Japanese chicken dish delights

I noticed Japanese Butter Shoyu Chicken on a restaurant menu recently and decided to learn more about it. Shoyu means soy in Japanese. Adding butter to the soy sauce adds a rich and creamy flavor and texture.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe. I flattened boneless, skinless chicken thighs to about 1/2-inch thick, so the dish takes less than 10 minutes to cook. A secret to making moist chicken in this recipe is to add a little wine to the skillet and cover the skillet with a lid while it finishes cooking.

Microwaveable brown rice and frozen peas complete the meal. A quick way to defrost the peas is to add them to a colander and run warm water over them.

HELPFUL HINTS:

• Water can be substituted for the wine in the recipe. The flavor will be different but still tasty.
• Any type of green vegetable can be used with the rice.

Japanese Style Butter Shoyu Chicken

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

2 tablespoons white wine or water, dived use

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Olive oil spray

1 sliced scallion

Make the sauce. Mix 1 tablespoon wine, reduced-sodium soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Set aside. Remove visible fat from the chicken thighs and pound them flat to about 1/2-inch thick using a meat bat or the bottom of a heavy pan. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the chicken and cook 3 minutes. Turn chicken over. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon wine and cover skillet with a lid. Cook 4 minutes. Remove lid. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Add the sauce to the skillet and spoon over the chicken making sure the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Remove chicken from skillet and place on two dinner plates. Continue to heat the sauce for a minute or until it starts to slightly thicken. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle scallion slices on top.

Per serving: 324 calories (41 percent from fat), 14.7 g fat (5.2 g saturated, 4.8 g monounsaturated), 172 mg cholesterol, 33.9 g protein, 8.3 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fiber, 473 mg sodium.

Brown Rice and Peas

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 package microwave brown rice (11/2-cups cooked)

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Microwave rice according to package instructions. Measure 11/2 cups rice and add it to a bowl. Reserve the remaining rice for another time. Add oil, peas and salt and pepper to taste to the rice. Toss well. Divide in half and serve with the chicken.

Per serving: 256 calories (21.7 percent from fat), 6.2 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 3.4 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 6.2 g protein, 43.9 g carbohydrates, 4.7 g fiber, 9 mg sodium.