Marinating the Chicken
One of the secrets to getting tender and flavorful chicken at Mexican restaurants is that they marinate the meat before cooking. The marinade helps break down the proteins in the meat, making it more tender. It also allows the flavors to fully penetrate the chicken.
Many Mexican chicken marinades contain acidic ingredients like citrus juices, vinegar, yogurt or sour cream. The acid helps break down tough muscle fibers. Popular marinade ingredients include:
- Lime or lemon juice
- Orange juice
- Beer or wine
- Vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, etc)
- Yogurt
- Sour cream
- Spices like cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic, cilantro
The chicken is soaked in the marinade anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. The longer it soaks, the more tender it will become. Restaurants making large batches will often marinate big cuts like whole chickens or leg quarters overnight.
Using Young Chickens
Another secret that makes restaurant chicken so tender is that they typically use young chickens. Chickens that are slaughtered under 2 months old are known as “fryers” or “broilers”. Their meat is naturally more tender than chickens that are allowed to grow bigger.
The larger, older chickens are better for stewing or braising where the meat will be cooked slowly with moisture. But for quick cooking methods like grilling, frying or sautéing, the young fryer chickens result in the most tender texture. Their age makes the fibers easier to break down with quick cooking.
Cutting Against the Grain
The way the chicken is cut impacts how tender it will be when cooked. Cutting against the grain of the muscle fibers helps shorten the tough fibers, resulting in a more tender texture.
When cutting up chicken breasts or other cuts, restaurants purposefully slice against the direction of the muscle grain. This simple technique makes a noticeable difference in tenderness, even in quick-cooking preparations.
It’s easy to tell which direction the fibers run – just look for the lines running through the meat and cut crosswise across them.
Velveting the Chicken
Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique restaurants sometimes use to help tenderize chicken and retain moisture. It involves coating pieces of chicken in a mixture of cornstarch, egg whites and/or whole eggs, and oil.
The chicken is typically marinated first, then dipped in the velveting mixture right before cooking. The coating seals in the juices and tenderizes in two ways:
- The egg whites and cornstarch form a thin coating that partially cooks when seared, preventing moisture loss.
- The cornstarch breaks down some of the proteins on the surface, tenderizing it.
Velveting helps keep even quick stir-fry and sautéed chicken deliciously moist and tender. Both the marinade and coating work together to maximize tenderness.
Buttermilk Brines and Marinades
Buttermilk is sometimes used in marinades or as a brine for fried chicken. The lactic acid in the buttermilk tenderizes the chicken while also making it juicier.
When chicken sits in a buttermilk brine, the lactic acid penetrates the meat and loosens muscle fibers. It has a similar tenderizing effect as other acidic marinades.
Because buttermilk also adds flavor, it can be used on its own as a marinade without much else needed. Restaurants often add spices and herbs for extra flavor.
Using Tenderizers
When time allows, some restaurants use powdered meat tenderizers containing enzymes that further break down tough collagen and connective tissue in chicken.
Powdered tenderizers are made from natural sources like papaya, pineapple, figs or ginger that contain proteolytic enzymes. When rubbed on meat, the enzymes weaken stubborn proteins and act as a physical tenderizer.
They require some time to work, so the chicken needs to sit for 30 minutes or more after coating to become tenderized. Too much tenderizer or leaving it on too long can result in mushy meat, so chefs use it carefully.
Pounding the Meat
For quick tenderness, lightly pounding the chicken breasts, cutlets or fajita meat helps break down the tough muscle fibers. Using a meat mallet, heavy skillet or the back of a pot to gently pound the chicken makes it thinner and more tender.
Pounding is especially useful for large chicken breasts which can easily get dry or stringy when cooked as-is. It also allows marinades to better penetrate the meat. The pounding action helps speed up the tenderization process.
Low and Slow Cooking
For dishes where time allows, cooking the chicken low and slow results in the most tender, fall-off-the-bone texture. Gentle simmering, stewing or baking lets collagen melt slowly over time.
Wet cooking methods like braising, stewing or pressure cooking combine low heat with moisture to gently soften proteins and connective tissue. Dry methods like baking or roasting also break down tough fibers when done for longer periods at lower heats.
Using a Meat Thermometer
Chicken cooked to the proper internal temperature will be optimally juicy and tender. Undercooking leaves it rubbery and raw, while overcooking dries it out and makes it tough.
Using a meat thermometer removes the guesswork and ensures the thickest parts of the chicken reach the safe finishing temperature without going over. Whole chickens and thick cuts should reach 165°F (74°C) at the thickest point.
Accurate thermometers mean perfectly tender, not overcooked meat every time. They help restaurants cook large batches of chicken to the right doneness.
Brining the Chicken
Soaking chicken in a saltwater brine before cooking helps lead to juicier, more tender meat. The brine seasons the chicken and also hydrates it, allowing it to retain more moisture when cooked. This prevents it from drying out and becoming tough.
Restaurants often brine whole chickens, turkey and pork chops destined for the grill or oven. The salt in the brine acts to break down some proteins, while the water gets absorbed so the meat stays juicy. A basic brine is 1/4 cup salt per quart of water.
Allowing Meat to Rest
An important step to ensure tender meat is letting it rest after cooking and before slicing or serving. Resting gives the juices time to redistribute throughout the chicken instead of spilling out.
Slicing or biting into chicken immediately causes juices to leak out quickly. If left to sit for 5-10 minutes afterward, the proteins reabsorb some of those juices lost during cooking. The more moisture retained, the more tender and juicy the final texture.
Conclusion
Mexican restaurants have mastered the techniques for delivering super tender, flavorful chicken to the table every time. Their secret weapons involve marinating, strategic cooking methods, and knowing how to maximize moisture and tenderness no matter how the chicken is ultimately cooked.
Home cooks can borrow from their bag of tricks to enjoy pub-style Mexican chicken using ingredients already found in most kitchens. A little bit of forethought and prep yields incredibly tender, flavorful chicken worthy of any taqueria.
Key Points
- Marinating chicken in acidic ingredients breaks down tough fibers.
- Using young fryer chickens naturally results in more tender meat.
- Cutting against the grain shortens muscle fibers.
- Velveting seals in moisture and tenderizes the surface.
- Buttermilk marinades tenderize while adding flavor.
- Meat tenderizers speed up the tenderization process.
- Pounding flattens chicken for quick tenderness.
- Low and slow moist cooking methods melt collagen for fall-off-the-bone texture.
- Brining helps keep chicken juicy and tender when cooked.
- Letting chicken rest allows juices to redistribute so meat stays tender.
Using the right prep and cooking techniques allows home cooks to mimic the tender, tasty Mexican chicken found in restaurants. The keys are to break down tough fibers, retain moisture, and avoid overcooking. With delicious chicken marinades and a bit of know-how, backyard fajitas can rival the tenderness of any taco joint.
| Tenderizing Technique | How it Works |
|---|---|
| Marinating in Acidic Ingredients | Acids like citrus juice or vinegar break down tough proteins |
| Using Younger Fryer Chickens | Younger birds have naturally tender meat |
| Cutting Against the Grain | Shortens the muscle fibers so meat is less stringy |
| Velveting | The coating tenderizes the surface while sealing in moisture |
| Buttermilk Marinades | Buttermilk’s lactic acid tenderizes the meat |
| Using Meat Tenderizers | Enzymes in tenderizers break down tough proteins |
| Pounding the Meat | Flattens the meat to shorten muscle fibers |
| Low and Slow Cooking | Gentle heat melts collagen for fall-off-the-bone texture |
| Brining | Helps chicken retain moisture when cooked |
| Resting Before Serving | Allows juices to redistribute so meat stays juicy |