✕

Ginger, Plum Sake & Soy Glazed Chicken

A marinade rather than a whole dish — this is the chicken you lay over a salad or a grain bowl. Butterflying is the step that makes or breaks it.

serves 2 35 mins dinner basics meal-prep
Ginger, Plum Sake & Soy Glazed Chicken

why it works

Virtually zero saturated fat, and the marinade is so intensely flavoured that you don't need a creamy dressing on whatever's underneath — a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of balsamic is plenty. The acid in the sake and vinegar also genuinely tenderises the meat.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp plum-infused sake
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • optional: a pinch of chilli flakes
  • low-calorie oil spray

Method

  1. Lay the breasts flat on a board, put your hand flat on top, and slice horizontally through the middle almost all the way through, then open each one out like a book. Uniform thickness means it cooks twice as fast, absorbs the marinade deeper, and the thin end doesn't turn to cardboard waiting for the thick end.

  2. Mix the soy, sake, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic and chilli flakes in a bowl or zip-lock bag, and toss the butterflied chicken in. Fifteen to twenty minutes at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.

  3. Non-stick or griddle pan on medium-hot with a tiny spray of oil. Lift the chicken out, shaking off the excess but saving the leftover liquid in the bowl. Cook for 3–4 minutes on the first side until you get dark caramelised lines, then flip.

  4. Pour the remaining marinade straight into the pan. It'll bubble and thicken into a sticky glaze — spoon it over the chicken as it finishes, another three minutes or so.

  5. Out of the pan and rest for 3 minutes before slicing, then pour any remaining pan glaze over the sliced chicken.

remix

  • Air-fryer salmon version: 1 tbsp soy, 1 tsp honey, 1 crushed garlic clove, ½ tsp garlic powder, pinch of ground ginger
  • Garlic powder alongside the fresh is a pro move — it's dehydrated, so it forms a paste that clings and caramelises where fresh garlic would burn
  • Marinate up to 24 hours in the fridge if you're prepping ahead
  • Griddle pan for proper charred lines
  • Slice cold over a salad the next day — it stays tender because it was oiled and rested