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Shoyu chicken is a popular Hawaiian dish made with chicken thighs simmered to perfection in a sweet and savory shoyu sauce and served with rice.
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Shoyu Chicken
- How to Cook Shoyu Chicken on the Stove Top
- Instant Pot Method
- Crockpot Shoyu Chicken Method
- Tips for a Successful Shoyu Chicken Recipe
- What to Serve with Traditional Shoyu Chicken
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Meal Prep and Storing Shoyu Chicken
- More Hawaiian Recipes
- How to Make Shoyu Chicken
- Shoyu Chicken Recipe
This shoyu chicken is known for being a popular Hawaiian dish that cooks or soaks the chicken in soy sauce. Shoyu means soy sauce in Japanese. The shoyu is like a marinade of soy sauce with other ingredients that the chicken will absorb and become juicy and tender when cooking. It is a rich and savory flavor that kids to adults love!
Making shoyu chicken is a simple recipe that doesn’t take long to prepare. Shoyu chicken is not traditionally grilled or even baked. It is simmered in shoyu sauce. This can be done on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or a Crockpot. The basic idea is the same for each method but I have slightly different ways of cooking it. This is a great chicken recipe to share with your friends and family!
Ingredients in Shoyu Chicken
The shoyu chicken ingredients are similar to a marinade that will soak and infuse the chicken giving it a lasting flavor and deliciousness while being cooked. Combine these pantry staple ingredients to make a savory and slightly sweet chicken dish!
- Chicken thighs – You can use bone-in, skin-on (our favorite), or boneless, skinless thighs. Chicken breasts will be too dry and won’t turn out as good. Trust me, stick with the thighs!
- Soy sauce – Kikkoman soy sauce or Aloha shoyu is what is most often used in Hawaii. You can use low-sodium soy sauce if you prefer.
- Sugar – Just plain, white sugar for sweetness. Some recipes call for brown sugar, but brown sugar makes it too sweet and doesn’t taste as authentic.
- Water – A little bit of water will help tone down the bold flavors and keep the sauce from thickening too quickly. Most of it will evaporate out when the sauce is reduced. You could use chicken broth in place of water for extra flavor.
- Garlic and ginger – Both of these are a must with shoyu sauce! They both add a delicious flavor and spice that make this sauce over the top.
- Red pepper flakes – Just for a little kick.
- Garnish – Sesame seeds and green onions are fun garnish options.
How to Cook Shoyu Chicken on the Stove Top
This is the preferred method that I would recommend for cooking shoyu chicken. It is simple to make on the stovetop and cooks in less than an hour. Perfect for those busy nights at home!
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a high-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- As soon as the sugar is dissolved, place chicken skin side down in a Dutch oven or heavy pan. The chicken can be touching but don’t over-crowd the pan.
- Heat until the sauce comes to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Next, simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through. The sauce should thicken and reduce as it is cooking.
- Lastly, Remove the chicken and serve with the remaining sauce.
- If the sauce isn’t thick enough, create a cornstarch slurry with a little cold water and a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch. Then mix in with the liquid.
Instant Pot Method
Always a great option when needing to make a quick and easy dinner! Instant pot meals are a faster way to deliver a meal and still will come out tender and juicy. It is a great option for cooking this shoyu chicken!
- Combine all sauce ingredients in the Instant Pot and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Once, it is dissolved, add the chicken thighs to the sauce. Cover and seal Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, quick release.
- The sauce will be thinner because it will be covered and unable to reduce while cooking. You can serve with the thinner sauce (still delicious) or remove the chicken and use the “saute” function until the sauce reduces. You can also make a water/cornstarch mix to thicken the sauce.
Crockpot Shoyu Chicken Method
Let this shoyu chicken crockpot simmer all day with the smells wafting in your home! Throw everything in the slow cooker and let the shoyu and chicken slowly cook together. It is the perfect dinner to come home to!
- Combine all sauce ingredients in the Crock Pot and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add chicken thighs to Crock-Pot and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat for 8 hours.
- Like the Instant Pot, the sauce will be thinner. If needed, you can place the remaining sauce in a saucepan and simmer until reduced (about 10-15 minutes) or make a water/cornstarch mix to thicken the sauce.
Tips for a Successful Shoyu Chicken Recipe
These quick and helpful tips are the perfect way to make shoyu chicken recipe the best! Learn how to make sweet and savory shoyu chicken with a few extra steps. It is a simple recipe that everyone loves!
- Marinating – If you have the time to marinate for 24 hours, that would be best. Let the chicken soak in and absorb the rich flavors from the shoyu sauce.
- Chicken cuts – Bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs are commonly used for shoyu chicken. If you prefer skinless chicken breasts that will work too.
- Browning – This is a bonus! Brown your chicken before cooking it or simmering it in the shoyu sauce. This will give your chicken a crispy outside with tender and juicy meat on the inside.
- Spicy – We do like a little heat in on top and mixed in. Try it with red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce for extra spicy.
What to Serve with Traditional Shoyu Chicken
Shoyu chicken is a common plate lunch item in Hawaii. It is often served along with white rice, Hawaiian macaroni salad or mac salad, and sometimes shredded cabbage or coleslaw. It can also be served as a “mixed plate” with other meats such as teriyaki beef, Kalua pork, grilled chicken teriyaki, or even cooked spam (don’t knock it til you try it)!
Frequently Asked Questions
To best answer that, first allow me to explain what “shoyu” is. Shoyu means soy sauce. Though it’s a Japanese word, it’s what they commonly call soy sauce in Hawaii, which is why “shoyu chicken” is often considered Hawaiian cuisine. Hawaiian shoyu chicken is a popular dish. Chicken thighs are simmered in shoyu.
Sugar is traditionally added to the sauce to give it a sweeter taste, otherwise, the saltiness from the shoyu can be overbearing. It is similar to teriyaki chicken but it is simmered in the sauce, not grilled or baked. The chicken shreds off the bone more easily than teriyaki chicken and is more tender.
Marinating the chicken should be at least four hours but no longer than 24 hours.
Yes! We prefer to use low-sodium soy sauce for all of our dishes.
Browning the chicken will enhance the flavor and give it a nice golden brown on the exterior of the chicken skin. This gives it a nice crisp layer on the outside while holding all the juices in.
Meal Prep and Storing Shoyu Chicken
This shoyu chicken is perfect for meal prepping for the week! It is so easy to make and freeze for another dinner later on or store leftovers in the fridge. The shoyu chicken only gets better with time. Each day the flavors are melding together to add more flavor to the chicken!
- Meal prep – Make a few batches at once and place the chicken into separate containers. Add in rice and Hawaiian mac for a complete meal. Store in the refrigerator all week. Enjoy each day for lunch!
- Freezing – Allow the chicken to cool completely before storing. Place the shoyu chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag and store it in the freezer for a month. When ready to reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and cook until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Leftovers – Place the leftover shoyu chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to reheat, cook in the microwave or in the oven until it is warmed through.
More Hawaiian Recipes
Can’t get enough authentic Hawaiian recipes? Neither can we. We love the authentic flavors and traditional recipes they share. Here are some more of our favorites!
How to Make Shoyu Chicken
Shoyu Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds chicken thighs
- 1 cup soy sauce (aka shoyu)
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon garlic (crushed or minced)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- red pepper flakes (to taste)
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, sugar, water, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a high-sided saute pan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- As soon as the sugar is dissolved, place the chicken in the pan. The chicken can be touching but don't over-crowd the pan.
- Heat until the sauce comes to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through. The sauce should thicken and reduce as it is cooking.
- Remove from heat. Allow chicken to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining sauce (sauce will thicken more upon cooling).
Can you give some idea how you would marinade the chicekn? I see that in the tips but in the recipe it doesn’t at what point to do it.
Whisk the sauce ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Then, the next day drain and save the marinade from the chicken and cook it as directed.
I love shoyu chicken
New favorite chicken recipe. It is excellent as part of the Hawaiian plate. Really good with rice and cole slaw too. So easy. Thank you!
So delicious! I used boneless chicken thighs and they came out perfect!
Thanks a lot for this! It’s really helpful! Will surely use this, well done!
Really great flavor! Very similar to the way I make homemade teriyaki sauce – I use honey. But the white sugar definitely has a different flavor than honey and I love the addition of the red pepper flakes! The chicken is definitely more tender than traditional teriyaki. Super yum!
I grew up eating shoyu chicken all.the.time. We got the recipe from a family friend and I’ve never even heard of the recipe from anyone else. I was so surprised to see it is a thing in Hawaii 😁. We usually don’t add garlic and use a big pinch of sushi ginger instead of regular, but the rest is essentially the same. This is good chicken!
Very delicious.