crispy skin chicken with yuzu koshō
Crispy skin chicken is already hard to beat, but here it gets a big flavour upgrade from yuzu koshō, a Japanese chili-citrus-salt paste that’s bright, spicy, and a little bit addictive. Chicken thighs are seasoned simply, smeared with yuzu koshō, and pan-cooked skin-side down until the fat renders and the skin turns glassy and shatteringly crisp. While the chicken rests, you quickly sauté cabbage and snow peas in the rendered chicken fat so everything picks up the same savoury-citrus aroma. It’s a weeknight-friendly main that feels like izakaya food at home, with only a handful of ingredients and about 20 minutes at the stove.
ingredients
Chicken & seasoning
2 chicken thigh fillets, skin on (150–175 g each)
2 teaspoons yuzu koshō
1 large pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
Vegetables
130 g green cabbage, cut into 2.5 × 8 cm (1 × 3-inch) strips
30 g snow peas, ends trimmed (we used carrots instead!)
steps
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, removing as much surface moisture as possible so the skin can crisp.
If any thigh is very uneven in thickness, butterfly the thicker part: slice horizontally through the thickest section without cutting all the way through, then open it like a book so the fillet is a more even thickness.
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, concentrating most of the salt on the skin side.
Flip the thighs skin-side down and spread the yuzu koshō evenly over the flesh side in a thin layer.
Place the chicken, still skin-side down, into a cold non-stick pan and cover with a lid. Turn the heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes, without moving, until most of the fat has rendered and the skin is deep golden and crisp.
Remove the lid, flip the chicken so it’s now skin-side up, and cook for another 2 minutes to finish the flesh. Transfer to a board, skin-side up, and rest for a few minutes so the juices redistribute.
While the chicken rests, pour off any excessively burnt bits from the pan if needed, but keep the rendered fat. Add the cabbage and snow peas (or carrots) and sauté over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until just tender but still a little crisp.
Transfer the vegetables to a serving plate. Slice the rested chicken into 1.5 cm (⅝‑inch) strips—if the skin is very crisp, you can first score through the skin with the tip of your knife to make cutting easier—then arrange the slices over the vegetables. Serve right away.
