shoyu chicken

shoyu is japanese for soy sauce.

growing up in hawaii, shoyu was right up there with ketchup when it came to our tabletop condiments. it was also a common cooking ingredient and my family had both a tabletop bottle and a gallon size bottle to serve each purpose.

i love shoyu. it's salty, it's tasty, it's probably the only reason i liked eating tofu as a child. (tofu, the perfect vehicle for shoyu!)

sadly, the geek does not love shoyu. in fact, he does not like it. he'll go for the miso ramen over the shoyu ramen because he 'really doesn't like that flavor.' when eating a piece sushi off my plate, he won't dip it in shoyu voluntarily.

so imagine my surprise when he hesitantly tried shoyu chicken for the first time and realized he really, really liked it. when shoyu is combined with mirin, brown sugar, garlic and ginger alchemy occurs and the result is a delicious flavor the geek loves.

it's now become one of his favorite meals!

adapted from aida mollenkamp's shoyu chicken recipe.

equipment
large pot with cover

ingredients
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup shoyu (i use low-sodium kikkoman)
2.5 cups low sodium chicken broth (or water if you're out of broth)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup mirin (sweet rice wine, see below for substitute)
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cornstach
4 stalks scallions, green part thinly sliced

instructions

• in a large pot, combine all ingredients except cornstarch and scallions. bring to boil over medium- high heat.
• reduce heat to low and cover. simmer for approximately 30 minutes, turning chicken occasionally.
• remove chicken to a plate.
• remove garlic and ginger and discard. 
• return to boil, skim oil off the top of the remaining sauce (this is optional, you'll feel healthier if you do it), and allow to reduce for 10 minutes.
• combine cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and whisk the mixture into the sauce to thicken.
• remove from heat, return the chicken to the pot, and turn the chickens to coat.
• to serve, garnish with sliced green onions.

notes

• recommend serving with sticky rice and lots of sauce. the chicken in the picture looks a little sad because it's missing some glossy saucy goodness.
• this freezes well. rather than overdosing on shoyu chicken meal after meal, i freeze half of it in meal size portions. make extra rice and freeze it as well for a complete freezer meal.
• most large grocery stores have mirin in the 'international food' section. if you can't find it, seattle times recommends substituting sherry or white wine and a little sugar (1/3 wine + 1/3 teaspoon sugar for this recipe).
• got extra ginger? wrap it in saran wrap and freeze it for next time.