The great Japanese classic of chicken breast tenderized with fermented rice koji, gently cooked for an ultra-silky, juicy texture, and finished with fresh scallions, fragrant sesame, and the zesty kick of yuzu kosho.
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken breasts (tori mune)
- 80 g jarred shio koji (fermented rice koji seasoning)
- 2 tbsp salt-free Japanese cooking sake
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 pieces fresh Japanese scallions (negi)
- 1 tbsp pure toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp green yuzu kosho paste
- 1 tbsp unsalted toasted white sesame seeds
Method
- Thoroughly pat the chicken breasts (tori mune) dry with paper towels, then trim away any small veins or residual fat.
- Prick the meat on both sides with the tines of a fork at one-centimeter intervals to open the muscle fibers, then lightly butterfly or shave down the thickest parts with the flat of a knife for an even thickness.
- Slide the chicken into a heat-safe zip-top or vacuum bag, then add the jarred shio koji, Japanese cooking sake, and grated fresh ginger.
- Massage the meat through the bag to distribute the marinade evenly on all sides, press out the air using the water displacement method, and seal tightly.
- Refrigerate the bag and let rest for at least two hours, ideally overnight, allowing the enzymes to deeply tenderize the connective tissue.
- Remove the bag from the refrigerator thirty minutes before cooking to bring the meat toward room temperature and prevent thermal shock in the water bath.
- Heat a large volume of water in a deep pot and stabilize the temperature at sixty-three degrees Celsius using an accurate thermometer or an immersion circulator.
- Fully submerge the sealed bag in the hot water, cover to minimize heat loss, and poach for sixty minutes at a constant temperature, never letting the water simmer.
- Transfer the bag immediately to a large bowl of ice water for fifteen minutes to stop the cooking and lock the juices in the meat.
- Open the bag, remove the chicken, and gently scrape off the excess shio koji from the surface with the back of a knife, leaving just a silky sheen.
- Slice the chicken breasts against the grain into neat, diagonal slices half a centimeter thick on a clean cutting board.
- Finely shred the scallions lengthwise into thin threads, soak them in ice water for two minutes to curl, then drain well on paper towels.
- Arrange the chicken slices in a fan on a serving platter, drizzle with pure toasted sesame oil, scatter the curled scallions and toasted white sesame seeds over the top, and place a small dab of green yuzu kosho paste on the side.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 307.5 kcal
- Protein
- 48.48 g
- Carbohydrate
- 7.47 g
- Fat
- 8.19 g
- Fibre
- 1.25 g
- Calcium
- 25.65 mg
- Iron
- 0.68 mg
- Magnesium
- 10.97 mg
