Juicy and tender Hen Chashu is a lighter variation on Japanese pork stomach chashu. Right here, I roll and pan-sear hen thighs, then braise and marinate them in a sweet-savory sauce. The smoky, succulent slices are good on ramen, in a rice bowl, or on their very own!
Certainly one of my household’s favourite recipes that I make at house is Chashu, the traditional Japanese braised pork stomach. Right now, I’m sharing a lighter, leaner, and faster variation that I like even higher—Hen Chashu. Made with skin-on hen thighs, this recipe is simply as succulent and scrumptious! I’m excited to indicate you the way simple it’s to make this nutritious and versatile Japanese home-cooking dish.
If you happen to’re craving extra hen recipes, attempt my Hen Teriyaki, Hen Katsu, and Karaage subsequent!
What’s Chashu?
Chāshū (チャーシュー) is the Japanese adaptation of the well-known Chinese language barbecued pork dish referred to as char siu (叉燒). Whether or not made with pork stomach or hen thighs, the Japanese model differs considerably from the Chinese language dish in seasoning, cooking technique, and texture. Chashu is braised in typical Japanese pantry condiments whereas char siu is barbecued or roasted with Chinese language flavorings like hoisin sauce and five-spice powder. Whereas Chinese language char siu has a agency texture, Japanese chashu is succulent and tender; it makes the right complement to ramen noodles or a donburi rice bowl.
Why I Love This Recipe
- A leaner model of chashu – Whereas pork chashu is the traditional preparation, I truthfully want hen chashu for its decrease fats content material and clear end. It’s a light-weight and nutritious home-cooking dish that I really like making for my household.
- Juicy, tender, and melts in your mouth – The succulent, moist slices of rolled hen thighs are extremely tender. I discover them almost irresistible!
- Makes use of easy-to-find components – Boneless, skin-on hen thighs are really easy to supply at any native grocery retailer. The seasonings are primary Japanese condiments that you could be have already got in your pantry, too.
- Cooks shortly – I spend lower than half-hour on the range to braise this hen! The quick cooking time is absolutely handy for busy mothers like me.
- Rests in a single day to take in the seasonings – I seared and braised hen rolls in a single day within the sweet-savory cooking liquid to accentuate the flavors. It pairs so nicely with plain steamed rice and ramen noodles.
Elements for Hen Chashu
- Boneless, skin-on hen thighs – use the biggest ones you could find
- Contemporary ginger slices
- Inexperienced onions/scallions
- Sake
- Mirin
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Water
- Impartial oil – for searing
Discover the printable recipe with measurements beneath.
Substitutions
- Soy sauce: Use tamari soy sauce for gluten-free.
- Sake: You should use Chinese language rice wine or dry sherry, however I extremely suggest sake for Japanese recipes.
- Mirin: It’s a lot simpler to purchase this Japanese condiment today, and it’s even obtainable on-line. Please attempt to discover it relatively than substituting it with sugar and sake (or water), which isn’t precisely the identical factor.
- Inexperienced onions/scallions: You’ll be able to substitute it with some leek or Tokyo negi (additionally referred to as naga negi or lengthy inexperienced onion).
Key Kitchen Tools
- Butchers twine or kitchen string
- Drop lid (otoshibuta) – If you happen to don’t have one, you may make it at residence with aluminum foil; see my What’s Otoshibuta put up to find out how.
- Culinary butane torch – It’s non-compulsory, however I really like the charred smoky taste that searing provides to the chashu slices.
Easy methods to Make Hen Chashu
Preparation
Step 1 – Lower the aromatics and trim the hen. Lower the peeled ginger into skinny slices and minimize the inexperienced onions into shorter items. Trim the hen of any extra fats and white, stringy connective tissue (tendons).
Step 2 – Flatten the meat so it’s simpler to roll. With the pores and skin facet down, rating the flesh throughout the fibers and connective tissue to open up the meat, then pound it with the again of your knife to flatten the meat nicely.
Step 3 – Roll the thighs snugly and tie with kitchen twine. Flip the hen sideways and begin rolling tightly from the underside edge. Roll parallel to the scoring. Tie and/or wrap securely at 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) intervals.
Cooking and Marinate
Step 4 – Sear the hen rolls and simmer within the seasonings. Preheat a pot that’s simply sufficiently big to suit the rolls over medium-high warmth. Then, sear the hen within the oil, seam facet down. Rotate to brown all sides. Add the aromatics and seasonings, convey to a boil, and braise within the broth till cooked by way of.
Step 5 – Relaxation in a single day within the cooking liquid. Switch the rolls and braising sauce to a container. Cool fully, cowl, and refrigerate in a single day to soak within the flavors. Add non-compulsory peeled boiled eggs to the liquid to make ramen eggs.
Sear and Serve
Step 6 – Slice and sear. Lower the roll into 1/2-inch slices and sear with a kitchen torch till warmed and frivolously charred for a smoky taste.
Take pleasure in over ramen or rice drizzled with additional sauce on high!
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
- Get the most important hen thighs you could find. To efficiently roll up the hen, you’ll want to make use of very giant thighs. It’s extraordinarily troublesome to roll up a small thigh as a result of it’s not lengthy sufficient for one finish to overlap the opposite. The objective is to create a roll related in form to the Japanese character “の.”
- Use skin-on thighs. The hen pores and skin provides nice taste when seared and likewise helps to maintain the meat moist throughout braising.
- Flatten the meat so it’s simpler to roll. That is the important thing to a profitable roll. Rating the flesh, particularly within the thick elements, to chop the connective fibers and open up the meat. Then, pound it with the again of the knife to flatten and even out the thickness.
- Roll the hen tightly, and tie it snugly (not too unfastened or tight!) If it’s too unfastened, it might crumble. If it’s tied too tightly, the twine might indent the hen and smash the roulade’s form.
- Sear the hen roll nicely. This step makes an incredible distinction, enhancing the dish with advanced layers of taste. My go-to alternative for searing meats is a carbon metal pan or a forged iron pot like I take advantage of right here. You’ll be able to actually flip up the warmth, and the meals is available in direct contact with an evenly heated floor.
- Don’t skip the ginger and lengthy inexperienced onion. These components assist take away any unsavory odor and add extra depth to the sauce.
- Relaxation the hen in a single day within the braising liquid. Chances are you’ll be tempted to skip this step, however please be affected person. Marinating for 8 hours is essential for the hen to soak up all of the candy and savory flavors of the braising liquid. I really like the concentrated taste that this easy approach imparts.
Variations and Customizations
Right here, I recommend just a few simple twists to range the style, form, or components of this recipe.
- Skip rolling. If you happen to’d don’t thoughts the look, you’ll be able to merely prepare dinner the hen thighs with out rolling and tying them. The slices gained’t be spherical, however they’ll nonetheless have the identical scrumptious chashu taste. I like to recommend utilizing a shorter braising time because it gained’t take as lengthy to prepare dinner because the thicker rolled model. Additionally, please examine your marinating hen sooner as you might not want the total 8 hours marination time.
- Make ramen eggs on the identical time. The seasoning liquid works completely for ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago). I all the time add just a few peeled and boiled eggs to marinate within the sauce with the resting hen. The subsequent day, I can use each as toppings for my donburi bowl or ramen noodles. Bonus: The leftover seasoning additionally makes an incredible stir-fry sauce or a marinade for grilling meat!
- Change up the seasonings and aromatics. Use the Japanese seasonings in my recipe as a place to begin on your personal customized flavorings. Take it any path you’d like with chili oil, hoisin sauce, 5 spice powder, chili oil, gochujang, garlic, and extra—the probabilities are infinite.
What to Serve with Hen Chashu
Moreover having fun with hen chashu as a ramen topping or important dish, you may also serve it with many different dishes. Listed here are my recommendations:
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Switch the hen chashu and eggs out of the marinade to a brand new hermetic container. You can also save the marinade in a separate jar or container to drizzle in your chashu rice bowl or use as a stir-fry sauce or marinade for grilling meat. Retailer within the fridge for as much as 7 days or as much as 1 month within the freezer. Defrost in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.
To reheat: You may have three choices for reheating: 1) Soak the chashu slices in sizzling cooking sauce, 2) instantly add it to your bowl of ramen or sizzling noodle soup, or 3) sear utilizing a culinary butane torch. We name this aburi chashu (炙りチャーシュー), as aburi means searing in Japanese.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Hen chashu is good to prep forward of time, because it requires an in a single day resting interval to take in the seasoning flavors. It additionally retains within the fridge for as much as 7 days and within the freezer for as much as 1 month, so you should use it for various meals all through the week/month.
There are three potentialities. First, you might need rolled or tied the hen too loosely. Subsequent time, be sure to roll it tightly so the top overlaps the rolled meat and tie it snugly with kitchen twine. Second, it’s attainable that your hen thigh was too small. You should definitely use the biggest hen thigh that you could find. Third, the meat won’t be flat sufficient. You should definitely rating the flesh and pound it to get it as flat and evenly thick as attainable so you’ll be able to roll it efficiently.
For a thicker roulade, please use a boneless, skin-on hen leg with the thigh and drumstick meat hooked up in a single lengthy piece. While you roll it, begin from the drumbstick facet (the quick facet) and finish on the thigh.
The butcher counter at a Japanese market usually carries boneless hen leg with the pores and skin on. Alternatively, you’ll be able to ask your butcher to debone a hen leg in a single piece or debone it your self, if you know the way.
I don’t suggest it. Hen breasts dry out simply, so it’s not very best for this dish.
Extra Hen Recipes
If you happen to love this Hen Chashu, you’re in for a deal with with these different irresistible hen recipes.
Forestall your display from going darkish
To Put together the Elements
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Lower 2 inexperienced onions/scallions into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths. Peel the ginger knob and thinly minimize about 5 slices ginger.
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Trim off the surplus fats and the white, stringy connective tissue (tendons) from 2 boneless, skin-on hen thighs.
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Rating the flesh to open up the meat, reducing the connective fibers at ½-inch (1.5-cm) intervals, particularly on the thickest elements. Then, gently pound the flesh with the again of your knife to flatten and make rolling simpler. Fill any empty spots with trimmed items of meat to create a extra even floor.
To Prepare dinner
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Preheat a pot simply sufficiently big to carry the hen rolls over medium-low warmth. Then add 2 tsp impartial oil. When the oil is sizzling, place the rolled hen within the pot, seam facet down.
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Sear the pores and skin with out shifting it for about 2 minutes till the seam is about. Sometimes, rigorously roll the hen with out tearing the pores and skin.
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Sear till all sides are evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Flip off the warmth and use a paper towel to wipe away any extra fats.
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Pour 1 cup water into the pot and gently scrape the browned bits off the underside utilizing a wood spatula.
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Add ½ cup mirin, ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup sake, and 2 Tbsp sugar.
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Stir the seasonings with the spatula. Add the ginger slices and inexperienced onion.
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Carry it to a boil over medium warmth.
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As soon as boiling, cowl with a lid and simmer over medium-low warmth for about 7–8 minutes.
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Take away the lid and flip the hen. Now, place a drop lid referred to as otoshibuta on the meat. See my What’s Otoshibuta put up to study why we use it and methods to make one at residence; or you should purchase one on Amazon. Simmer for a further 6–7 minutes (you need not cowl with the pot’s lid).
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Enhance the warmth to medium-high and proceed simmering, basting the hen with the sauce till it thickens and develops a shiny glaze, about 5 minutes.
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Take away the ginger and inexperienced onion.
To Marinate In a single day
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Switch the hen and all of the braising liquid to a storage container.
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Let it cool, cowl, and refrigerate in a single day to permit the hen to take in the sauce for one of the best taste. I like so as to add peeled boiled eggs to the marinade to make ramen eggs.
To Retailer
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Switch the hen chashu and eggs out of the marinade to a brand new hermetic container. You can also save the marinade in a separate jar or container to drizzle in your chashu rice bowl or use as a stir-fry sauce or marinade for grilling meat. Retailer within the fridge for as much as 7 days or as much as 1 month within the freezer. Defrost in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating. To reheat, you will have three choices: 1) Soak the chashu slices in sizzling cooking sauce, 2) instantly add it to your bowl of ramen or sizzling noodle soup, or 3) sear utilizing a kitchen torch.
