When it comes to chicken stew, it's a delicious dish that almost every household loves. Whether it's a warm chicken broth or a nourishing stew, chicken always plays an important role on the table. However, many people make mistakes when it comes to the preparation steps of stewed chicken, especially the problem of blanching. Today, I will give you an answer on whether to blanch stewed chicken, and how to use a simple trick to make chicken more tender, nutritious, and odorless.
Many people habitually blanch the chicken before stewing it, believing that it will remove the blood and fishy smell from the chicken. However, is blanching really necessary for all chicken stews? In fact, the blanching step is not absolute, and whether or not you need to blanch depends on the specific cooking method and personal taste.
The main function of blanching is to remove the smell and blood, which will make the chicken cleaner during the stewing process without excessive foam. However, there are also some people who believe that blanching will cause the chicken to lose some nutrients, such as protein and minerals, which not only does not reduce the fishy smell, but may reduce the nutritional value of the chicken.
If you choose older chicken or the chicken itself has a fishy smell, then blanching is a good option. Blanching can help remove some of the fishy smell and excess fat, making the chicken more refreshing. Especially for lean meats such as chicken breasts, blanching can make the meat more delicate and clean.
But if you're using fresh chicken, especially some well-processed chicken, blanching may not be as necessary. Because fresh chicken itself has a lighter fishy smell and is properly handled, it can better preserve the original flavor and nutrients of the chicken when stewed.
If you decide not to blanch, then you need to use other methods when stewing the chicken to ensure that the chicken is fresh and delicious. Here's a little trick I use myself to make the chicken more tender and smellless during the stewing process.
**Use green onion and ginger to stir-fry**: This is a very effective method to help remove the smell and increase the flavor. Before simmering the chicken, you can sauté the chicken with green onions and ginger until fragrant, and then simmer it. Here's how:
1. Preparation: Cut the chicken into cubes, slice the green onion and ginger and set aside.
2. Heat the pan with cold oil: Add an appropriate amount of oil to the pan, add the green onion and ginger slices after the oil is hot, and stir-fry over medium-low heat until fragrant. Stir-fry until the green onion and ginger turn golden brown and give off the fragrance.
3. Add the chicken: Put the chicken pieces in a pan and stir-fry with the green onion and ginger. Stir-fry until the surface of the chicken is slightly discolored and slightly fragrant, then add other simmering ingredients.
4. Simmer: Add an appropriate amount of water, salt, cooking wine and other seasonings, turn to low heat and simmer until the chicken becomes tender and flavorful.
In this way, the chicken not only has a significant effect on removing the smell, but also retains more nutrients. The aroma of green onion and ginger permeates the chicken, making the stewed chicken even more delicious.
I tried the chicken stew without blanching on my own, and the results were really good. Every time I make chicken stew at home, I stir-fry the chicken with green onion and ginger before simmering it. The resulting chicken is fragrant, the soup is rich, and the tenderness of the chicken is at a very high level. Both family and friends are raving about this chicken stew.
Moreover, I found that this method preserves the nutrients of the chicken better than blanching, especially in the soup, where the original flavor of the chicken can be tasted. Especially for children and the elderly, the soup of stewed chicken is very nourishing, which can help improve immunity and increase the body's nutrient intake.
Whether or not to blanch the chicken before stewing is not an absolute answer, it mainly depends on the quality of the chicken and personal taste. If you choose not to blanch, you can stir-fry the green onion and ginger to remove the smell and enhance the flavor, which will not only retain the nutrients of the chicken, but also make the chicken more delicious. Hopefully, these tips will help you make a more delicious chicken stew in your kitchen and make every meal a feast for the palate!
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