When you’re craving a super flavorful dinner that’s ready in under an hour, turn to this shoyu chicken recipe. We first learned about shoyu chicken during a family beach vacation. My husband and I loved this dish at a local restaurant, and I’ve been tweaking and testing the ingredients at home to make my perfect version.
Native to Hawaii, shoyu chicken is simmered in a sauce of shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Served over rice, I’ll be the first to say it’s better than your local takeout meal. I love that it’s a one-pot recipe, keeping my time in the kitchen minimal and also hassle-free. If you love an Asian-inspired chicken recipe, be sure to also try our cashew chicken or grilled teriyaki chicken.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One pan chicken recipe. These chicken thighs have so much flavor since they are seared in the same skillet that is used to build the sauce. It also helps make clean up quick and easy any night of the week.
- A flavorful dinner with less than 10 ingredients. Forget needing to buy a long list of ingredients at the store, this shoyu chicken is a main course that uses mainly pantry staples plus a few extra fresh ingredients, making it the ideal weeknight meal.
- Takeout-style flavors made right at home. This Hawaiian recipe tastes restaurant-quality, but is so easy for beginner cooks to make and impress their family and friends.
Tips for Busy Cooks
We love using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs since they are almost impossible to overcook and also very affordable. You can use boneless chicken thighs if desired, just note that the cook time will be much less. It’s best to keep an eye on them and use a meat thermometer to determine when they are done (165ºF).
What is Shoyu chicken?
This is a salty and sweet glazed chicken recipe that comes from Hawaii. The chicken thighs are cooked until they are fall off the bone tender for a bite that is juicy and so addicting. Served over rice, it’s a taste of Hawaiian culture right at home and in under an hour!
Key Ingredient Notes
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – The standard cut chicken for this recipe, once cooked, the meat will be so tender it will fall off the bone.
- Vegetable oil – The cooking fat for the recipe, make sure it’s a neutral oil in flavor.
- Low-sodium soy sauce shoyu – This is what soy sauce is called in Hawaii. It’s a fermented condiment of soy beans, wheat, salt and water. It has a Japanese origin.
- Brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce, balancing the soy sauce.
- Mirin or rice wine – Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine that is lower in alcohol than sake. The alcohol cooks off in the skillet and the mirin rounds out all of the flavors of the sauce. You can also use rice wine vinegar if desired.
- Grated fresh ginger adds a bright and almost spicy flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic gives the sauce a rich garlic flavor to infuse every bite.
- Green onions adds a light onion flavor to the sauce.
- Sesame seeds give the shoyu chicken a nice texture and nutty flavor.
How to make shoyu chicken
Pat the chicken dry and season with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown.
Flip and sear the other side for 3–4 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add garlic and ginger to the same skillet, and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and mirin, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Return chicken to the pan, skin-side up, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally spooning the sauce over the chicken to glaze it.
Uncover and simmer for an additional 5–7 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly and glaze the chicken.
Expert Tips:
- Sear the chicken before building the sauce. This adds layers of flavor to the recipe, not only does it make the skin crispy on the chicken thighs, but the chicken fat adds so much flavor to the sauce.
- Simmer the thighs for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. When the pot is covered, this allows the meat to cook until nicely tender. Once the lid is removed, the sauce can reduce and thicken to the perfect glazed consistency to coat the sauce.
- If you can’t find mirin, use rice wine vinegar. Both are sweet with slight acidity and ideal for rounding out the saltiness of the shoyu.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. We love chicken thighs because they are difficult to overcook and every bite is juicy and delicious. With seared, crispy skin, they’re unbelievably delicious in the sweet and salty sauce.
What to serve with Shoyu chicken
When I’m serving a simple weeknight dinner, I like to serve Shoyu Chicken over steamed white or brown rice. It pairs well with a side of sautéed or steamed vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, or snap peas.
A quick cucumber salad or pickled carrots adds freshness and a pop of color, balancing the rich, sweet-savory glaze. Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds for a bit of nutty crunch and fresh flavor.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven for a few minutes until warmed through.
You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in the microwave or oven as well.
FAQs
It’s Japanese fermented soy sauce made from soy beans, wheat, water, and salt. It’s salty with a great base of umami for the sauce to infuse every bite of chicken with maximum flavor.
It’s a great dish to serve with rice as well as roasted or steamed vegetables like broccoli or sugar snap peas. You can also serve it with a fresh cucumber salad.
It will need to simmer in the pot for about 30 minutes. We cover the pot for the first 20 minutes of cooking, then uncover it to allow the sauce to thicken for the last 10 minutes.
More flavorful chicken recipes:
Shoyu Chicken (Hawaiian-style)
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs about 1.5 pounds
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce shoyu
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons mirin or rice wine
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green onions sliced, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and season with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear 4–5 minutes until golden brown. Flip and sear the other side for 3–4 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and mirin, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Return chicken to the pan, skin-side up, and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce over the chicken to glaze.
- Uncover and simmer for an additional 5–7 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly and glaze the chicken.
- Transfer chicken to plates, spoon sauce over the top, and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
– Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven for a few minutes until warmed through.
– You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or oven as well.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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