

Ive tested the pan heat having it on high and cooking fast or having it low and cooking slowly. I've tried chicken breast from tesco, aldi and m&s.

I just dont know where I'm going wrong!

Any advice would be fab

[Blondie1984]

Do you take the chicken out the fridge ahead of cooking? Ideally you want to take it out about 20-30mins before so it isn’t fridge cold as it goes into the pan
You could also try velveting it as you would with stir fry

[Thepigeonsarecoming]

I always find frozen chicken has a weird texture, rubbery feel to it. I don’t use them anymore. Much nicer when cooked from fresh

[jonnybiscuits]

Try brining for an hour before you cook. Its miraculous. If you can do a bit of tenderising beforehand, give it a bit of a bash in some clingfilm with a rolling pin, even better

[Clueless20something]

Ooo I dont but will give it a go. What's velveting?

[DameXanaduBramble]

Brining for sure! I brine all my chicken, it makes it plump and juicy. Just throw the chicken breasts into salted cold water for and hour or so, rinse off and cook as usual.

[KittenVsBox]

I'd guess you are over cooking it. We cook chicken for much less time than the times on the packet. You need to make sure it is opaque all the way through, but as soon as it is at that point, remove it from the heat.

[Pinkarsedfly]

I used to have this problem, but I bought a book that tells you how to do it properly and it works every time.

Put your chicken in a plastic bag and bash it with a rolling pin to tenderise it before chopping it up - or you can fry the breasts whole.
Get a frying pan with a lid.
Get it really hot before adding a tablespoon of oil.
When the oil is hot, swirl it round to coat the pan.
Add chicken and sear for one minute.
Put the lid on the pan and turn the heat down to the lowest for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, turn the heat off and leave the chicken to continue to poach in its own juices for another ten minutes.

Perfect tender chicken every time!

[Clueless20something]

Ooo brilliant thank you!

[cdtaylornats]

thewoksoflife.com/how-to-velvet-chicken-stir-fry/