On Chicken and Rice
The comforting familiarity of three simple words and a recipe for a miso glaze crispy chicken donburi
When I was younger, often on days when it was my mother who was cooking dinner, she’d ask what I’d want to eat and the answer would simply be “chicken and rice.” It had its iterations, sometimes steamed with lap cheong, black fungus and shiitake mushrooms, other times it was salted overnight with star anise and ginger. So long as it was chicken and rice, we would take spoonfuls from the comfort of generations that was set onto the dinner table. Outside of my childhood home and throughout the world, chicken and rice takes on this same universal meaning. It’s ubiquitous, simple, and well-loved.
So, when Cabi asked me to develop a recipe using their Miso Glaze , I decided it had to be with chicken and rice. I love their products, not just for their recognizably playful packaging, but for the way in which they make authentic Japanese flavours accessible to the average home cook. Japanese home cooking is what I’ve been doing a lot of these days, so my recipes for Cabi lean into that as a means to share what I’ve learnt to cook from not only living in Japan, but also from adapting to cooking in a tiny studio apartment with a single induction burner for a hob. And, since Cabi does half of the work by making the sauces, I can save some time, counter space and spoons (since I only own two) and just squeeze a bottle.
Take their Miso Glaze for example, usually if I’m making a miso sauce, I’ll first have to come face to face with the miso aisle all in kanji and decipher which miso out of the twenty on the shelf will get placed in my basket. Then, if I’m making a simple glaze, I’ll typically add some mirin, sake, and sugar into a pot, whisk it all on low heat, and wait as it lazily simmers until it’s thickened. By this point, the sun’s gone down, my counter is crowded with sauce bottles, all my spoons are dirty and I now have a pot to clean on top of whatever else I’m making. Now, none of this is to say that I don’t enjoy the process, I take my own little pride in the romance of home cooking, its step by step and slowed rhythm, but there are of course days where I’m not feeling very romantic at all and I want the flavour, but not the work.
Now the irony in me saying all this and developing this specific recipe is that it isn’t necessarily a one and done, squeeze the bottle over crispy chicken and your dinner is ready kind of meal, although I’m sure that would work out as well. I wanted to (literally) spice things up a bit, layer in some flavours, and show that despite its squeeze-bottle-convenience, the miso glaze can transform a few fridge basics into a delicious meal that’s made entirely in one pan (with the help of a rice cooker) and ready within 30 minutes.
Miso Glaze Crispy Chicken Donburi
This chicken and rice then would be called a “donburi”, which you might often see as the suffix “don” (think oyakodon or katsudon). A donburi describes a rice bowl dish typically consisting of fish, meat, or vegetables served over a bed of hot white rice. It’s a quintessential part of Japanese home cooking and one that’s hearty, comforting and especially convenient for mid-week meals. This is a slightly elevated version but still really simple, made with crispy chicken, its fat slowly rendered in the pan, and a sweet, citrusy and umami rich sauce made with Cabi’s Miso Glaze.
Ingredients
A single serving for a mid-week dinner (easily doubled)
½ cup of short grain rice (if you’d like a larger serving of rice, 1 cup)
1-2 boneless, skin on chicken thighs, about 250 g in total
For the sauce
¼ cup of chicken stock
1 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tbsp of Cabi Miso Glaze
2 tbsp of mirin
1 tsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of soy sauce
1 myoga minced (optional)
A splash of sake (for deglazing)
For serving
Chopped green onions
Sesame seeds
Directions
Before Cooking
1. In a small bowl, combine your sauce ingredients: ¼ cup of chicken stock, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of Cabi’s Miso Glaze, 2 tbsp of mirin, 1 tsp of brown sugar, 1 tsp of soy sauce. Set aside.
2. Finely mince your myoga if using.
3. Rinse your rice thoroughly until the water is clear to remove any starch. Add water according to your rice cooker and cook.
For the crispy chicken
4. Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle your thigh with salt on both sides.
5. Place the thigh skin side down in a cold pan. Turn your heat to medium to begin cooking. This will allow for the fat to slowly render out, resulting in a crispy and even texture on the skin. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Flip your chicken over to finish it off for 3-4 minutes. When the chicken is done, set it aside.
*Optional: I like to add the chicken drippings and directly to my rice and mix.
For the sweet miso glaze
6. In the same pan, turn your heat to medium low and add your minced myoga. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add a splash of sake and deglaze your pan.
7. Raise your heat back to medium. Add your sauce mixture and stir to combine until simmering, allowing it to thicken slightly for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat when it reaches your preferred consistency.
Serving
8. Cut your chicken thigh into strips or bite sized pieces. Add your rice to a rice bowl and place the cut chicken pieces on top.
9. Drizzle with miso glaze and garnish with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Every once and while you’ll see me sharing a recipe or two that I’ve developed for Cabi, but if you want to receive all of them, head over to Cabi’s website and subscribe to their email newsletter!
Talk soon,
Alexa