Chicken Osaka

You know that part of Lion King where the hyenas keep saying Mufasa over and over again to make each other laugh? That’s how I always say “Osaka” in my head. Not sure what it means, but this stuff is delicious and I’m so glad I found the recipe.

 

My journey to this recipe began when I married my husband and went to visit his family. My in-laws love Noodles Express in Spokane. They especially love the Chicken Osaka at Noodles Express. My husband, however, hates it. So, truth be told, I was prepared not to like it, because he had never given it the greatest reviews. But when I tried it – oh my goodness. Love it.

 

I kept thinking about chicken osaka every once in a while, but I can’t get any here in Sacramento, so I’d succumbed to a life without chicken osaka (except for the occasional trips back to Spokane). Then one day…the craving was too much. I did a Google search and after a little poking around…I found this site. And I tried the recipe. And it was perfect.

 

Just so you know, Eric was extremely disappointed to see this on the menu. But he just told me that although he normally hates chicken osaka…this was pretty good. There you go, people. Try this tonight.

 

Chicken Osaka (adapted from the blog What I So Love)

 

Don’t let this recipe scare you. There are a lot of different parts, but I’ve tried to write things out so it’s quick and easy.

 

First, make the ginger dressing. (If you have to defrost chicken breasts, start doing it now! Also, through a few cups of rice in the rice cooker to serve it with.)

 

Blend for 30 seconds:
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons ginger root, minced and peeled
1/2 rib celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ketchup
Pinch white pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion

 

Add:

 

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

…and set this aside.
In a small bowl (or just a measuring cup) stir together the following ingredients to make the dipping sauce:

 

3 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Coleman’s Mustard (Its a powder, I used regular mustard powder)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Next up is the chicken!

 

Chop:

 

2-3 pounds chicken breasts

…into bite-size pieces.

 

Heat:

 

3 tablespoons of oil

in a wok or a frying pan and add the chicken, plus:

 

2 to 3 slices fresh ginger, minced
½ lemon, juiced and zested

Cook the chicken until it begins to brown and then add about a half cup of the ginger dressing (or enough to coat the chicken pieces evenly). Continue to cook until the sauce is heated through.

 

While the chicken is cooking, make the asian veggie slaw.

 

Chop:

 

1 Cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin

4 Cups of shredded green cabbage

1 carrot shredded (or use a cabbage mix with carrot)

4 Celery stalks thinly sliced 

 

Mix them together in a bowl and add about 1/2 cup of the ginger dressing.

 

Serve in bowls with:

 

Rice

Chicken

Extra dressing

A sprinkle of dipping sauce and

A bunch of asian veggie slaw.

 

And this is just a camera phone picture. Imagine what it looks like in person! 🙂

Enjoy!!