Description
Shoyu chicken is a Hawaiian plate lunch staple characteristic of Hawaii’s unique and diverse cultural make-up. Due to the island chain’s location almost midway between the West Coast of the United States and East Asia, Hawaii’s food culture is heavily influenced by Asian cuisines, particularly those of Korea, China, Japan, and the Philippines.
Ingredients
- 4 scallions
- 2/3 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1/2 cup shoyu (such as Kikkoman)
- 1/3 cup (74 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water, divided
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds), excess skin and fat trimmed
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Cooked white rice, to serve
Directions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Trim scallions; thinly slice dark green parts on an angle and reserve for garnish. Thinly slice remaining white and light green parts; place in a 10- to 11-inch high-sided skillet.
- Add stock, shoyu, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and 1 cup of the water to the skillet, whisking gently until sugar dissolves.
- Add chicken thighs to the skillet, skin-side down. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer over low, undisturbed, until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes, flipping chicken skin-side up halfway through cooking. Remove from heat.
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Loosely tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from stock mixture in skillet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining 3 tablespoons water until well combined.
- Whisk cornstarch mixture into stock mixture. Bring to a boil over medium, whisking often, and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Spoon thickened sauce over chicken and garnish with reserved scallion. Serve immediately with rice and any extra sauce.