Recipe: Crispy sesame and ginger chicken (Japanese)

"Hip hip hooray"! said the kids, when they found out that I was cooking chicken drumsticks for them for dinner. In our home, we usually eat chicken breast, but I do buy chicken maryland (thigh and drumsticks) occasionally when I feel like cooking/roasting chicken in the oven.

Crispy oven-roasted sesame and ginger chicken

When I was flipping through the Japanese Bible cookbook, this recipe for Crispy sesame and ginger chicken caught my eye. Only 5 simple ingredients and dinner is sorted :)

In Japan, the technique of cooking food directly over a grill is known as yakimono. In the book, the recipe suggests oven roasting the chicken until golden and crisp, however an alternative method is to cook it on  a preheated griller or barbecue for 8-10 minutes each side until cooked through.

In the original recipe also, chicken thigh is used, but I used a mix of chicken thigh and drumsticks for the benefit of my kids. The chicken skin is scored with a sharp knife before marinating. This is to allow marinade to penetrate the chicken more as well as help the chicken skin crisp up during roasting.

The chicken is then marinated in a mixture of sake (Japanese rice wine), Japanese soy sauce, sesame oil and grated ginger for 1 hour before being roasted in the oven. The chicken will be a beautiful golden brown when it's ready. You can serve this with Japanese rice and salad (will share the recipe for the Japanese salad we had with this meal).

When the chicken was cooking in the oven, Baby C said to me, "Mummy, it smells so good! I can't wait to eat it!" And before I finished snapping photos, she had already finished her first drumstick :) The chicken is moist, tender and flavorful, with a nice crispy skin. Simple preparation, yet it tastes fantastic!

Mummy, I *heart* your chicken drumsticks!

Mmmmm... yummy!

This is so easy and delicious, guess I'll be making it again next week after I get another fresh batch of chicken drumsticks :)

Crispy oven-roasted sesame and ginger chicken
Recipe adapted from Japanese Bible
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 chicken thigh fillets, skin on
4 drumsticks, skin on

For the marinade
1 tbsp cooking sake (Japanese rice wine)
1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated

1. Using a sharp knife, make shallow, diagonal cuts across the skin of the chicken pieces.

2. In a large bowl, mix the ingredients for the marinade, then add the chicken piece by piece, coating evenly on all sides. Cover with cling film and refridgerate for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the chicken, skin side up, on a baking tray lined with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden and crisp.

4. You can serve the chicken as it is, or slice into wide strips before serving. Serve with rice and salad. Season with more salt, if required.

Thumbs Up from both the kids :D Happy faces makes me a happy mummy.

Nice crispy skin!

*I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Soy Beans" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake. You can link your soy recipes here.

*I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #1 Oct 2013 : Japan hosted by Alan from travelling-foodies.



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