Crispy Skin Chicken with Yuzu Koshō

Crispy Skin Chicken with Yuzu Koshō is cooked in a very similar way to Nagi’s recipe, Crazy Crispy No-oil Chicken in her cookbook “Dinner”. But I added a Japanese touch to it by using a yuzu-flavoured seasoning.

This is another quick and easy recipe (I seem to have been posting quick meals lately for some reason).  It is a simple dish with minimal ingredients. As the name of Nagi’s recipe suggests, it doesn’t even use oil!

Since I introduced yuzu koshō in my post Simple Shiso Garlic Butter Pasta with Yuzu Koshō, I’ve become obsessed with yuzu koshō.  For example, whenever I made a hot pot, I added a drop of yuzu koshō to my bowl.

When Nagi and I had a hot pot, Nagi always added Mrs C’s Chilli Crisp while I added yuzu koshō. We clearly have quite different taste buds, I must say.

Yuzu koshō is used much like chilli paste or chili sauce in Chinese dishes. You can add yuzu koshō to noodles, simmered dishes, and yakitori as a condiment. But you can also use it to add a flavour to the dish while cooking – just like I did today.

What’s in My Crispy Skin Chicken with Yuzu Koshō

• Chicken thigh fillets, skin on
• Yuzu koshō
• Salt
• Pepper.

Where I live, it is very difficult to get thigh fillets with the skin on. So, I bought thigh cutlets and removed the bones.

Vegetables

• Cabbage cut into wide short strips
• Snow peas.

I cooked the vegetables in the frying pan after cooking the chicken. If you prefer, you can simply serve a fresh green salad alongside the chicken.

How to Make Crispy Skin Chicken with Yuzu Koshō

1. Pat dry both sides of the chicken fillets, and season with salt and pepper, mainly on the skin side.
2. Smudge yuzu koshō all over the flesh side of the fillets.
3. Place the fillets on a frying pan, skin side down, and put a lid on.
4. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes.
5. Flip the fillets over (you can see the crispy skin) and cook for a further 2 minutes without the lid.
6. Transfer the fillets to a tray or cutting board skin side up, and let them rest.
7. While the chicken is resting, add the vegetables to the frying pan and sauté for a couple of minutes.
8. Place the vegetables on a serving plate.
9. Cut the chicken into strips about 1.5cm/⅝” wide and put them on the vegetables.

If the thickness of the fillet is uneven, cut into the thick part of the meat horizontally without cutting all the way through, then open it so that the fillet’s thickness becomes consistent (2nd photo of the step-by-step photo above).

The cooking time with the lid on may vary depending on the thickness of your fillets.

If you like yuzu koshō, which is available at Japanese/Asian grocery stores, I am sure you will enjoy today’s dish. You might even find it addictive!

Yumiko

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Crispy Skin Chicken with Yuzu Koshō

Prep Time

8 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Crispy Skin Chicken with Yuzu Koshō is cooked in a very similar way to Nagi's recipe Crazy Crispy No-oil Chicken in her cookbook "Dinner". But I added a Japanese touch to it by using a yuzu-flavoured seasoning.

Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.

Recipe Type: Main

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Chicken thigh recipe, chicken thigh skin on, yuzu koshō recipe

Serves: 2

Author: Yumiko

Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

• 2 chicken thigh fillets skin on (150-175g/5.3-6.2oz each, note 1)
• 2 tsp yuzu koshō
• 1 large pinch salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 130g/4.6oz cabbage cut into 2.5cm x 8cm/1" x 3⅛" long strips
• 30g/1.1oz snow peas , ends removed

Instructions

1. Pat dry the chicken fillets with kitchen paper, removing as much moisture as possible (note 2).

2. If the thickness of the fillet is uneven, cut into the thick part of the meat horizontally without cutting all the way through, then open it so that the fillet’s thickness becomes consistent.

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper mainly on the skin side of the chicken, then spread yuzu koshō evenly over the flesh side of the chicken.

4. Place the chicken, skin side down, in a non-stick frying pan. Cover with a lid. Turn the heat on and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes.

5. Remove the cover, turn the fillets over, and cook for 2 minutes.

6. Transfer the fillets to a tray or cutting board, skin side up, and rest for a couple of minutes (note 3).

While resting the chicken

1. If there are too many burnt bits in the frying pan, remove them (optional), but don’t wipe the pan clean (you need the flavoured oil).

2. Add the cabbage strips and snow peas to the pan and sauté over medium heat for a couple of minutes (note 4).

3. Transfer the vegetables onto a serving plate.

Serving

1. Slice the chicken fillets into strips about 1.5cm/⅝" wide (note 5) and place them on the vegetables.

2. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

1. Where I live, it is almost impossible to buy thigh fillets with skin on. So, I buy thigh cutlets and remove the bones.

2. Alternatively, you can place the chicken thigh on a rack, skin side up, and refrigerate without a cover for 6-24 hours.

3. It is important to rest the cooked chicken. If you cut the chicken immediately the juice will come out and the meat will lose its flavour and juiciness.

4. I like the vegetables slightly crunchy, but if you prefer them softer, cook them a little longer.

5. You may find it difficult to cut the fillets because the skin is very crunchy and the flesh beneath is soft. Make an incision on the skin with the tip of a knife, then slice the fillet through from there. This makes it easier to cut the fillet.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming that the weight of a fillet is 150g/5.3oz.

serving: 260g calories: 369kcal fat: 26g (33%) saturated fat: 7g (35%) trans fat: 0.2g polyunsaturated fat: 5.5g monounsaturated fat: 11g cholesterol: 166mg (55%) sodium: 515mg (22%) carbohydrates: 5.5g (2%) dietary fibre: 2.3g (8%) sugar: 2.9g protein: 30g vitamin D: 0mcg (2%) calcium: 50mg (4%) iron: 1.7mg (9%) potassium: 487mg (10%)