Japanese Style Butter Shoyu Chicken with Rice and Peas

I noticed Japanese Butter Shoyu Chicken on a restaurant menu recently and decided to learn more about it. Shoyu means soy in Japanese. Adding butter to the soy sauce adds a rich and creamy flavor and texture.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe. I flattened boneless, skinless chicken thighs to about 1/2 inch thick, so the dish takes less than 10 minutes to cook. A secret to making moist chicken in this recipe is to add a little water to the skillet and cover the skillet with a lid while it finishes cooking.

Microwaveable brown rice and frozen peas complete the meal. A quick way to defrost the peas is to add them to a colander and run warm water over them.

HELPFUL HINTS

Any type of green vegetable can be used with the rice.

COUNTDOWN

Mix sauce ingredients together.

Make Rice and Peas.

Make chicken recipe. 

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Olive oil spray

1 sliced scallion

Make the sauce. Mix 1 tablespoon water, reduced-sodium soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Set aside. Remove visible fat from the chicken thighs and pound them flat to about 1/2-inch thick using a meat bat or the bottom of a heavy pan. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the chicken and cook 3 minutes. Turn chicken over. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon water and cover skillet with a lid. Cook 4 minutes. Remove lid. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Add the sauce to the skillet and spoon over the chicken making sure the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Remove chicken from skillet and place on two dinner plates. Continue to heat the sauce for a minute or until it starts to slightly thicken. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle scallion slices on top.

Per serving: 324 calories (41 percent from fat), 14.7 g fat (5.2 g saturated, 4.8 g monounsaturated), 172 mg cholesterol, 33.9 g protein, 8.3 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fiber, 473 mg sodium.

Brown Rice and Peas

1 package microwave brown rice (1 1/2-cups cooked)

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Microwave rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2-cups rice and add it to a bowl. Reserve the remaining rice for another time. Add oil, peas and salt and pepper to taste to the rice. Toss well. Divide in half and serve with the chicken.

Per serving: 256 calories (21.7 percent from fat), 6.2 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 3.4 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 6.2 g protein, 43.9 g carbohydrates, 4.7 g fiber, 9 mg sodium.

Tribune News Service