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–+ servings

Negishio "Paella" (Viral in Japan)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2

Ingredients 
 

  • 350 g boneless chicken thigh skin-on, cut into large bite-size pieces
  • ¼ tsp salt to season the chicken
  • 1 garlic clove minced, green core removed
  • 1 Japanese leek (naganegi) coarsely minced
  • ½ tbsp cooking oil any neutral oil
  • 1 tbsp white wine dry
  • 150 g uncooked Japanese rice short-grain, unwashed and not soaked

Broth

Finishing

Instructions 

  • Cut 350 g boneless chicken thigh into large bitesize pieces and sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt. Finely dice 1 garlic clove and the white part of 1 Japanese leek (naganegi). In a heat proof jug, mix 200 ml hot water, ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, and ¼ tsp dashi granules until dissolved.
    Stock for negi shio paella in a glass measuring jug, finely chopped garlic and Japanese leek on a silver prep plate, and chicken thigh cut into bitesize pieces in a steel container.
  • Heat a pan over medium heat and add ½ tbsp cooking oil. Add the chicken in a single layer with the skin-side facing down and fry until browned.
    seared chicken thigh in a frying pan on the stove top
  • Flip the chicken pieces over and pour 1 tbsp white wine into the pan. Cover with a lid and steam-fry for 3 minutes.
    pieces of chicken thigh frying in a pan with lid on top
  • Remove the lid and add the leek. Stir fry until slightly softened, then add the minced garlic and 150 g uncooked Japanese rice. Mix until the rice grains are coated in a thin layer of oil and the garlic is fragrant.
    softened Japanese leek and garlic in a frying pan with seared chicken thigh pieces
  • Pour in the prepared broth and flatten the rice with a spatula until it's level. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Do not mix or stir the rice from this point.
    Broth and rice added to pan to make negi shio paella.
  • Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes over the low heat. Turn off the heat and rest for 5-8 minutes. It's important you do not open the lid before the resting time is over.
    negi shio paella simmering in a pan on the stove top, covered with a lid
  • Optional step for crispy base: Remove the lid and heat on medium high. Drizzle ½ tsp toasted sesame oil around the edge of the pan, and cook until it starts to crackle and you can smell the sesame aroma.
    negi shio paella cooked in a frying pan on stove top, with lid removed.
  • Turn off the heat and add salt if needed. Divide ½ tbsp unsalted butter into small pieces and scatter them on top of the rice. Sprinkle with a few drops of Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and a few cracks of ground black pepper. Top with finely chopped green onions and slices of ½ lemon.
    Japanese style negi shio paella with chicken and lemon in a black frying pan topped with lemon slices and finely chopped green onion on the stove top
  • Serve and enjoy!
    Close up of wooden spoon scooping negi shio paella

Notes

Stop stirring once the broth is in: Stirring drags the starch out of the grains, which turns the rice gummy and stops the bottom from crisping. Level the rice once, then leave the pan alone.
Use the rice dry and unwashed: Rinsing pre-fills each grain with water and washes off the surface starch, so the rice drinks less flavored broth and cannot form a crust.
Listen for the crust, do not watch for it: During the final high-heat step a dry crackle means the bottom is caramelizing into a socarrat. Pull the pan the moment the smell turns nutty, because toasted flips to burnt fast.
Spread the rice thin in a wide pan: A 26cm pan cooks the base two portions of rice grains evenly and crisps the base all the way across. Piled deep in a small pot, the middle steams while the edges dry out. Nonstick gives a softer crust.
Rice still hard in the middle: Sprinkle 1 to 2 tbsp hot water over the rice, cover, and cook on low 5 more minutes, then rest off the heat before checking again.
The crust step is optional: If you love a crispy okoge bottom, do the final high-heat blast. If not, skip it, since overdoing it is what burns the base. Watch closely if you go for it.