Chicken Kijiyaki

My new book has finally arrived! It had been six weeks since I placed my order with Amazon. I was eager to try out some new recipes. The recipe for Chicken Kijiyaki caught my eye as I flipped the pages.

I tried it out for lunch, since it's Spring Break for the boys. Just as what the book had stated, the skin was crispy and yummy. Be very careful about the heat, as you don't want to burn the chicken and have it leave a bitter after-taste =)

Recipe adapted from The Just Bento Cookbook by Mikiko Itoh

2 pcs Boneless Chicken Thighs with skin on

1 tbsp Mirin

1 tbsp Soy Sauce (I use low-sodium soy)

1 tsp Sugar

Shichimi Pepper, to taste (I omit this)

• Debone and clean the chicken thighs.
• Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
• Actually, my deboned and cleaned chicken thighs were kept frozen in the fridge. I took them out to thaw the day before. Hence, all I need to do in the morning was to give them a quick rinse and pat dry them with a kitchen towel.
• Pierce the chicken all over on the skin with the tip of your knife. This will prevent the chicken pieces from curling up during the cooking.
• Place a dry non-stick pan over high heat.
• Put in the chicken, skin side down.
• Fry till the skin is brown and crispy, pressing down on the chicken occasionally with a spatula.
• Turn the chicken pieces over. Cook till done.
• During the cooking, if the pan became too oily, you can use a paper towel to soak up the oil.
• You may want to lower the heat to prevent the chicken from burning.
• The chicken is done when you poke the middle with a knife tip and the juices run clear.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.
• Put the sauce ingredients into the pan, using medium-high heat, and stir until he sugar is melted.
• When the sauce is bubbling, return the chicken pieces to the pan.
• Coat the chicken pieces on both sides with the sauce.
• Remove from the pan to a plate and let cool.
• Slice and pack.
• Sprinkle with shichimi pepper if need.

The boys just love the chicken. Crispy on the skin as well as on the other! They each had a chicken thigh, and they wiped their lunch plate clean. This is going to be a regular in their lunch bento!