• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Dietary Needs
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Keto
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Whole30
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Course Main Course

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken

Jasmine Comer
Jasmine Comer Posted: 08/19/21 Updated: 12/13/21
Leave a Comment
Jump to Recipe
DF Dairy Free GF Gluten Free LC Low Carb

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken
Pin graphic for shoyu chicken

Full of flavor and easy to make, shoyu chicken is sure to become a fixture in your meal rotation. This iconic Hawaiian recipe is so simple – juicy chicken thighs braised in a tangy sauce of shoyu, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic – but the results are incredible.

Overhead angle of shoyu chicken thighs on a bed of white rice, garnished with green onions

What Makes Shoyu Chicken So Good

  • Hawaiian shoyu chicken is amazingly simple and full of incredible, rich flavors. Chicken thighs are naturally flavorful on their own, but then you simmer them in a rich sauce of shoyu, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar? Oh, mama.
  • All in all, there’s not really any involved, complicated cooking here. Mix the sauce, sauté the aromatics, then add everything to the dutch oven and let it simmer. If you like a really crispy skin on your chicken thighs, there’s an optional step where you place them under the broiler for a few minutes. You can skip it if you want, though! Easy peasy.
  • This is an easy recipe to adapt for dietary needs. Watching your sodium? Definitely use a low-sodium shoyu. Need a lower sugar content? Swap out the brown sugar for Brown Swerve! You can also serve the shoyu chicken with cauliflower rice instead of white rice, to keep the carb count down.

Key Ingredients for Shoyu Chicken

Shoyu – So what’s the difference between shoyu and soy sauce? Shoyu is the name for Japanese-style soy sauces, which are usually made from an even blend of soy and wheat. They’re typically sweeter than Chinese soy sauces, which are traditionally 100% soy.

Chicken Thighs – More flavorful, fattier, and juicier than chicken breasts, chicken thighs really make this recipe what it is. Using bone-in thighs keeps them even juicier. You can make this with chicken breasts instead, but I strongly encourage you to use thighs. It just won’t be the same without them! If you use chicken breasts, you may need to adjust the simmer time so they don’t overcook. You could also make this recipe using chicken wings or chicken legs.

Chef’s Tips

  • For more Hawaiian flavors, try serving your shoyu chicken with our coconut rice and warmed chunks of pineapple. Cold macaroni salad is also a great, classic side option.
  • For a bolder sauce with more heat, you can increase the amount of ginger you use. Don’t overdo it, though. You don’t want to overpower the other flavors in the sauce. You can also play with the amount of brown sugar you use, making the sauce sweeter or tangier. Use dark brown sugar for a richer flavor.
  • If you broil the braised shoyu chicken thighs, don’t wander away. The broiler works fast and you don’t want the thighs (or the brown sugar in the sauce) to burn. Keep a close eye on them – you’ll only need 2 or 3 minutes MAX.
  • This sauce works really well as a marinade if you’ve got the time! Mix everything up as instructed, then pour it over the raw chicken thighs and refrigerate them in an airtight container. They can marinade up to 2 days, then you can finish cooking them as instructed!
Shoyu chicken thighs in a round pan

Other Delicious Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

  • Beer-Battered Coconut Chicken with Orange-Horseradish Sauce
  • How to Truss a Chicken
  • Chicken Saag
  • Healthy Creamy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Ranch (Whole30, Paleo)
  • Everything Bagel Chicken with Scallion Cream Cheese Sauce (Keto)
  • Lemon Pepper Chicken
  • Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
  • Creamy Coconut Chicken with Lime

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Shoyu chicken thighs on a bed of white rice, garnished with green onions

Shoyu Chicken

Prep:15 minutes
Cook:45 minutes
Total:1 hour
Full of flavor and easy to make, shoyu chicken is sure to become a fixture in your meal rotation. This iconic Hawaiian recipe is so simple – juicy chicken thighs braised in a tangy sauce of shoyu, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic – but the results are incredible.
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
4

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup shoyu soy sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 green onions sliced, white and green parts divided
  • 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
  • 1 2-inch long piece ginger peeled, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs approximately 1 ½ pounds
  • 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch optional

Equipment

  • Medium bowl
  • Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with lid
  • Baking dish (optional)

Instructions 

  • In medium bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and white parts of green onion until combined. Set aside.
    Sauce for shoyu chicken in medium glass bowl
  • In dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, sautéing 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.
    Garlic and ginger in dutch oven
  • Pour sauce into pot, then add chicken thighs, skin-side up. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and cover pot. Cook 30 minutes, flipping chicken thighs after 15 minutes.
    Chicken thighs in dutch oven with shoyu chicken sauce
  • Optional: When chicken is cooked through, remove from pot and transfer to baking dish. Broil chicken thighs under broiler 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch to pot, whisking until combined with remaining sauce. Simmer sauce over low heat until thickened, then spoon over chicken. Garnish with green parts of green onions and serve with white rice or cauliflower rice.
    Cooked chicken thighs in baking dish

Notes

  • Chicken Thighs: Be sure to cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit for food safety.
  • Make it Reduced Sugar/Low Carb: Use Brown Swerve instead of brown sugar. Note that the shoyu soy sauce may contain a small amount of sugar, so the recipe won’t be completely sugar-free.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free shoyu or tamari.
 
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, including cornstarch and using Aloha Shoyu Low Salt Soy Sauce. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 470kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 142mg, Sodium: 1830mg, Potassium: 390mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 233IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 33g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Jasmine Comer

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Jasmine Comer

Meet Jasmine Comer

Jasmine Comer is a food photographer and recipe developer from North Carolina. She grew up in the kitchen watching her mom cook all types of delicious meals. In 2016 she established Lively Meals, a food blog where she creates healthy recipes. This led to creating recipes for other blogs as well. In her free time she enjoys exploring new places and spending time in nature. Ultimately she’s grateful to be doing work she loves—cooking good food and sharing it with people.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • chicken chop suey on a plate with chopsticks and a side of rice
    Chicken Chop Suey
  • Overhead image of paleo greek chicken on white plate with fork.
    Paleo Greek Chicken (Dairy Free)
  • Creamy Tomato Chicken Soup

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

Reusable meal prep trays with sweet potato, scrambled eggs, and sausage for a whole30 breakfast

Whole30 Breakfast Meal Prep

Crispy, golden air fryer tater tots in a large white serving bowl next to a small ramekin of bright red ketchup.

Air Fryer Tater Tots

Overhead view of marry me chicken in a cast iron skillet

Marry Me Chicken (Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce)

Instant pot chicken and rice in a bowl

Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

In Season

Whole30 In-n-Out burgers close up

Whole30 Burgers – Burger Joint Style (Paleo, Low Carb)

Overhead photo of keto chicken tortilla soup in a rustic bowl

Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup (Low Carb, Gluten Free)

Air fryer chicken wings on a platter with sauce

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings in Buffalo Sauce

Instant pot frozen chicken breast - easy chicken recipes for dinners with few ingredients

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
82 shares