Kinako, or roasted soybean powder, has a marvelous nutty aroma between peanuts and hazelnuts, and it's a classic seasoning for traditional Japanese confections like mochi and dango.
I've always been a rule breaker, though, and when something is typically used a certain way, I often wonder what would happen if I flipped its role. That's how I found myself dusting these bite-sized nuggets of chicken with the Japanese equivalent of cocoa powder. Marinating the chicken with sake and salt infuses a ton of umami into the savory meat, making a delightful contrast to the nutty kinako crust.
The kinako-crusted chicken turned out pretty amazing on its own, but after taking a bite, I thought of an even more crazy idea. When used in dessert, kinako is almost always paired with kuromitsu (literally black syrup). I'm a big fan of drizzling a little honey on my KFC, and I couldn't help but wonder what a drizzle of this earthy syrup would do for the chicken.
LOTS, as it turns out! The sweetness adds another dimension bringing the salty chicken and nutty soybean flour into balance, and the dish ends up tasting even more Japanese (think earthy teriyaki).
Welcome to my Secret Stash!
I’m Marc Matsumoto, creator of No Recipes and host of television’s Bento Expo. You’ve stumbled upon my secret stash with over 150 original recipes with a new one coming every week! Unlike my other site, these recipes are member-supported, so you won’t find any banner ads here. If you enjoy this recipe below, please consider becoming a member to access the rest of my private cookbook and get updates with my latest recipes.
- ✓ No ads
- ✓ Access the full stash of over 100 recipes
- ✓ 1 new recipe per week
- ✓ Support Norecipes.com
Units
Ingredients
- 380 grams skin on boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon sake
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 25 grams kinako
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons kuromitsu or honey
Instructions
- Cut 380 grams skin on boneless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and marinate with 1 tablespoon sake and ¼ teaspoon salt for at least 30 minute.
- Put 25 grams kinako in a bowl and then dust the chicken pieces with an even layer of the roasted soybean powder. Make sure the skin is spread out before you dust the chicken so it doesn’t get bunched up.
- Heat a frying pan over medium low heat until moderately hot and then add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and the chicken pieces skin-side down.
- Pan-fry the chicken until golden brown on one side and then flip the chicken over to brown the other side. You may need to flip the chicken over a few time to cook it through completely. If you notice the kinako browning too quickly, turn down the heat.
- When the the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 160°F), transfer it to a serving plate and then drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons kuromitsu.
Kathy Stroup says
This is so simple, but so incredibly good! My husband and I were fighting over the pieces even before the plate was half empty. The magical umami of the sake interacts with the nutty goodness of the kinako, and the chicken gives it a rich canvas to display its addictive flavors.
I made my own kuromitsu from Okinawa Black Sugar; the earthy, minerally molasses notes perfectly complimented the kinako and toned down the fattiness of the chicken. The kuromitsu tasted very similar to maple syrup, but with more notes of iron and acidity.
This one will be repeated frequently!
Marc Matsumoto says
So happy to hear you enjoyed this one. This is one of those recipes that really excites me in the way I got excited when I first added vanilla beans to a crab bisque over 20 years ago and got hooked on the idea of using "dessert" ingredients for savory dishes.