Shoyu Chicken

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My shoyu chicken recipe is a Hawaii-style bone-in plate lunch that will whisk you away to a tropical evening! Any chicken recipe that cooks bone-in is sure to deliver tender meat that melts in your mouth.

This shoyu chicken recipe offers all that, plus a taste of the most famous local favorite Hawaiian chicken dish: aloha shoyu chicken!

Pair this recipe with my authentic Hawaiian macaroni salad for a creamy-sweet contrast, coconut rice, pineapple coleslaw, or whip up a whole slew of tropical chicken with my Huli Huli chicken!

Let’s make this!

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

Any chicken dish that marries sweet with savory is a major WIN in my book! Who can resist that flavor combination? Plus, I guarantee everyone in your house will gobble this dinner down!

• Easy to make
• SUPER tender chicken!
• Sweet, savory, aromatic flavor
• Crowd-pleasing sauce!

What Is Shoyu Chicken?

Shoyu chicken is a Japanese-inspired dish that’s a variation of teriyaki chicken and is often served in Hawaii. It can be made with skinless or skin-on chicken thighs. The chicken is braised in a delicious, homemade teriyaki-infused sauce. The sauce tends to be thinner, but just as flavorful as commercial teriyaki sauce.

I prefer to make Shoyu chicken with thighs that have the skin on. The fat from the skin adds a delicious, rich flavor that you just can’t achieve with skinless pieces. Be sure to serve this on rice to get every last drop of the amazing sauce. I added a link below, in serving recommendations, for my favorite rice recipe with this chicken. The combo will rock your weeknight dinner routine!

Shoyu Chicken Ingredients

• Brown Sugar: Soy sauce and brown sugar are often used together to get the acid of the soy sauce and the sugar of the brown sugar, which works to tenderize your meat. Brown sugar is the best type of sugar to use in this recipe – it’s thick and mixes well.
• Garlic: For this recipe, fresh garlic cloves work best when minced. I break away the shell of the garlic with the flat surface of a sharp knife—this makes it easy to peel. I find that serrated blades don’t do too well with garlic—I prefer a nice big straight-edged knife.
• Ginger: The best way to peel ginger? With a spoon! The skin of ginger is so delicate that using a blunt edge like that on a spoon will do the job better than a vegetable peeler. The peeler will take too much of the ginger with it. I love this kitchen hack!
• Soy Sauce: The right type of soy sauce assures authenticity. I like to use Hawaiian Soy Sauce with this dish — shoyu soy sauce is popular in Hawaii and has a sweeter, less harsh flavor. I try to avoid commercial brands like Kikkoman in this recipe. While it’s a good option that’s widely available, I find that it can be too salty. They do, however, have a low-salt version you can try if you want to use it in this recipe.
• Mirin: This is a Japanese wine that adds a unique, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor. If you don’t have it you can use 2 tablespoons or sherry in place of the 1/4 mirin.
• Chinese 5 Spice: This is an optional spice. As the name suggests, Chinese 5-spice is a blend of five different spices (cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns). It’s used a lot in Asian and Arabic cooking. The truth is, not everybody loves this spice, so you don’t have to include it if you don’t want to. The Shoyu chicken will still be tasty without it!

Variations

Crispy Chicken Skin: Because we braise our shoyu chicken, it doesn’t have crispy skin. What it does have, using the braising method, is incomparably tender meat. If you’d like crispy skin, remove the chicken from the skillet when it’s cooked, shake to remove most of the braising liquid, place it skin side up on a baking sheet, and place it under a preheated broiler, watching it constantly, and turning often. Do not walk as the chicken broils away or get caught up in a conversation because the chicken can burn very quickly!

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Once cooked, your chicken will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. I personally love this dish on the second day. I think the flavors get even richer!
• Can You Freeze This? Yes! I love having this as a freezer meal to go. Portion it out, freeze it, and simply wait for a rushed night when you could use a home-cooked meal! Shoyu chicken will freeze for up to 4 months.
  • To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight or pop it in your microwave and use the thaw setting. It’s ready to eat in a snap!
• Make-Ahead Tips: The best way to make this recipe ahead of time? The Crockpot!

Serving Recommendations

The sweet, savory, tangy flavors of my shoyu chicken recipe go best with a creamy and smooth side, like a crisp, tasty salad that will offset the intensity of the spices. I mentioned my Hawaiian mac salad and pineapple coleslaw in the opening paragraph, which are my tw favorite things to serve with this chicken. I also love it with my classic macaroni salad, Southern macaroni salad, or dill pasta salad.

I love serving my chicken with something like my traditional KFC coleslaw. Who doesn’t love a bit of KFC, even in Hawaii! Or, go for something sweeter, like my grape salad or carrot salad! If you don’t serve my coconut rice, try it with my lemony Greek rice!

How To Make Shoyu Chicken Recipe

Traditionally, this chicken is braised on the stovetop. Braising shoyu chicken produces absolutely succulent meat—just keep a close eye on how the chicken is cooking so as not to overcook it. If it’s cooked too long, it will be dry.

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 10 ingredients until the brown sugar is dissolved and everything is well combined.
2. Place the chicken thighs in a large, high-sided skillet or pot, and pour the sauce over them. Turn the chicken over to coat both sides with the sauce.
3. Bring sauce to a boil, over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered, turning occasionally,  until chicken registers 165 degrees when an instant-read thermometer is inserted near the bone, about 30-35 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken to a serving platter.
5. Add the cornstarch and water mixture to the liquid in the skillet, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until thick.
6. Adjust seasoning and pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

***See Full Instructions Below

Shoyu Chicken Crockpot Instructions:

1. Place the chicken in your Crockpot.
2. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.
3. Cooking on a low setting for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken is tender.
4. Remove chicken to a plate, and set aside.
5. Pour the sauce from the Crockpot into a saucepan and turn the heat to medium.
6. Make the cornstarch slurry in a small bowl. Slowly add it to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the sauce has thickened.
7. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

More Yummy Chicken

• Lemon Pepper Chicken
• Honey Garlic Chicken
• Brown Sugar Crock Pot Chicken
• Smothered Chicken
• Buttermilk Roasted Chicken
• Instant Pot Lemon Chicken
• Balsamic Chicken
• Chicken Marbella
• Chicken Vesuvio 
• Crockpot Cashew Chicken

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Shoyu Chicken

Shoyu Chicken is a Hawaiian favorite that brings sweetness & savoriness in one sauce for a truly aromatic WOW of a meal! Serve w/ rice or macaroni salad.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 People

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup soy sauce
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1/4 cup mirin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
• ▢ 5 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water

Garnish:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 11 ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved and everything is well combined. 
• Place the chicken thighs (5 pounds) in a large, high-sided skillet or large pot, and pour sauce over the chicken. Turn the chicken over to coat both sides with the sauce.
• Bring sauce to a boil, over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered, turning occasionally,  until chicken registers 165 degrees when an instant-read thermometer is inserted near the bone, about 30-35 minutes.
•  Remove the chicken to a serving platter.
• Add the cornstarch and water mixture to the liquid in the skillet, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until thick. 
• Adjust seasoning and pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken
• 
  Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
• 
  Instant Pot Lemon Chicken
• 
  Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

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Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the recipe | Calories: 759kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 278mg | Sodium: 1853mg | Potassium: 708mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 444IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg

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