Ingredients
- 4 small chicken breast fillets, skin on (about 170 g each)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Japanese soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) long-grain rice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons oil
Method
1. Pound each breast between sheets of plastic wrap with a mallet until 1 cm thick. Put the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar and 1 teaspoon ginger in a flat non-metallic dish and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once halfway through.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain. Stir in the chives and remaining ginger, then cover until ready to serve.
3. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and cook the chicken, skin-side-down over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Turn and cook for 4 minutes (not quite cooked).
4. Add the marinade and 1/4 cup (60 ml) water to the pan and scrape up any sediment. Bring to the boil over high heat, then add the chicken (skin-side-up) and juices. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until cooked through, turning once. (If the sauce is runny, remove the chicken and boil the sauce until syrupy.) Serve the chicken whole or sliced, drizzled with the sauce.
