Go Back
–+ servings

Japanese Chicken Salad (with Homemade Dressing)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Resting time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients 
 

Salad Chicken

Homemade Wafu Dressing

  • 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
  • ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp garlic paste or half the amount of grated fresh garlic
  • ½ tsp lemon juice
  • 1 pinch ground white pepper
  • juice from the chicken reserved from steaming

Suggested Salad Ingredients

  • 2 boiled egg soft or medium-boiled, halved
  • 200 g broccoli cut into bite-size florets
  • 150 g mixed leaf lettuce
  • 100 g mini tomatoes halved

Instructions 

  • Dry the surface of 250 g chicken breast with a paper towel.
    chicken breast wrapped in kitchen paper on a wooden chopping board
  • Stab with a fork all over.
    chicken breast pierced with a fork on a wooden chopping board
  • Sprinkle both sides with 2 pinches salt and 1 tsp cornstarch.
    chicken breast coated in a thin layer of corn starch
  • Take a microwave safe bowl and add ½ tbsp sake, 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, ¼ tsp sugar, 1 tsp mirin and ½ tsp salt. Mix well. 
    sake, mirin, sugar and salt mixed in a glass mixing bowl
  • Place the chicken breast in the bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes at 600W.
    chicken breast in a glass mixing bowl and covered with plastic wrap
  • Flip the chicken over (be careful of the steam), wrap the bowl tightly with the plastic wrap and microwave again for 2 minutes 600W. Without opening the door, rest the bowl in the microwave for 10 minutes. The chicken will continue to steam cook with the residual heat.
    chicken breast microwaved in a glass bowl
  • White you wait, make the dressing by pouring 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and let it bubble for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
    Japanese chicken salad dressing in a pan
  • Place ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil, ½ tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp lemon juice and 1 pinch ground white pepper in a pourable container. Pour the contents of the sauce pan into the jug and mix vigorously. Store in the fridge until serving time.
    Pouring cooked mixture into jug for Japanese chicken salad
  • Remove the chicken from the microwave, transfer it to a cutting board and leave to cool for a few minutes. Pour the chicken juices from the bowl into the dressing and mix.
    Pouring juices from chicken into Japanese chicken salad dressing
  • Once the chicken is cool enough to touch, cut it into slices.
    Sliced chicken breast on a wooden chopping board
  • Arrange your salad vegetables in a large bowl and place the chicken on top.
    Japanese Chicken Salad in a bowl
  • Drizzle with sauce just before serving and enjoy!
    Pouring dressing over Japanese chicken salad

Notes

Chicken bouillon powder varies by brand. My brand is 1 tsp per 200 ml, so if yours is more concentrated (e.g., 1 tsp per 300 ml or 1 cup), use touch less to avoid oversalting.
These times are calibrated for 600W. At 700W, reduce total heating by 30 seconds. At 500W, add about 1 minute. Overheating by even 15 seconds can push the breast past the tender zone into dry, chalky territory. The 10-minute rest time stays the same regardless of wattage.
Do not open the door during the rest. The 10-minute rest is where residual heat and trapped steam raise the internal temperature by 5 to 8°C. Opening the door early releases that steam and stops the process.