Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken

Shoyu Chicken It’s Hawaiian-style teriyaki. This sweet and savory chicken is slow cooked in a pan aromatic broth made with shoyu, ginger, garlic, sesame and brown sugar. The result is tender, super flavorful chicken.

I learned to make this shoyu chicken recipe in middle school home economics class when I lived on Oahu. I still remember loving this course so much and have never forgotten the flavor of this shoyu chicken. It’s still one of my favorite recipes.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken is easy and cheapas are many Hawaiian recipes. This recipe is super easy to make and is a local favorite. It will soon become one of your new easy dinner recipes.

Let’s get started!

What you will need

• Chicken legs – Traditionally, shoyu chicken is made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. However, I usually choose skinless and bone-in thighs. It’s totally up to you. If you prefer you can also use chicken breasts or even chicken thighs.
• Shoyu sauce – You can use soy sauce if you don’t have shoyu on hand. Shoyu is a version of soy sauce with a more refined flavor profile.
• Mirin – Mirin is a sweet rice wine. You can find it in the Asian section of the grocery store.
• Sesame oil – Toasted sesame oil.
• Brown sugar – Adjust the sweetness to your taste.
• Ginger – Use freshly peeled ginger root.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves.
• Waterfall– to dilute the shoyu broth.

Shoyu and soy sauce What’s the difference?

Shoyu and soy sauce are very similar. But if you’re curious about the difference.

Shoyu is a Japanese style soy sauce. It is made with fermented soybeans, wheat and salt. The addition of wheat gives a slightly sweet flavor and reduces the saltiness. Shoyu has a more sophisticated flavor profile than its cousin, soy sauce.

Soy sauce is a Chinese style soy sauce made with hydrolyzed soybeans. This chemical process speeds up the manufacturing process. The soy mixture is then fermented for a minimum of 3 weeks. However, many soy sauces are fermented for years.

How to prepare Shoyu Chicken

1. Trim excess fat from chicken thighs.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the shoyu broth in a saucepan.
3. Add the chicken to the saucepan and bring the shoyu broth to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the chicken. Simmer for 40-45 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and bring the sauce to a slow boil again. Allow the shoyu broth to reduce slightly. The chicken should be dark in color.
6. Remove the chicken from the shoyu broth. You can continue to reduce the sauce and then serve it over the chicken and rice.

What to serve with Shoyu chicken

These tasty Hawaiian chicken thighs are super tasty and perfect for dinner. Pair them with some traditional Hawaiian sides and you have a tasty island-style dinner.

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Shoyu Chicken

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Shoyu chicken is Hawaiian-style teriyaki. This sweet and savory chicken is slow cooked in an aromatic broth made with shoyu, ginger, garlic, sesame and brown sugar. The result is tender, super flavorful chicken.

Preparation time 10 minutes min

Cooking time 45 minutes min

Total time 55 minutes min

Course Main course

Kitchen Hawaiian

Portions 8 chicken legs

Calories 210 kcal

• Trim excess fat from chicken thighs.

  8 chicken thighs

• Combine all the ingredients for the shoyu broth in a saucepan.

  ½ cup shoyu, ½ cup mirin, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ¼ cup brown sugar, 4-5 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, 1 cup of water

• Add the chicken to the saucepan and bring the shoyu broth to a boil.

  8 chicken thighs

• Reduce heat and cover chicken. Simmer for 40 minutes.

• Remove the lid and bring the sauce to the boil once more. Allow the shoyu broth to reduce slightly. The chicken should be dark in color.

1. If you prefer, you can use chicken breasts in this recipe.
2. Traditional shoyu chicken is made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
3. Soy sauce can be used in place of shoyu.
4. Serve with rice and buttered corn.

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Serve: 1chicken thighCalories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 14GProtein: 23GFat: 6GSaturated fat: 1GTrans fats: 0.02GCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 1026mgFiber: 0.2GSugar: 10GSoccer: 22mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Hawaiian style chicken thighs, shoyu chicken, shoyu chicken recipe