This chicken chashu is perfectly savory and sweet! Rolled chicken thighs are braised in a flavorful broth until tender and juicy. This restaurant-quality dish is simple to make and exploding with delicious flavor!
What Makes This Chicken Chashu So Good
- It’s bursting with tons of flavor! Chicken thighs are braised in a flavorful broth until perfectly tender. One bite of this chicken chashu will leave your taste buds singing!
- It’s a restaurant-quality dish that’s surprisingly simple to make in the comfort of your own home. Simply roll the chicken thighs, quickly brown them in a skillet, then leave to cook in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and sake or dry white wine. This delicious dish comes together in just 30 minutes!
- It’s that perfect balance between savory and sweet! Savory soy sauce and tangy mirin are beautifully balanced by a bit of sugar. We even add some fresh ginger in there for a flavorful spice!
Key Ingredients for Chicken Chashu
Boneless Chicken Thighs – For this dish, you’ll need boneless skin-on chicken thighs. Without the bone, we are able to roll these chicken thighs and easily slice into them once cooked. However, the skin is necessary in achieving a golden brown and crispy exterior!
Soy Sauce – This dark liquid condiment gives this chicken chashu most of its delicious flavor! You have the option to use low-sodium soy sauce in place of regular soy sauce in this recipe. If gluten-free, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce, such as tamari, instead.
Mirin – Mirin is similar to rice vinegar, though has a bit more sweetness. The acidity from the mirin is vital to balancing out the flavors of this Asian-inspired dish. If you don’t have mirin, you can use rice vinegar or sherry vinegar instead.
Sake or Dry White Wine – To keep this dish more traditional, opt for sake. However, if you can’t get your hands on sake, dry white wine works as well! As far as cooking wines go, I recommend a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or anything with “crisp” in the description. Though if you’d like to make this recipe alcohol-free, you can substitute it with additional mirin or water.
Chef’s Tips
- Use cooking twine to secure the rolled chicken thighs! Cooking twine is heat safe, unbleached, and doesn’t contain any dyes. This kitchen item is the only string that is 100% safe to cook with and use in this recipe.
- Leave the chicken to cool in the braising liquid for at least 10 minutes before serving. The longer you leave it in there, the more flavor this dish will have! Give the chicken as much time as possible to soak up all of that incredible flavor.
- Enjoy this chicken chasu either on its own or over a bowl of homemade ramen! Chashu is traditionally served with ramen and makes for a delicious addition to this warming soup. Simply remove the twine from around the chicken, then thinly slice before adding to your bowl.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer
- Chicken pesto Sandwich
- Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Yogurt Sauce
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Chicken Fricassee
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Chicken Chashu
Equipment
- Cooking twine
- Large skillet
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup mirin
- ½ cup sake or dry white wine
- ½ cup sugar
- 2-inch knob ginger optional
- 1 shallot peeled and sliced in half
Instructions
- Roll the chicken thighs with the skin-side facing out into tight rolls, then tie with cooking twine.
- Add chicken thighs to a large skillet over medium heat and lightly brown for about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Add the water, soy sauce, mirin, sake or white wine, sugar, ginger, and shallot to a large pot over medium-high heat. Gently boil until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add chicken thighs into the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes. Allow chicken to cool slightly in the cooking liquid before serving.
Notes
- Make it Paleo: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and coconut sugar in place of the regular sugar to make this recipe paleo.
- Make it Sugar-Free: Use granular Swerve or your favorite sugar-free substitute in place of the sugar in this recipe.
