Chicken can be a finicky meat to cook. Because it’s not all the same size and shape, it’s easy to get dry, overcooked pieces if you’re not careful. So, pounding the chicken is a simple but effective way for many cooks to make sure the chicken is always moist and tender.
But why exactly does pounding chicken make it more tender? Let’s break it down
How Pounding Chicken Helps
Pounding chicken breasts, cutlets or other pieces before cooking accomplishes a few important things:
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Evens out thickness: Chicken breasts are prone to being thicker on one end than the other. Pounding them until they are the same thickness all over helps them cook more evenly, so there are no dry, overcooked spots next to perfectly cooked ones.
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Thinner meat cooks faster than thicker meat. Pounding slashes cooking time.
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Maximizes moisture The quicker cooking time means less chance for moisture loss A thin cut also allows more even cooking so no part dries out
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Tenderizes the meat: Here’s the biggest benefit. Pounding physically breaks down tough connective tissues in the muscle fibers.
So pounding achieves some practical cooking benefits while also literally making the chicken more tender. But how does it work on a molecular level?
The Science Behind Mechanical Tenderizing
Chicken breast meat contains long, thin bundles of protein fibers that give it structure and chew. These muscle fibers are made up of smaller strands called myofibrils that are bundled together, almost like cables.
Pounding chicken physically breaks up some of these bundles. It causes microtears in the connective tissue, separates the myofibrils and allows the muscle fibers to begin breaking down.
This mechanical action is called denaturation. It unravels, stretches and damages the proteins that make meat tough.
In a way, pounding “pre-chews” the meat for you. It starts the breakdown that your teeth would complete when eating unpounded meat. The result is a tenderized texture.
How to Tenderize Chicken with Pounding
Pounding is simple but effective. Here are a few tips:
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Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip-top bag. This contains mess.
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Use a meat mallet, rolling pin, heavy pan bottom or any blunt object. Avoid sharp edges that could tear meat.
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Start at the thickest part and pound outward. Check often to avoid over-thinning.
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Go until chicken is an even 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness.
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Apply even, medium-hard pressure. Too soft won’t tenderize. Too hard can damage the meat.
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Stop when the meat is evenly thin and texture feels tenderized.
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Season and cook chicken right away for best texture.
With just a few minutes of pounding, you can significantly tenderize chicken breast, cutlets or other pieces.
Why It Works Better on Chicken Breast
Chicken breast is particularly well suited to mechanical tenderizing. Here’s why:
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Low fat content: Chicken breast is a lean cut. Less intramuscular fat means more opportunity for protein breakdown.
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Less collagen: Cuts that are high in collagen, like the thighs or legs, are already soft. Breast meat has less connective tissue to disrupt.
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Thicker shape: The irregular shape makes pounding an effective approach.
Chicken thigh or leg meat can also benefit from pounding but doesn’t require it as much. The same goes for pre-tenderized cuts like chicken tenders. Focus pounding on breast meat for the biggest textural improvement.
Marinating After Pounding
Once chicken is pounded to an even thickness, marinating is extra effective. With more surface area exposed and fibers partially broken down, marinades penetrate deeper and faster into the meat.
Pounding also allows any marinade, breading or seasoning to adhere evenly over the entire surface. The result is chicken that is super flavorful and tender.
Cooking Tenderized Chicken
For best results, cook pounded chicken soon after preparing. Leaving it too long can allow the proteins to re-bond and lose some tenderness.
Opt for quick, hot cooking methods like sauteing, grilling or pan frying. These will ensure the chicken doesn’t have time to dry out or toughen up.
Fried cutlets, sauteed paillards and grilled breasts are all ideal recipes to try after pounding.
Don’t Overdo It
While moderate pounding tenderizes chicken, going overboard can damage the meat. Hitting too hard can cause tears and a mushy texture.
Check the meat frequently as you pound. Stop when it has an even thickness, smooth surface and noticeably tenderized texture.
Proper pounding takes some practice. But with a little care, you can achieve restaurant-quality tender chicken at home.
So next time you’re cooking up a chicken breast, remember to grab the mallet or rolling pin first. A few strategic whacks can mean the difference between dry, chewy meat and a tender, juicy dinner. Happy pounding!
Best ways to tenderize chicken
We are going to share different, simple ways you can tenderize your chicken. The options are diverse, and you may have to settle on the one that works best for you.
Pounding the chicken
You will need a meat hammer or some other tool to pound a chicken, just like you would for any other cooking method. You will use the hammer to pound the chicken evenly over a flat surface. It may be a tedious process, but you have to keep doing it until the chicken is as thin as you want it to be. Let the level of thinness be informed by the recipe you’re using.
Pounding the chicken is one of the greatest do-it-yourself ways to tenderize chicken before cooking. This is because the pounding breaks the fibers in the chicken, allowing for faster cooking.
Ensure you cover or wrap the chicken in plastic wrap or a sealable bag. We do this to ensure that the juices don’t escape and instead are retained in the chicken. Remember, pounding is meant for boneless chicken such as breasts and deboned thighs. We recommend not pounding bone-in meat as you will end up shattering the bones.
How to Easily Pound & Tenderize Chicken At Home
FAQ
Does pounding Chicken make it tender?
An evenly cooked chicken breast not only improves texture but also results in a juicier final product. Secondly, pounding chicken can help to tenderize the meat. When you pound chicken, you break down some of its tough muscle fibers. This makes the chicken more tender and easier to chew.
How to tenderize chicken?
Here are some different ways to make your chicken more tender! Pounding with a Meat Mallet: This is the best way to make chicken that is perfectly tender. Just arm yourself with a meat mallet and ready to hammer down.
Why is my chicken so tender?
The texture of the chicken is significantly impacted by the fibers that make up the meat. Fibers—also referred to as myofibrils—help determine how tender your chicken meat is. Essentially, chicken fibers are made up of bundles of contractile proteins called actin and myosin. Which, when cooked up, helps retain moisture in the meat.
Why is pounding chicken important?
Firstly, it helps to create an even thickness across the meat. This ensures that the chicken cooks uniformly, reducing the risk of either overcooking or undercooking certain areas. An evenly cooked chicken breast not only improves texture but also results in a juicier final product. Secondly, pounding chicken can help to tenderize the meat.
Why do you pound chicken breast before cooking?
Being this thin lets the seasonings get deeper into the meat, cooks it more evenly, and lowers the chance that it will dry out before it’s done. Chicken marsala, chicken schnitzel, and chicken parmesan are examples of recipes that call for pounding chicken breast before cooking.
Why should you tenderize chicken before cooking?
You’re also mechanically tenderizing the meat, which is kind of like a mamma bird pre-chewing baby bird’s food, only much less gross. This means you’re going to get juicier, tastier chicken on the table faster, which is the best of all possible outcomes.
Why does pounding chicken make it more tender?
This is because the pounding breaks the fibers in the chicken, allowing for faster cooking.Jan 16, 2023
Does pounding meat actually tenderize it?
Mallets and meat pounders, for example, can be used to hammer steaks and thin slices of meat; the heavy force from banging the meat breaks up the connective tissue and collagen around the muscle fibers, causing the muscle fibers to separate and the meat to be more tender.
Can you tenderize chicken by beating it?
Pound the poultry.
Place your raw chicken on a cutting board or paper towel, cover it with plastic wrap, and take your chosen meat tenderizer to it. This can be a meat mallet, a rolling pin, or any other implement that can beat and even out the poultry.
How do chefs get chicken so tender?
A dry brine calls for rubbing salt over a chicken breast (or Thanksgiving turkey) and a wet brine calls for submerging the breast in salt water. Salt draws moisture from the meat and causes the proteins to collapse a little, tenderizing it and making room for more moisture and flavor to seep back in.