What is Sappari-Ni?
Sappari-Ni (さっぱり煮) is a cozy, comforting dish that’s perfect for a chilly day.
It’s made with tender chicken drumsticks and eggs, simmered in a rich, vinegary soy sauce broth. The Japanese word “sappari” means “refreshing,” and it’s said to be named so because of its zesty, vinegar-infused sourness that brings a refreshing taste.
While drumsticks are the most common, other chicken parts or even pork are occasionally used in this dish.
How I Developed This Recipe
For me, “Sappari-Ni” is all about home cooking.
The broth has a special kind of sourness that makes it taste different from, say, Kakuni Pork. As the name “refreshing” suggests, I tried to create a broth that’s easy to eat with a hint of acidity and also umami-rich.
I’m confident to say that the recipe turned out just as I imagined. Try this classic Japanese family dish!
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Chicken drumsticks: This dish is best made with drumsticks, but you can switch it up and use chicken wings, thighs, or even pork belly instead. Just remember that if you use a different cut of meat, you’ll probably need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the pieces.
- Rice vinegar: I use rice vinegar or grain vinegar because they’re the most common types used in Japanese cooking. But white vinegar or apple cider vinegar will work in a pinch.
- Soy sauce: For the best flavor and more depth, use dark soy sauce. It makes a big difference! For more information on the difference between dark and light soy sauces and recommended brands, please see our Guide to Japanese Soy Sauce article.
- Sake: If possible, always skip the cooking sake and use an inexpensive drinking sake instead. Cooking sake has extra salt added to it, which throws off the flavor balance. Also, drinking sake is just times better as a condiment. For more details on cooking with sake in Japanese cuisine, see our sake guide.
- Rounding out the ingredient list: To complete the dish, you’ll also need some boiled eggs, toasted sesame oil, garlic and ginger root, and sugar. With all these ingredients prepped and ready to go, you’ll be well on your way to a tasty meal!
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Sappari-Ni at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
First, heat up sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is nice and hot, add the drumsticks to the pan and let them brown on all sides.
Once they’re browned to your liking, remove the drumsticks from the pan and set them aside for later.
Next, add the remaining sesame oil to the same frying pan and keep it over medium heat. Now, add the sliced garlic and ginger to the hot oil and sauté them just until they become fragrant. This usually only takes about 30 seconds, and be careful not to let them burn!
Once the garlic and ginger smell great, pour the water, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sake into the pan. Bring this mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Return the browned drumsticks to the pan into the simmering liquid. Also, add a boiled egg to the pan at the same time.
Then place a drop-lid on top of the drumsticks and eggs, and let everything simmer together for 10 minutes.
As a final touch, top the drumsticks with sliced shiraganegi (the white part of a green onion or leek) before serving.
The delicious combination of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sake creates such a wonderfully savory aroma as this dish cooks. It always makes me think of the simple, comforting meals I liked as a kid.
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsI hope you enjoy this Sappari-Ni recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Chicken Recipes
- Authentic Chicken Karaage (Crispy Japanese Fried Chicken)
- Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
- The Best Crispy Japanese Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken Yaki Udon
Want more inspiration? Explore my Chicken Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Refreshing Simmered Chicken Drumsticks (Tori no Sappari-ni)
Ingredients
- 4 egg
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 slices ginger root
- 250 ml water
- 125 ml rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 3 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 cm Japanese leek (naganegi) white part, optional garnish
Instructions
- Start by bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 4 egg and boil for 10 minutes for hard boiled. Once 10 minutes are up, transfer to a bowl of ice cold water and peel once cool enough to touch.
- Heat a frying pan on medium and add a drizzle of sesame oil. Once hot, add 8 chicken drumsticks and sear on all sides. Once seared, remove the pan from the heat.
- Heat a large pot on low and add a drizzle of sesame oil. Add 1 garlic clove (sliced) and 4 slices ginger root, and fry until fragrant.
- Once fragrant, add 250 ml water, 125 ml rice vinegar, 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 3 tbsp sake and 2 tbsp sugar to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer and add the seared drumsticks and boiled eggs.
- Place a drop lid on the surface of the broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
- While it simmers, take 5 cm Japanese leek (naganegi) and cut lengthways through to the middle. Discard the core and flatten the layers, then cut them into thin shreds and soak in a bowl of water. This is called "shiraganegi" and will be used as a garnish.
- When 10 minutes have passed, remove the drop lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- Plate up and top with the drained shiraganegi. Enjoy!
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