Ginger Soy Marinade(for chicken skewers)
A simple delicious chicken marinade on a base of soy sauce, mirin, and fresh ginger.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs chicken thighs (or breasts), uniformly cubed
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin(japanese cooking wine)
- 6 TBSP sugar
- 2 TBSP fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bunches scallions
- small wooden skewers
- rice noodles(optional)
- black sesame seeds(optional)
Instructions
Prepare the marinade
- In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, chili flakes, and garlic.
- Pour half the marinade into a container or zip top bag. Add chicken and marinate for 1 hour or up to overnight(longer is better!).
- Pour the remaining half of the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring. It will thicken a bit. Set aside to brush on the chicken or use a a dipping sauce.
- Soak the wooden skewers in water to prevent them from burning.
- Slice scallions into 1 1/2-inch pieces(white and light green parts are best, closer to the stem. they keep their shape better when grilled).
- Assemble the skewers, alternating scallions and chicken.
Grill
- Fire up the grill or heat up a grill pan over medium heat. Grease the grates/pan to prevent sticking. Taking care not to crowd the skewers, grill 3 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second side, until golden and cooked through. Brush with extra glaze or serve on the side for dipping.
OPTIONAL(with noodles)
- prepare the noodles:Add noodles to a large pot, cover with boiling water and let sit for 10-15 minutes, until softened. Pour sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. Garnish with sesame.
