Recreating Kagawa's "Honetsukidori" in a Frying Pan: The Seasoning Ratios and Cooking Method Ryuji Worked Out from the Local Flavor

According to Ryuji, there are plenty of honetsukidori-style recipes online, and food content creators have made them too. But when Ryuji actually ate it locally, they were surprised to find those recipes were completely different. Ryuji says that since this time they are making it right after eating it there, it should be quite close to the real thing. The staff who came along also ate it locally and will judge it in a taste test.

Ryuji explains that honetsukidori is a relatively simple dish in which spice-coated chicken is slowly roasted in an oven. The most famous restaurant is Ikkaku, which also has locations in Kanagawa. However, Ryuji has not eaten at Ikkaku and says the flavor at another restaurant they recently visited was extremely good. So Ryuji doesn't know which is better. Someone who has eaten at both reportedly said they are quite similar, but the restaurant Ryuji visited has a stronger garlic flavor. Ryuji also remarked, "If the original restaurant is better than this, how good must it be?"

Ryuji's only complaint about that restaurant was that ordering was done via mobile order. It's convenient, but it lacks charm, and Ryuji added that even though it has nothing to do with the taste, atmosphere matters more than you might think. Ryuji even said that while everyone associates Kagawa with udon, they think it's honetsukidori.

The ingredients are two chicken thighs, and since bone-in ones aren't sold, boneless ones are used. If you can get bone-in, you can use it, but Ryuji says bone-in is quite difficult to cook through. Thigh meat is originally the chicken leg removed from the bone, so it's the same meat. People tend to think bone-in tastes better because the bone changes how the heat penetrates, but Ryuji thinks the taste is almost the same. The difference is mostly psychological, along the lines of "bone-in looks tastier."

The dish is originally finished in an oven, but this time it is finished in a frying pan, on the grounds that many people probably don't use their oven even if they have a microwave-oven combo.

As for the rice balls on the side, Ryuji explained that since there are many people this time, they will cook two pieces of meat and make four rice balls from 400g of rice. Ryuji repeatedly said the local rice balls were "insane."

The first step is to flatten the chicken thigh. The meat used is meant to be around 300–350g. Since the thickness of thigh meat varies, you cut into the thick parts and open them up so the whole piece is an even thickness. Ryuji repeatedly emphasized this step as "really important" and said, "Be sure to do this."

Several reasons were given. First, honetsukidori is a dish where you drive off moisture and finish it crispy, so if you skip this, you get unwanted juiciness. The staff agreed that the local honetsukidori had a snack-like texture. Next, it helps the meat cook through more evenly and prevents the mistake of parts being undercooked. There is also a reason specific to frying-pan cooking. In an oven, the skin browns evenly, but in a frying pan, the skin won't brown unless it is pressed flush against the pan. So it needs to be spread out until the skin lies flat.

There is no set place to make the cuts, and Ryuji cut in from various directions. Ryuji says cutting in just one direction is fine too. The goal is not to cut the sinews but to spread the meat out, Ryuji explained. Ryuji also laid the meat before and after the prep side by side to show how completely different the shapes were.

At the specialty restaurants in the dish's home region, you could reportedly choose not only young chicken (hinadori) but also mature hen (oyadori). Ryuji explains that oyadori is an older chicken; it isn't tender, but it's packed with flavor. Ryuji was on team oyadori, but everyone else recommended hinadori, so Ryuji says hinadori is probably what appeals to most people. Many drinkers reportedly prefer oyadori.

On the seasoning, Ryuji says they did a lot of research. Seasonings for honetsukidori are sold in Kagawa, and Ryuji says they checked all of them. In Ryuji's assessment, many of them contained garlic powder, black pepper, and sansho pepper as the main spices.

On top of that, Ryuji says Ajinomoto is absolutely essential. Without it, you won't get that flavor, and Ryuji goes so far as to say that honetsukidori copycat recipes that don't use Ajinomoto aren't very trustworthy. Ryuji's view is that it's in the commercial honetsukidori seasonings, and restaurants use it too, even if they don't say so publicly.

The amounts per chicken thigh are as follows.

• Salt: 2/3 tsp
• Ajinomoto: 1/4 tsp
• Garlic powder: 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper (coarsely ground): 2/3 tsp
• Sansho pepper: 1/3 tsp

The salt is an amount that comes to 1% or more salinity, and it should be rubbed evenly into the skin side as well. The staff recalled that the local honetsukidori was strongly seasoned and that the first thing you tasted was saltiness. Ryuji also says that if you want to eat that flavor at home, you should stick to this salt amount. The Ajinomoto is also a generous amount, but not all of it goes into the meat; a good amount drops into the oil, Ryuji says.

The most important spice is garlic powder, and Ryuji says, "If you don't have this, you don't need to make it." Ryuji explains that the reason for adding garlic powder even though fresh garlic is also used is that garlic powder penetrates deep into the meat. Ryuji and the staff confirmed with each other that the local flavor was "basically garlic."

Black pepper is also used in large quantities. When asked whether table pepper would be OK, Ryuji answered that it's fine if you don't have black pepper, but since table pepper is a mix of black and white pepper, using only black pepper gives a more faithful result. The distinctive aroma of honetsukidori comes from black pepper, not white, Ryuji says. Sansho is treated as optional ("if possible"), and the amount is the smallest. It adds a bit of freshness, and Ryuji says it seems to be used in the commercial seasonings too. If it's a hassle, you can mix everything together first and then rub it in.

After rubbing in the spices, remove moisture with paper towels. When the staff asked, "Won't the spices come off?", Ryuji explained that you don't wipe, you just press. If you move the towel, the spices come off, but if you only press, they stay. The logic is that an oven bakes in a hot box, so moisture evaporates, but in a frying pan it doesn't evaporate as easily, so it's better to remove it beforehand.

Ryuji also says that letting it sit for a little while before cooking brings it closer to the restaurant flavor, because the restaurants cook chicken that has all been marinated in seasoning. No plastic wrap is needed; just leave it as is for about 5–10 minutes. The meat is better cooked at room temperature, since cold meat is hard to cook through to the center, so this also serves to bring it to room temperature.

For the cooking oil, use lard if you want it rich, or rice bran oil if you want it lighter; this time both were tried. Lard is sold at places like Gyomu Super, but Ryuji says many people probably don't have it at home. Ryuji initially said about 1.5 tbsp, but after the taste test revised this, saying it might be better to use about 2 tbsp in total. Unless you use plenty, you won't reach the amount of oil the restaurants use, and this amount is also needed to make the skin crispy, Ryuji says.

Heat the frying pan well together with garlic (about 5g per piece), to a temperature where the meat sizzles the moment it goes in. Ryuji says it's delicious even without garlic, but with it, you get a kind of garlic oil that adds more punch. The heat is medium-high, and the chicken is cooked skin-side down. Getting the skin crackling crisp is "the most important thing," Ryuji says.

Even with this many cuts, the meat bulges up when it cooks. Really, you could pound the meat to stretch it out, but Ryuji explains that recently there have been comments saying pounding brings complaints from downstairs neighbors, so this time they dealt with it by making more cuts than necessary. Ryuji's position is that you can practically shred it, and even if some juiciness comes out, it's fine because the flavor is still honetsukidori. While it cooks, press it down with a spatula and spoon oil over it. If there are parts that haven't browned, add oil there and cook while pressing down, and they'll get crispy. Ryuji admits that doing an oven-finished dish in a frying pan takes considerable skill.

After flipping, lower the heat to medium-low. When covering with a lid, always have the skin side down. If you cover it with the skin facing up, steam hits the skin, and the basic rule is to keep both water and steam off the skin, Ryuji says. Since it's thick and still raw inside, you adjust by flipping it as you go. Ryuji also said that at home, it's best to eat each piece right away as soon as it's done.

The staff asked whether it would turn dry with all the fat coming out. Ryuji answered that it's better for the fat to come out. Kagawa's honetsukidori is tough; it's not a tender, juicy dish. The point is to chomp away at tough meat, Ryuji explains. Baking in an oven drives off moisture, which is also why the moisture drawn out by the salt was wiped off at the start; if you wanted juiciness, you wouldn't do that. Ryuji added, though, that for things like chicken steak too, you should basically wipe off the moisture.

While cooking the rice bran oil version, the staff asked whether olive oil would work. Ryuji replied that trying things is important, so go ahead and try it, but said that cooking it in olive oil makes it a different dish. Ryuji also observed that rice bran oil tends to pool in the pan more than lard.

Once the skin is crackling crisp, add garlic to infuse the oil with its aroma, then pour that oil over the chicken. Locally, it comes out sitting in this oil, and eating it with that oil is what matters, Ryuji says. Ryuji put it this way: "Honetsukidori is this—the oil."

For the rice balls, a simple shio-musubi, just rice sprinkled with salt and shaped, is fine. No nori is needed either. Ryuji used a rice ball mold sold at a 100-yen shop. Ryuji made them simultaneously while the chicken was cooking, but says it's fine to make them after it's done.

Ryuji says honetsukidori is cut with scissors in Kagawa, and cut it with scissors this time too. Cutting with a knife makes the juices run out, so this way is better, Ryuji says. The skin turned out so crisp that it crunched audibly.

First, they ate the lard version, dipping it generously in the oil. Ryuji and the staff reacted with "It's exactly it," "It's coming back to me," and "This oil is exactly the same," rating both the spice level and the oil as spot-on. Ryuji put the faithfulness of the recreation at "about 96%." The staff were surprised that a frying pan could produce such crispy skin.

Next, they ate the rice bran oil version, and Ryuji said, "This one's totally delicious too," while one of the staff said they felt this one was even closer. Ryuji summed up that you don't have to force yourself to use lard, and that rice bran oil makes it easier to recreate at home.

Finally, they dipped the shio-musubi in the oil left on the plate and ate it. According to Ryuji, this is how it's eaten locally too. Everyone got excited, saying "This is seriously insane," "It hits you to the marrow," and "I'm about to cry," and Ryuji even said, "You make this to eat the rice balls." Ryuji and the staff repeatedly urged viewers to be sure to make the rice balls too. Ryuji also rated it as making the top three of everything they've made this year.

Locally, you can also pour this oil over keihan (kashiwa meshi), a chicken mixed rice. Even so, a friend from Kagawa reportedly said that personally, they think the rice balls are better.

In closing, Ryuji said they'd like people to go eat it in Kagawa or at Ikkaku in Kanagawa. At the same time, since many people probably can't go, Ryuji encouraged them to give this recipe a try.