There is an additional ingredient though that makes a world of difference. Liquid seasoning in addition to the soy sauce. We prefer Knorr over Maggi at home, but you may use either.
We’ve tried substituting Japanese Worcestershire sauce (Bulldog brand) and it works too although the dish was a bit more tart.
If you choose Worcestershire sauce, the onion slices should be considered a necessary component of the dish rather than a recommended garnish. The sweetness, you see. Onion is naturally sweet and that will balance the extra tartness of Worcestershire sauce.
The exact cooking time depends on the thickest part of the fillets, so, size matters. Choose large chicken thigh fillets so that one to two fillets is the equivalent of one serving. If the thickness of the fillets is too uneven, you may want to pound them before cooking.
Will breast fillets do? Personally, I don’t use chicken breast meat unless there’s nothing else in the freezer. I never recommend something I don’t particularly like.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thigh fillets skin on
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons liquid seasoning we prefer Knorr liquid seasoning
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 large onion peeled and cut into thin rings
- sliced scallions to garnish (optional but recommended)
- fried shallots to garnish (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Wipe the chicken fillets dry with paper towels.
- In a wide frying pan, pour in a tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the entire bottom.
- Heat the oil and, when hot, arrange the chicken thigh fillets, skin side down, in a single layer.
- Cook the chicken for two to three minutes or until the skins are lightly browned.
- Flip the chicken over and allow the opposite sides to brown lightly for about a minute.
- Sprinkle the garlic over the chicken.
- Pour in the soy sauce and liquid seasoning.
- Cover the pan, set the heat to low and braise the chicken for ten minutes or until done and the sauce has reduced to half.
- Drizzle the lime juice directly on the chicken fillets and cook for another minute.
- Taste and adjust the amount of soy sauce or lime juice, or both, if needed.
- Transfer the chicken and sauce to a bowl.
- Wipe the pan, pour in the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat.
- Throw the onion rings into the oil and cook for about two minutes, stirring often, just until softened.
- To serve, ladle rice in four bowls, arrange the chicken thigh fillets over the rice in each bowl (you may want to slice the chicken before serving), drizzle sauce over them, top with onion slices and, optionally, scallions and fried shallots.
