Last Updated on February 28, 2024
Today, we’re going to be looking at a jidori chicken recipe. You may not have heard of jidori chicken, but one thing is for certain – it’s absolutely delicious! Another thing that’s for certain, is that it can be quite expensive. But if you’re looking to treat yourself to some of the best-tasting chicken in the world, jidori chicken is what you should choose. But what recipes can you make with jidori chicken? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Jidori Chicken?
Jidori is a Japanese word, which translates to “local chicken”. At least one of the parents of this particular type of chicken should be Japanese, and they also are raised following a strict regime. For example, they must not be in cages, they must be free-range and they must only be fed certain foods. This is what makes the chicken so delicious. You can usually find jidori chicken in gourmet food stores.
Ingredients in Jidori Chicken
While there’s no specific ingredients to jidori chicken (after all, it’s just a chicken that’s been raised a certain way), it’s worth noting that these chickens will always be fed with natural grains and will not be given any steroids or hormones, which many other chickens are.
Nutritional information of Jidori Chicken
If you’re wondering of the nutritional value of jidori chicken, I can confirm it’s not too different to traditional chicken. Each whole chicken contains the following:
- Calories: 345
- Carbs: 2g
- Fat: 22g
- Protein: 36g
- Dietary Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 785mg
- Potassium: 54mg
- Cholesterol: 150mg
Why is Jidori Chicken so expensive?
Jidori chicken costs around $9 per lb of meat. Considering a chicken can weigh a few pounds…you can expect a whole jidori chicken to set your bank balance back a bit. However, it’s only as expensive as it is because of the time and effort that goes into raising the chickens. As it has to be done in a certain way, in the right environment, with the correct foods – it’s much more expensive than raising traditional chicken you’ll find in the grocery store.
1) Jidori Chicken Recipe
If you’re looking for a simple jidori chicken recipe, to enhance all the delicious flavors, this Yami Chicken inspired recipe is perfect.
Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need are:
- 1.5kg of jidori chicken
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. of sesame oil
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 chopped onion
- 3 chopped green onions
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 3 tbsp. of soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. of sake
- 1 tbsp. of sugar
- 2 tsp. of cornstarch
Recipe
Now all you need to do is:
Step 1: Cook the vegetables
Grab a pan and pour in the sesame oil and vegetable oil. Place on a medium to high heat and once the oil is hot, add the garlic, green onions, and onion and stir occasionally. The vegetables are cooked once they have softened.
Step 2: Simmer
Once softened, pour in the chicken broth, along with the sugar, cornstarch, sake, and soy sauce. Bring the ingredients to a boil and then leave to simmer on a low heat for around 10 minutes.
Step 3: Slow cook
Prepare your chicken in the way of your choosing and place in a slow cooker (or crockpot if you don’t have a slow cooker). Add the sauce once it’s simmered for 10 minutes and cook on high for around 4 hours. Be sure to turn the chicken over every so often. It’s now ready to serve – enjoy!
2) Jidori Tsukune Chicken Recipe
A personal favorite is a recipe from Epicurious – Jidori chicken meatballs. It’s absolutely incredible!
Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:
For the sauce:
- 1 cup of sake
- 1 cup of soy sauce
- 1/2 cup of mirin
- 1/2 cup of demerara sugar
For the chicken:
- 1lb of jidori chicken
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 3/4 tsp of mirin
- 1 1/2 tsp of lemon zest
- 1 cup of glutinous rice flour
Recipe
Now all you need to do is:
Step 1: Make your sauce
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for around 20-30 minutes. Be sure to stir the sauce occasionally.
Step 2: Season the meat
Grind your chicken in a meat grinder, or ask your butcher to do so for you. Once ground, add your onion, salt and lemon zest to a bowl, alongside the chicken. Mix well with your hands.
Step 3: Shape and steam
Evenly distribute the meat into 1/4 cup sizes and roll into balls. Then roll into log shapes, around 3 x 1″ in size. Place on a baking sheet and chill for around 30 minutes. Once firm, remove the meat from chiller. Pour your cup of flour onto a plate and place each meatball in the flour and completely coat. Once coated, place in steamer. Steam your meatballs for around 6-8 minutes.
Step 4: Grill
Remove from steamer and heat your grill. Place a skewer into each log shape and then submerge into the sauce you prepared earlier. Grill the logs for around 8 minutes being sure to take out and dip back into the sauce every 2 minutes or so. Once charred and browned – it’s ready to serve!
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you a jidori chicken recipe or two to try yourselves. While it may not be something you can purchase often (it really is expensive), it’s worth a treat!
Do you know any tips of tricks when it comes to cooking jidori chicken? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!
Jidori Chicken Recipe: How To
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg of jidori chicken
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. of sesame oil
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 chopped onion
- 3 chopped green onions
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 3 tbsp. of soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. of sake
- 1 tbsp. of sugar
- 2 tsp. of cornstarch
Instructions
- Cook the vegetablesGrab a pan and pour in the sesame oil and vegetable oil. Place on a medium to high heat and once the oil is hot, add the garlic, green onions, and onion and stir occasionally. The vegetables are cooked once they have softened.2 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tsp. of sesame oil, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 3 chopped green onions, 1 chopped onion
- SimmerOnce softened, pour in the chicken broth, along with the sugar, cornstarch, sake, and soy sauce. Bring the ingredients to a boil and then leave to simmer on a low heat for around 10 minutes.1 cup of chicken broth, 3 tbsp. of sake, 1 tbsp. of sugar, 2 tsp. of cornstarch, 3 tbsp. of soy sauce
- Slow cookPrepare your chicken in the way of your choosing and place in a slow cooker (or crockpot if you don't have a slow cooker). Add the sauce once it's simmered for 10 minutes and cook on high for around 4 hours. Be sure to turn the chicken over every so often. It's now ready to serve - enjoy!1.5 kg of jidori chicken
Nutrition
FAQs
What Does Jidori Chicken Taste Like?
Jidori chicken is full of flavor and is extremely tender. The flesh is quite lean, and described as the tastiest chicken in the world.
What is Jidori Chicken Breast?
Jidori chicken breast is simply a breast of meat that has come from the jidori chicken - it really is that simple!
What’s Special About Jidori Chicken?
Their all natural rearing and all grain diet, means it's a healthy, free range chicken - which is what makes it so delicious.
Is Jidori Organic?
Jidori is always free range, but not always organic. However, it's super easy to source organic jidori chicken.
My name is Ania, and I am very glad to see you here. I have always loved cooking; even some of my earliest memories are flipping through a cookbook and making pudding standing on a stool because I was too small to reach the stove.
You should know that I am not a professionally trained chef, just a big food lover who grew up in a family obsessed with cooking and focused on what we eat.
