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Shoyu chicken
Hawaiian plate-lunch chicken braised in soy, ginger and sugar
Shoyu chicken is the home-cooked comfort of Hawaii's plantation families, a Japanese-influenced braise of chicken thighs in soy sauce (shoyu), sugar, ginger and garlic, and a staple of the plate lunch: two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and chicken with plenty of sauce. Chef's tip: simmer uncovered at the end and spoon the sauce over until it turns glossy and coats the chicken.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup water
- 2 ⅞ oz soft brown sugar
- 4 cm piece fresh gingersliced
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ onionsliced
- 1 tbsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp water
- 2 spring onionssliced
- 1 ⅓ lb steamed white riceto serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the ½ cup soy sauce, ¾ cup water, 2 ⅞ oz soft brown sugar, 4 cm piece fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic and ½ onion in a wide pan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3 minStep 2: Add the 2 ¼ lb bone-in chicken thighs, skin on skin-side down, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway.
30 minStep 3: Uncover and simmer for 10 minutes more, spooning the sauce over, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F at the bone.
10 minStep 4: Lift the chicken onto a plate. Stir the 1 tbsp cornflour into the sauce and simmer 1 minute until glossy. A common mistake is boiling hard, which makes the sugary sauce burn and taste bitter.
2 minStep 5: Pour the sauce over the chicken, scatter with 2 spring onions and serve with the 1 ⅓ lb steamed white rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shoyu chicken take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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