Serves 1
Directions
- 1Debone the chicken thighs with a sharp knife. Make two slices along either side of the bone to expose it then carefully cut along the bone to remove it while keeping the knife in contact with the bone to avoid losing excess meat.
- 2Remove any cartilage from the larger end of the thigh, being careful not to pierce the skin
- 3Leave all excess skin intact as it will shrink significantly during cooking.
- 4Score the flesh side of each thigh with ½” deep cuts spaced 1 to 1.5 inches apart in a crosshatch pattern.
- 5Lightly salt the flesh side of the thighs but do not salt the skin side to keep it dry for better crisping.
- 6Pat skin dry with a towel before cooking
- 7Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat and lightly oil the pan.
- 8Place the chicken skin-side down and immediately press down on the chicken with a heavy saucepan (~3 lbs) to prevent the skin from shrinking excessively.
- 9Allow allow the thighs to cook undisturbed under the heavy pot for 5–6 minutes then remove the pot and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes
- 10Check the skin—it should be deep golden brown, not just lightly browned.
- 11Flip the thighs and cook for 2 minutes over low heat to finish cooking through. The internal temperature should reach 170–180°F (77–82°C).
- 12Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
- 13Wipe excess fat from the pan, leaving behind any browned bits, then add soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar to the pan.
- 14Stir to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer.Continue cooking over high to reduce the sauce until it becomes slightly thick and sticky
- 15Avoid over-reducing; the sauce should be glossy and cling to the chicken without being overly thick and gloppy
- 16Brush the sauce onto the rested chicken, coating it evenly.
- 17Slice the chicken into 5–7 pieces, cutting skin-side down to prevent tearing the crispy skin.
- 18Serve over steamed medium-grain rice and top with sesame seeds
Ingredients
- 2 large skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 g salt
- 5 g oil
- 60 g soy sauce
- 60 g sake
- 60 g mirin
- 45 g sugar
Equipment
knifenonstick pansaucepanwire rackpaper towelcooking brush
Tips
- Leave all excess skin intact as it will shrink significantly during cooking.
- Do not salt the skin side to keep it dry for better crisping.
- Pat skin dry with a towel before cooking
- Check skin–it should be deep golden brown, not just lightly browned.
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