If you loved my Pork Floss recipe, you should also try my tasty chicken floss recipe. It is an excellent alternative to pork while incorporating the same light and fluffy texture. Use it for almost any dish, from pastries to congee and sandwiches.
What Is Chicken Floss?
Meat floss is also known as meat wool or rousong (肉松). It is made from shredded meat, most commonly from pork meat. This Asian ingredient is used as a snack or condiment for Chinese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and Vietnamese cuisine, to name a few.
Chicken floss is a variation of meat floss made from shredded chicken. Its texture is similar to cotton, which is light and fluffy. To achieve this cottony texture, the first step is boiling the chicken meat with ginger, cooking wine, salt, and light soy sauce. Then, tenderize and shred the meat into thin strips.
Lastly, the shredded chicken is toasted on low heat and ground into fine chicken floss. Although chicken floss is commercially available, homemade chicken floss is still a better option to ensure quality ingredients. Moreover, store-bought chicken floss tends to have a lot of preservatives, oil, and sugar.
How To Use Chicken Floss
Chicken floss is best paired with dishes to use as a filling or topping. It goes well with light snacks or main meals. Serve it as a filling for pastries, buns, sandwiches, or dumplings.
It is also an excellent ingredient for sushi, onigiri, or egg rolls. To use chicken floss in light or small amounts, use it as a topping for various dishes. Top it on rice, noodles, and congee dishes.
Need additional garnish? Chicken floss is the perfect garnish for salads, soups, pancakes, crackers, and even toast. If you are looking for a meat floss recipe, here are some of my delicious pork floss recipes worth trying where you can simply swap pork floss with chicken floss:
Recipe Tips For Making Chicken Floss
Are you a first-timer in making meat floss? To help you achieve better results on your first try, don’t skip my tips and suggestions below. Here are a few things to know when making chicken floss:
- Use a non-stick pan: The trick in making light and airy meat floss is using a non-stick pan that can preserve its quality by not burning or sticking to the pan. It is the ideal pan since you are not using oil when heating the shredded chicken in the pan. Moreover, it is important to preheat the pan so that the meat does not stick and that it is evenly heated throughout.
- Cut the meat into smaller pieces: It will be a lot easier to shred the meat if you have smaller cuts of meat. Moreover, it will shorten the boiling time since it will cook faster with smaller cuts. Before cutting into chunks, make sure the chicken is cleaned and the fat and skin removed.
- Cook on low heat while continuously stirring, flipping, and pressing: Cooking on low heat allows the shredded meat to evaporate moisture slowly without burning too quickly. If the chicken is burned, it will taste bitter and become chewy in texture. Letting the liquid evaporate is the key to making light and airy meat floss, so do not rush this step. Moreover, it is crucial to continuously stir and press the shredded meat to allow even heating. This also prevents the shreds from clumping and sticking together.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste: The seasonings for this recipe are ginger, cooking wine, salt, and light soy sauce. If you prefer a sweeter chicken floss, add more sugar. If you prefer something spicy, I recommend adding chili powder or other hot spices.
- Use lean cuts of meat: Lean meat is best to make it easier to shred. I used chicken breast for this recipe. You can also use turkey breasts, boneless chicken thighs, tenderloins, or leg quarters.
- Store in an airtight container and cool location: Since the recipe is homemade without preservatives, it is important to store it properly to make it last long and avoid spoilage. To preserve its freshness and quality, store it in a sealed container such as a glass jar or spice jar. Keep it in a cool and dry location away from heat and sunlight to prevent bacteria growth. You can also keep it in the fridge to make it last for a month. Lastly, use clean and dry utensils every time you take chicken floss from the container to avoid spoilage and contamination.
Ingredients And Kitchenware To Make Chicken Floss
The items needed are basic kitchen equipment and pantry items. Prepare a pot for boiling and frying and a blender for grinding. You will also need an airtight container to store the chicken floss.
Here’s everything you need to get started:
Kitchenware
- Knife and chopping board
- Cooking pot with lid
- Strainer spatula
- Meat tenderizer
- Non-stick pan
- Spatula
- Blender or food processor
- Glass jar for storage
Ingredients
- 300g of chicken breast
- 4 slices of ginger
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
Instructions On How To Make Chicken Floss
Follow my step-by-step instructions below to learn how to make chicken floss the right way. Check out my recipe video on Instagram or TikTok to learn about each step. If you loved this recipe, comment below and share your thoughts or recommendations!
Prepare the chicken by trimming the excess fat and cutting it into small chunks.
In a pot, boil the chicken with 2 slices of ginger and 1 tbsp of cooking wine.
Remove the foam from the water. This is the scum and impurities, so make sure to remove them for cleaner chicken meat.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Then, replace the water in the pot and add the boiled chicken, two more slices of ginger, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp of light soy sauce.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Allow the chicken to cool before placing it in a storage bag for tenderizing. Tenderize the chicken using a meat tenderizer.
Shred the chicken into strands
Next, preheat a clean non-stick pot.
Add the chicken shreds and fry on low heat while stirring and pressing continuously until the liquid evaporates completely.
After cooling the cooked shredded chicken, finely shred the chicken using a meat grinder. Do not grind when it is still hot and moist, otherwise, it will not be as light and airy when ground.
Store the shredded chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month and enjoy it in a sandwich, bun, congee, and many more!
Homemade Tasty Chicken Floss
Equipment
- Knife and chopping board
- Cooking pot with lid
- Strainer spatula
- Meat tenderizer
- Non-stick pan
- Blender or food processor
- Glass jar for storage
Ingredients
- 300 g of chicken breast
- 4 slices of ginger
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken by trimming the excess fat and cutting it into small chunks.
- In a pot, boil the chicken with 2 slices of ginger and 1 tbsp of cooking wine.
- Remove the foam from the water. This is the scum and impurities, so make sure to remove them for cleaner chicken meat.
- Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Then, replace the water in the pot and add the boiled chicken, two more slices of ginger, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp of light soy sauce.
- Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Allow the chicken to cool before placing it in a storage bag for tenderizing. Tenderize the chicken using a meat tenderizer and shred it into strands.
- Next, preheat a clean non-stick pot.
- Add the chicken shreds and fry on low heat while stirring and pressing continuously until the liquid evaporates completely.
- After cooling the cooked shredded chicken, finely shred the chicken using a meat grinder. Do not grind when it is still hot and moist, otherwise, it will not be as light and airy when ground.
- Store the shredded chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month and enjoy it in a sandwich, bun, congee, and many more!
