Half Soy Chicken with Miso Shallot Sauce

This dish was inspired by some of my staples I use daily in the kitchen. I’m a big fan of teriyaki and wanted that kind of depth of flavour inside the chicken, as well as the sauce.

The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavourful, juicy and tender it gets - the ingredients in the marinade help to break down the proteins in the meat so that when you cook it, it remains as juicy as possible. As for the sauce, the base is formed with shallots and shiitake - both ingredients lend such a depth of flavour, that you would not be about to substitute them and get the same kind of flavour profile. I have tried making the sauce with normal chestnut mushrooms and brown onions, it still is delicious, but the shallot gives a sweet flavour that onions don’t impart as much, and the shiitake gives out earthiness and a strong mushroom body that is hard to replicate with the other mellow mushrooms.

As for the 1/2 chicken cut, I wanted to do it this way as a whole chicken is never fully eaten between myself and my boyfriend, and as good as leftovers are, I wanted to play around with a portion for approx. 2. To do this I firstly spatchcock the chicken; I remove the chicken’s spine (with scissors or using a sharp knife,) flatten the breasts down, making sure to break the breast bones (you will feel it,) and simply cut in half. You end up with 1 wing, 1 breast and 1 leg on each portion.

Serves: 2-3 people

Prep/cooking time: 3hrs-overnight

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/2 chicken (skin on, bone in)

1 tbsp ginger, grated

1/4 cup (50g) soy sauce

1/4 cup (55g) mirin

1/4 cup (40g) sake

1/2 chicken portion

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt. In a bowl or freezer bag add the marinade ingredients to the chicken, mix and let marinate for at least 2 hours.

To Finish the Chicken:

130g shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin

3 shallots, sliced thin

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1/4 cup (50g) sake

1/4 cup (55g) mirin

2 tbsps soy sauce

1/4 cup (65g) water

1 tbsp white miso

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey

toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

salt, oil

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to fan 180°C. Take the chicken out of the marinade, and pat its surfaces down until dry.

2. Place the chicken, skin side down in a lightly oiled oven-proof pan. Turn the heat up to medium, and let the chicken skin sear until golden, 7-10 minutes. Once golden, flip the bird over so it’s skin side up, add 1/4 cup (68g) water and roast in the oven for 40-55 minutes, or until fully cooked - You can check by poking the chicken and making sure the juices running are clear or taking its internal temperature: the chicken should reach a minimum of 75°C.

3. Take the chicken out of the pan and place onto a plate or cutting board, cover with foil to rest for 10-15 mins. Pour out all the cooking liquid into a bowl, and set aside - we will use this in the sauce.

4. Drizzle a little oil into the now empty pan, add the shiitake and shallots, place on medium high heat, and cook until both have softened, 5-10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the rice vinegar, and let it reduce fully.

5. Pour the sake, mirin, soy sauce, water and the cooking liquid (previously removed) back into the pan, reduce by 1/2 or until slightly thickened.

6. Finish by stirring the miso, sesame oil and honey into the sauce, until glossy. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add more water. Season with salt if needed, and remove from the heat.

7. Carve and serve the chicken still hot with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds on top, and the miso shallot sauce.