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–+ servings

Pan Seared Chicken Thighs with Japanese-Style Onion Sauce

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients  

For the chicken

  • 2 garlic clove sliced thin, green germ removed
  • 1½ tbsp cooking oil neutral
  • 450 g boneless chicken thigh about 2 thighs, skin on
  • salt
  • ½ tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) cornstarch swaps in one-to-one

For the sauce

  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • ½ tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp red wine or dry white works for a lighter version
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

For finishing

  • ½ tbsp unsalted butter
  • ground black pepper
  • dried parsley
  • finely chopped green onions
  • 30 g grated daikon radish (daikon oroshi) cold, on the side, optional but recommended

Instructions 

  • Mix 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ½ tsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp red wine, ¼ tsp sugar, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce in a bowl to make your sauce. Finely dice ½ onion and thinly slice 2 garlic clove. Set everything by the stove for later.
  • Pour 1½ tbsp cooking oil into a large cold pan and add the garlic slices. Heat on low and gently fry until they turn golden and crispy. Check regularly and remove them as they turn, do not let them get too dark.
  • Butterfly the meat side of 450 g boneless chicken thigh so that it's an even thickness all over, and poke holes in the skin with a fork.
  • Pat it dry all over with kitchen paper, then sprinkle with salt on both sides.
  • Place the golden garlic chips on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
  • Once the garlic is out of the pan, dust the skin side of the chicken thigh with ½ tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) and pat off any excess.
  • Lay the chicken in the pan in a single layer with the skin side facing down. Increase the heat to medium.
  • Cover with foil and a flat-based weight like a smaller pan filled with water. Cook for 7 minutes or until the skin is deeply golden and has turned crisp.
  • Remove the weight and foil, flip the chicken over and fry the meat side for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, move it to a wire rack to rest.
  • In the same pan, add the finely chopped onion and fry gently for 3-5 minutes until softened. Reduce the heat if needed.
  • Once the onion is translucent, pour in the prepared sauce. Some juices will have pooled out of the chicken by now, so pour that in too. Cook over medium heat and let it bubble for about 1 minute while mixing continuously and scraping the bottom of the pan.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in ½ tbsp unsalted butter.
  • Cut the chicken into strips and arrange them on serving plates. Drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle with ground black pepper, dried parsley, finely chopped green onions, and the crispy garlic chips. Serve with a mound of grated daikon radish on the side, and enjoy!

Notes

Read the skin, not the timer: The 7 minutes is a starting point, not a finish line. Around that mark, lift the foil and weight, look at the color and touch the skin for crispness, then decide how much longer it needs.
Dust the starch thin and late: A barely-there film on the skin side only, applied right before the chicken hits the pan, sets into a glassy crust. Pile it on thick or do it early and it goes gummy and never crisps.
Pick your weight for flat contact: What matters is pressing the whole thigh down evenly so every bit of skin meets the pan, not raw heaviness. A second pan with a little water in it sits flat and works better than a heavy thing touching a single spot.
Medium heat is the whole game: Too high and the skin scorches before the fat finishes rendering. Too low and the skin dries out before it ever crisps.
Off the heat for the butter: Kill the flame before the butter goes in. By that point the sauce has usually split into fat and seasonings, and swirling cold butter into a just-hot pan mounts it back into a glossy whole instead of a broken one.