Flavorful and moist chicken is the goal of any good chicken recipe and of every home cook preparing to feed the hungry crew at the table. A surefire way to infuse lots of flavor into that chicken, whether boneless breasts, tangy wings, or bone-in thighs, is to let that poultry soak in a marinade.
But there’s one more thing to do to make that marinated chicken look and taste really delicious, a step that many folks forget. (I’m guilty of it, too.) Here’s why patting marinated chicken dry is a crucial, often overlooked step.
You Want the Browning, Not Just the Marinade
When raw meat meets the hot surface of a skillet or Dutch oven, it begins to brown, a process called the Maillard reaction. The browning creates a crust on the surface of the chicken that’s packed with so much savory, umami flavor. Browning gives the meat color too, making it more visually appetizing.
This flavorful browning technique for chicken and other meats was introduced to a whole generation of home cooks by Julia Child, with her dishes like coq au vin and casserole-roasted chicken. By adding the browning step to marinated chicken, you ensure that every bite of the meat, inside and out, is delectable. Whether the chicken is finished on the stove top or the oven, it’s worth the time to add savory flavor by browning it in a hot pan first.
But wait! Don’t add dripping wet chicken from the marinade bowl directly to the hot skillet—pat it dry first.
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The Best Browning Happens on a Dry Surface
Have you seen recipes call for patting chicken dry with paper towels before cooking? That’s because the surface of the meat browns best and quickest when it’s dry. Excess liquid clinging to the surface of the chicken will turn to steam in the hot pan, and steam prevents the flavorful browning reaction.
It’s easy to forget or skip this step with marinated chicken, since the whole point is that the meat be infused with all the flavor of wet marinade ingredients like spices, vinegar, mustard, and sauces. Removing marinade from the surface seems counterintuitive!
But remember: a marinade isn’t meant to flavor just the outside. It’s meant to soak into the chicken and flavor it from the inside. Your chicken will still have those flavors even after patting away excess marinade and moisture from the surface.
Here’s How To Dry Marinated Chicken
Once the chicken has finished marinating, remove it from the liquid and let the excess drain away. (For thicker marinades, push the excess off with a basting brush.) Use paper towels to blot the surface of the chicken dry. A few drops of moisture are okay; these will quickly vanish in the hot pan. Just do your best to pat away as much moisture and pockets of liquid as possible.
If you like to serve chicken extra saucy, just set some of the marinade aside in a separate bowl before adding raw chicken to the rest. (Afterwards, discard the liquid used to marinate the raw chicken.) Brush the reserved marinade onto the chicken after it’s finished cooking.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes