Hawaiian Shoyu chicken

Shoyu Chicken #1

(by Marilyn Morikawa, page 61, who notes this recipe is used to feed hungry volunteers at Makawao's Hongwanji Mission Buddhist Temple.)

1 cup Kikkoman shoyu (soy sauce)
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
1 piece ginger, peeled and crushed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon Mirin (optional)
5 lbs. chicken thighs

Peel and crush ginger and garlic. Combine with all other sauce ingredients in a large pot. Add chicken. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes or until done.

Shoyu Chicken #2
(by Leslie Frankel of The Pukalani Club House, page 62)

6 chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup shoyu (soy sauce, any brand)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 green onion stalk, chopped

Add shoyu, sugar and water together in a large pot. Add chicken to mixture. Bring to a boil on stove top, then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from pot. Return pot to simmer and reduce remaining liquid for 10 minutes. Pour mixture over chicken; garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Adapted from Facebook, Bonnie Clyde

Shoyu (soy sauce. The best one is Aloha Shoyu, if you can find it. I found it in Tokyo Central and some 99 Ranch markets)

Sugar. Brown or white, both work. Mix it up 1/2 and 1/2 if Danger is your middle name and adventurous.

Mirin (Japanese rice cooking wine) You can substitute sherry for mirin.

Water.

2 Crushed gloves of garlic

I don’t know how to measure. You don’t want the Shoyu to overpower the marinade. It should taste lightly of Shoyu and sweet.

I’ve looked over some shoyu chicken recipes online and most of them...aren’t local style shoyu chicken.

Look for the ones from the state of Hawaii, not like AllRecipes.

You can marinate it for a couple of hours and throw it into a pan. I use the skin on, bone in thighs. Best flavor, hands down.

You can do this in a crockpot or oven but I find cooking it down in the skillet is the best way. You want to reduce the sauce so that it’s thick and bubbly but careful because it’ll burn quick.

Pro local Hawaii girl tip - make sure you spoon in that sauce on some rice.