Shoyu Chicken

Since I live in Hawaii, I figure I better learn how to make a little local food every once in awhile.  This chicken is a staple here.  Its great because this chicken recipe does not need to be marinated ahead of time from what I hear, but I did, just to be on the safe side.  :)  Many people boil the chicken in the sauce for 30-45 minutes, turning every once in awhile.  I baked the chicken in the oven with the directions below:

Ingredients:

1 5lb box chicken thighs, thawed

1 C shoyu (soy sauce)

1 C sugar

5 cloves garlic

3 half inch chunks ginger (I used dried)

Mix the shoyu and sugar. Add the garlic and chunks of ginger together in a bowl.  Stir it until the sugar dissolves. Mush the ginger and the garlic cloves with the back of a table knife so that the flavor can comes out of them, before you add them to the sauce. 

Put the chicken thighs (defrosted) in a pan that is deep enough that the juices won't boil over the side, and bake the chicken at 350 degrees, covered, for about 1 hour. Check the chicken to see if it is done - it should be just done. Do not over cook the chicken or it will be tough. If the chicken needs a little more time put it back in the oven and check it again in 15 minutes. The chicken should have turned white and there should be no blood near the bone (if you are using thighs that have bones in them). 

Some people use boneless - skinless thighs, some people like thighs with the skin and bone on. It doesn't matter which type you use, but I think thighs are the best thing to use for shoyu chicken. I also think it is good to cook the chicken a little ahead of time so that it can reabsorb the flavor of the sauce after it has cooked. So if I wanted chicken to be ready to eat at 5pm, I'd stick it in the oven at 3pm so that I would have time to cook it a little longer if needed and also so it could cool in the sauce for a while before serving it.

If you like the taste of a thicker sauce you can take the sauce out of the pan, after the chicken has cooked, and thicken it in a sauce pan with some corn starch and then pour the sauce back on the chicken.

Recipe Source: Benita C, my friend

Picture Source: Kuki's Kookbook

Huli Huli Chicken with Pineapple Spears

I am a recipe-blog thief.  I can't make up recipes on my own so I try other people's recipes, keep the ones I love and post them on here.  Thats ok, right??!!  I am a big believer in giving credit where it is due, so this recipe shout-out goes to The On Call Cook  Look at her blog.  She is incredible.  :)  Annnnd, I hope to be posting more often since I am cooking more these days.  That 3rd baby threw me for a loop!  


I loved this chicken and it was really easy to make.  I didn't add the chicken broth, simply because I forgot.  :/  Also, my husband is a fruit-purist.  He doesn't really like me adding anything to fruit so even though the pineapple spears were good, we probably won't make them this way next time.  


Click here for my source: The On Call Cook
Click here for Original Source

Chicken:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c. + 2 T ketchup
1/4 c + 3 T low sodium soy sauce
3 T chicken broth
1 t ginger
1 t minced garlic
2 chicken breasts

Pineapple:
I pineapple
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. 

Prepare the chicken breasts by trimming them of all the nasty stuff.  Cut off the tender from each breast.  Slice each breast horizontally so they are thin.

Put the trimmed and cut chicken in a Ziplock bag.  Add half of the marinade.  Reserve the rest for basting.

Marinade the chicken in the fridge for up to 8 hours. I only did two hours, and it was amazing.

After the chicken is place in the fridge, trim the outside of the pineapple.  Cut off the top and bottom. Slice it in half from top to bottom.  Slice a half in half again.  Cut diagonally to get the core off the pineapple.  Slice the remaining part into spears.

Place the spears in a Ziplock bag and add 1/2 c brown sugar and 1 t cinnamon.  Place this in the fridge with the chicken.

Once the marinating is over, prepare the grill.  Preheat it to medium-high heat.  Oil the grate.  Place the chicken on and lower the heat to medium.  Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side.  Since it is so thin, it doesn't need much time to cook. 

After you've flipped the chicken once, baste it with the extra marinade.

Put the pineapple spears on the grill as well.  Cook it for 1-2 minutes per side while the chicken is cooking. 

Serve the chicken over brown rice with the grilled pineapple spears on the side.

Teriyaki-Coconut Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

I give full credit of this recipe to my friend Rachelle over at To Die For Recipes.  Add her cooking blog to your list!!  She is incredible and I love everything she posts.  You won't be disappointed.  www.rachelleunderwood.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Teriyaki-Coconut Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

1 c soy sauce
3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c water
1/2 can coconut milk (freeze the rest for later use)
1/2 onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Combine all ingredients into a freezer ziplock bag.  Add chicken, and let marinade at least 8 hours, or up to 12 hours.  Grill chicken until done, enjoy!