We are so lucky with our food supplier “de Kweker“, the chicken thigh fillets were superb again today. The meat was so tender. I am sure that the marinate made it deliciously soft as well, but you do need good quality chicken for this recipe. Make sure you let the liquid boil down to a thick, dark syrup. It makes this dish even more yum. We did serve some sticky sushi rice on the side and stir fried pak choi instead of steamed, perked up with a some dried red pepper flakes. -enjoy again-

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

2 x 15ml tablespoons sake (Japanese rice wine)
4 x 15ml tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
4 x 15ml tablespoons soy sauce
2 x 15ml tablespoons soft light brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
splash of sesame oil
750 grams chicken thigh fillets (no skin or bones), preferably organic, cut or scissored into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon groundnut oil
300 – 450 grams sushi rice (cooked according to packet instructions)

Method

Mix the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and sesame oil in a dish that you can steep the chicken in.
Add the prepared chicken pieces and leave for 15 minutes.
Heat the groundnut oil in a large, shallow frying pan or casserole (that has a lid) and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces from their dark marinating liquid to the pan and saute until they look cooked on the outside.
Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces in the pan and bring to a bubble, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes – cut into a piece of chicken to make sure it’s cooked through.
Remove the cooked pieces with a slotted spoon (you could keep them warm in a bowl covered in foil) and turn the heat up under the pan to let the liquid boil down to a thick, dark syrup.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, stir well so that they are all coated in the sticky, savoury syrup, then serve with a comforting pile of sushi rice and perhaps some steamed pak choi or greens of your choice.