To keep chicken moist you can soak the chicken in a marinade or brine.
A marinade is a mixture of an oil, an acid like vinegar or lemon juice and seasonings.
A brine is a solution of salt and water and both help keep the chicken moist during cooking and add flavor.
To soak chicken in milk, place the chicken in a bowl or a resealable bag and then pour the milk over the chicken and cover the chicken completely with the milk.
Refrigerate the chicken soaked in milk for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 to 12 hours or overnight for optimal tenderizing.
Avoid soaking the chicken in milk longer than 24 hours as doing so can result in mushy chicken.
Then remove the chicken from the milk and pat the chicken dry and cook as desired.
You can also leave a thin layer of milk on for the breading or coating to adhere to the chicken.
Soaking chicken in milk helps to tenderize the chicken meat and enhance the flavor.
The calcium in the milk activates enzymes in the chicken meat which break down proteins in the chicken meat, which makes it more tender and the milk also provides for a good base for breading and coating the chicken.
Buttermilk is ideal for soaking chicken in but regular milk can also be used along with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice that is added per cup of milk to create a buttermilk substitute.
Baking soda helps to tenderize the chicken and also promotes crispier skin of the chicken by changing the chicken meat's pH level.
Baking soda works by increasing the pH of the chicken's surface and weakens the protein bonds and helps them from becoming tough during cooking.
As a result it results in a more juicy and tender chicken, especially in chicken breasts.
Increased pH of the chicken meat surface also leads to a crispier skin of the chicken when baking the chicken or air frying the chicken.
Baking soda tenderizes meat by changing the meat's pH, which makes the proteins less likely to bind together and creates a more tender texture.
You can also use enzymatic fruits such as papaya or pineapple, acidic marinades with ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar.
To tenderize the chicken meat with baking soda, create a baking soda solution, using around 1 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 ounces of meat and soak the chicken in the solution or by sprinkling the baking soda directly on the chicken meat.
After the =chicken is tenderized you should rinse the chicken meat thoroughly before cooking the chicken meat to remove any residual baking soda paste.