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Japanese Fusion·Main Course

Dashi-Butter Chicken

A pan-roasted chicken breast marinated in ginger and soy, finished with a glossy, umami-rich pan sauce made from instant dashi and cold butter.

Prep

10m

Cook

15m

Total

70m

Serves

2

Method

  1. 01

    In a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, 1 tablespoon of mirin, sesame oil, sugar, and cayenne to create the marinade.

    Step 1
    Watch · 0:34
  2. 02

    Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet until they are a uniform thickness. Transfer the chicken to a shallow dish, coat thoroughly with the marinade, and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes.

    Step 2
    Watch · 1:26
  3. 03

    Remove chicken from marinade (reserve at least 2 tablespoons of the marinade for later) and blot dry with paper towels. Optionally, lightly dust the chicken with potato starch or cornstarch.

    Step 3
    Watch · 2:35
  4. 04

    Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for about 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through, reducing heat to medium if needed to prevent over-browning. Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm.

    Step 4
    Watch · 3:38
  5. 05

    Discard the cooking oil from the skillet. To the same pan over high heat, add the chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade, a splash of mirin, rice vinegar, and dashi granules. Boil until the liquid is reduced by about 75% and becomes slightly syrupy.

    Step 5
    Watch · 4:56
  6. 06

    Turn off the heat and add the cold butter. Swirl the pan constantly until the butter melts and emulsifies into a shiny, thick sauce. Plate the chicken, spoon the sauce over the top, and garnish with furikake.

    Step 6
    Watch · 6:06

From Chef John

  • “You are after all the kobayashi of getting your chicken ready for the dashi.”
  • “You could do your makeup looking in that.”
  • “What it actually tastes like is pure umami, which is a word that's totally overused by chefs on the internet. All right, mostly me.”