The Mystery of Shoyu Chicken

So here’s my story about Shoyu Chicken. I worked in a Japanese restaurant during summer vacation one year when I was in college. It was a fun job. Not only did I genuinely like the family that owned the restaurant (a mom and her adult sons), but I also loved the food. In fact, my family and I ate there frequently before I landed the job. One of my favorite dishes on the menu was Shoyu Chicken. The chicken was braised in a soy sauce mixture (shoyu is soy sauce in Japanese), and was always tender and delicious.

One day I asked one of the brothers for the recipe but he politely declined. Since it was the late 80′s and internet cooking sites didn’t exist yet, I decided to try my hand at recreating it at home. Now I was a pretty decent cook for a 19-year-old and fairly confident in the kitchen. At this point, though, I was just guessing as to what the chicken was braised in. I put some chicken in a pot, added soy sauce and chopped garlic. My memory is fuzzy on this part but I may have added some water or chicken broth to dilute the soy mixture. Then I let it simmer until I deemed it was finished cooking. I was so proud of myself for embarking on this little adventure, and fully expected the finished dish to be perfection. With great anticipation I took the first bite. Boy was I bummed…it was NASTY!!! I had no idea at the time that sugar was one of the main ingredients so, of course, my version was sans sugar. It was hideously salty. I felt terrible for ruining good chicken but that’s just the way it goes sometimes when you experiment.

I decided to move on with my life and so the pursuit of shoyu chicken faded into my past. Imagine my delight some 20 years later when I saw a recipe for shoyu chicken in the Oregonian FOODday. I now make shoyu chicken for dinner regularly. It’s quick, easy and my family loves it. I always serve it with steamed rice and veggies. Chop sticks are optional.

Shoyu Chicken
The Oregonian

¾ cup soy sauce (also called shoyu)
¾ cup granulated sugar or firmly packed brown sugar
1 ½ piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Hot cooked rice

Put soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic in a skillet, bring to a boil, add chicken. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Serve with rice.

Tags: Asian, Chicken, Quick Cooking, shoyu, soy sauce

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