Yield: 4 servings (3 oz / 85 g raw chicken each)

Why Baking Soda Browns Meat Faster (pH, Maillard, Dose)

A fact-check of the pH and Maillard science behind browning meat with baking soda, shown on sliced chicken with the dose, the rest, the 165 F check and the sodium cost.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time8 minutes

Soak in the baking soda solution15 minutes

Total Time33 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken strips

• 12 oz (340 g) skinless boneless chicken breast, sliced thin, 340 g; slice across the grain into thin strips
• 1 tsp (4.6 g) baking soda, 4.6 g; food-grade, aluminum-free, not baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120 mL) water, 120 mL; dissolves the soda so it spreads evenly
• 1 tbsp (14 g) neutral oil, 14 g; canola was used for the nutrition math

Instructions

Method

1. Dissolve the soda. Stir 1 tsp (4.6 g) baking soda into 1/2 cup (120 mL) water until no grains are left.
2. Soak the chicken. Add 12 oz (340 g) thinly sliced chicken breast to the solution and turn it so every strip is wet. Keep it in the refrigerator while it soaks.
3. Drain and pat dry. Drain the strips well and pat them dry with paper towels. Surface water is what you're trying to keep out of the pan.
4. Heat the pan. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp (14 g) oil and let it get hot before the chicken goes in.
5. Sear without stirring. Lay the strips in a single layer with room between them. Don't stir until the underside has color, then turn them.
6. Check 165 F. Cook until a food thermometer reads 165 F (74 C) in the thickest strip. Cook time varies with slice thickness and pan, so go by the thermometer, not the clock. Color alone isn't a reliable sign.

Notes

Dose: 1 tsp per 12 oz (340 g) is the ATK kitchen-test amount for sliced chicken and sliced pork. The water amount (1/2 cup per 12 oz) comes from The Daily Meal's wet brine; ATK gives no water amount.

Timing: the 8 minute cook time is our unsourced estimate for thin strips. Go by 165 F (74 C), not the clock.

Nutrition note: values are estimates calculated by us from typical USDA FoodData Central values (raw skinless boneless chicken breast, FDC 171077; canola oil, FDC 172336; baking soda, FDC 175040), per 3 oz (85 g) raw serving. We counted all the baking soda and none rinsed or drained away, so the sodium figure is a ceiling. Neutral canola oil is the variant used.

Storage: treat the soaked chicken as raw poultry and keep it refrigerated. We could not open the USDA storage pages, so we give no storage durations here.