I’ll be honest — I am stubbornly Team Thighs ’n’ Legs when it comes to chicken. But I do appreciate that there are applications where white meat is the better choice. I like to use chicken breasts (preferably with skin and breastbone) as the base for a chicken soup, or poached for cold salads. And while I’d normally reach for boneless, skinless thighs for stir-fries, the technique that Kevin Pang uses for his new butter-soy chicken and asparagus stir-fry has caught my eye.
The technique, you might guess, is velveting. Velveting — a two-step process that involves marinating the meat in a cornstarch mixture and then blanching it in either oil or water — keeps the chicken breast slices from drying out and helps the soy-butter sauce cling better. I’ll make this dish with asparagus while it’s in season, and then switch to green beans or snap peas. Kevin doesn’t add anything spicy to his stir-fry, but I wouldn’t say no to some spoonfuls of — all together now — chile crisp.
Featured Recipe
Butter-Soy Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Speaking of soy sauce and chile crisp: We recently published this very handy guide to which condiments belong in the fridge and which are plenty happy in your pantry. It’s both informative and good for settling arguments. Here’s the tl;dr version:
Today’s specials
Sesame salmon bowls: This Kay Chun one-pot recipe, inspired by chirashi, combines vinegared rice with just-cooked salmon, crunchy vegetables and a soy vinaigrette. If you have any furikake, I’d sprinkle some on the rice before assembling your bowl.
Pasta with green bean ragù: From the wizard who brought us gochujang buttered noodles and a glorious pasta al pomodoro comes this rich, stick-to-your-bones pasta that still feels summery. Eric Kim, always.
Easy chickpea salad: Any recipe that includes za’atar gets my attention (and yes, I am fully committed to this za’atar and labneh spaghetti). Kristina Felix’s potluck-perfect dish includes cucumbers, red onion, tomato, lemon, fresh herbs and that lovely, sumac-y spice mix.
Pistachio halvah Rice Krispies treats: I mean, the name kind of says it all, doesn’t it? A delightful recipe adapted by Lisa Donovan from Shilpa and Miro Uskokovic, who opened Hani’s Bakery and Café in Manhattan in 2024.
The post For a Better Stir-Fry, Velvet Your Chicken appeared first on New York Times.
