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5 from 27 votes

Shoyu Chicken Recipe

Shoyu Chicken is a chicken dish with shoyu soy sauce, ginger and scallions; served over rice with a side of Hawaiian Mac Salad.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: hawaiian, Japanese
Servings: 4 people
Cost: $12

Equipment

  • 1 (4-quart or 5-quart) Dutch oven or medium pot

Ingredients

Shoyu Chicken:

  • 3/4 cup shoyu soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 (2-inch knob) fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 whole garlic cloves peeled and crushed
  • 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1/2 Maui onion (or yellow onion) peeled and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
  • 3 whole green onions white and green parts, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 cups steamed rice, for serving

Instructions

  • In a heavy Dutch oven or pot, mix the soy sauce, water, honey, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic together. Nestle the chicken thighs in the sauce, skin side up, submerging the meat as much as possible. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. When the sauce comes to a boil, add the Maui or yellow onion wedges and green onion pieces and turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer for 30 minutes. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, gently turn all the chicken pieces over. Cover the pot again and simmer for another 30 minutes. 
  • Check the tenderness of the meat with a fork; if you can easily insert the fork into the meat, the chicken is done. Remove the cooked thighs from the sauce, reserving it, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. 
  • Preheat the broiler. 
  • In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the sauce until smooth, then add the cornstarch mixture back to the pot with the remaining sauce and cook over medium-low for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Broil the chicken thighs for a minute or two, watching carefully to make sure you do not burn the skin. The goal is to just quickly brown the skin. 
  • Serve the chicken with the thickened sauce and rice. 

Notes

Instant Pot Instructions: 
I've made this two times in the Instant Pot and it couldn't be easier. I added all of the sauce ingredients to the Instant Pot, along with the chicken. I sealed the Instant Pot and put it to high pressure and cooked it for 8 minutes. I did a "quick release" and then proceeded with the recipe, creating the thickened sauce and broiling the chicken. 
Equipment: 
Le Creuset Dutch Oven | Baking Sheet | Instant Pot | Stainless Steel Bowls

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.6g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 11.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.1g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 19544mg | Potassium: 502mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 18.6g | Calcium: 490mg | Iron: 0.5mg