Hi folks!
Ready to elevate your chicken game? This Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken is your answer! It’s the most delicious and foolproof chicken dinner I know—my kids can vouch for that!
Bursting with flavor, this dish is quick to prepare and was devoured by my family in no time. It pairs perfectly with More Vegetable Than Rice, which I served alongside the chicken and appears in the photos. While I won’t go into detail about the fried rice here, you can find the full recipe and tips in the linked post.
Inspired by Japanese Cookbook for Beginners by Azusa Oda, this Shoyu Chicken beautifully blends Japanese and Hawaiian flavors. The dish originated when Japanese immigrants introduced soy sauce (shoyu) to Hawaii, mixing it with local ingredients like brown sugar, garlic, and ginger to create a savory-sweet marinade.
Tender and flavorful, this beloved comfort food is often slow cooked to perfection and served with rice and macaroni salad. Plus, it’s budget-friendly and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. You’ll definitely want to add this recipe to your rotation!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredients for the Hawaiian shoyu sauce are fairly basic, but they pack a punch!
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Sugar
- Tomato sauce
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Dry mustard
- Fresh ginger
Cooking Methods for Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
Let’s explore the different cooking methods you can use for this dish:
Dutch Oven
(This is the method I used in the video and for this recipe. See the recipe and video for details.)
Slow Cooker
- In the slow cooker insert, whisk together the sugar, tomato sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and dry mustard.
- Stir in the ginger slices.
- Add the chicken thighs, turning to coat them in the sauce. Wedge the pieces in the pot so that at least half of each thigh is submerged.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve as desired.
Instant Pot
- Add all the sauce ingredients to the Instant Pot, along with the chicken thighs.
- Seal the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Perform a quick release. If desired, proceed with thickening the sauce and broiling the chicken, as shown in the video.
Equipment Needed
Depending on your chosen cooking method, you’ll need one of the following:
- Dutch Oven
- Slow Cooker
- Instant Pot
- Rice Cooker (Optional; I use mine all the time.)
- Sheet Pan (For optional broiling before serving.)
(You only need to select one of these methods for today’s recipe.)
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!
How to Make Easy and Delicious Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a Dutch oven on the stove, combine the sauce ingredients and bring them to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer.
- Add the chicken to the Dutch oven, partially cover with a lid, and cook for 1 hour, turning the pieces occasionally for even cooking. At this stage, you can either complete the recipe or continue with the following optional steps.
- Check the tenderness of the meat with a fork; if you can easily insert the fork into the meat, the chicken is done. Remove the cooked thighs from the sauce, reserving it, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Preheat the broiler.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with ¼ cup of the sauce until smooth, then add the cornstarch mixture back to the pot with the remaining sauce and cook over medium-low for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Broil the chicken thighs for a minute or two, watching carefully to make sure you do not burn the skin. The goal is to just quickly brown the skin.
- Serve the chicken with the thickened sauce and rice.
Other Delicious Recipes
Indonesian Beef Rendang (The Best Beef Curry in the World)
Skillet Chicken Fried Rice Dinner
Crispy Mayonnaise Chicken Thighs
Shawarma Chicken & Spiced Yellow Rice Lunch + Homemade Naan
Quick & Easy Sheet Pan “Fried” Rice
If you enjoyed this recipe and would love to see more, join me on YouTube, X, and Instagram! Please comment, like, and share. It really helps! I would love to hear from you 🙂 And if you made this recipe, how did it go for you?
14 responses to “How to Make Easy and Delicious Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken”
He’s eagle-eyed on them!
Oh my word, this looks delicious!
Love the dog and recipe. Thank you. 🙂
This looks amazing! Will have to try it out for my girlfriend. Think she will be impressed!
Thanks for sharing. 😊
Lulu: “That’s a very wistful look you have there, James T.!”
I’m sure I’d love this, Robin. I like Japanese and Hawaiian flavors.
I’m definitely making this for dinner tonight. I have all the ingredients and a Dutch oven. More importantly, it looks easy to make.
Your printing format is excellent.
Thank you, Edward:)
By the way, I made the recipe, and it was delicious. I skipped the oven part because the chicken was so tender that I decided to go that way, but I’m definitely making this again. The family was super happy.
Yay! That makes me so happy that you and your family liked the Shoyu Chicken!
So delicious 😋
Tasty tasty.
[…] How to Make Easy and Delicious Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken – https://robinandwillow.com/2024/10/09/how-to-make-easy-and-delicious-hawaiian-shoyu-chicken/ […]