Kim's Shoyu Wings

Chicken wings are party favorites, and I discovered a new way to prepare them on a recent trip to the island of Oahu. While visiting my husband’s first cousin, Tom Hexamer, Tom’s wife, Kim prepared a Shoyu Chicken. This delicious teriyaki-style chicken dish was a hit with my children.

Shoyu is the Japanese name for soy sauce, as well as what they call it in the islands, and Kim prepared the dish using bone-in chicken thighs. Upon returning home, I discovered that the recipe works extremely well with chicken wings. The resulting dish is perfect for casual family meals or as an addition to your next cocktail party.

While Kim used shoyu when preparing the dish in Hawaii, any type of soy sauce can be used. It’s combined with equal parts of water and sugar in a large skillet, along with a hefty dose of chopped fresh ginger. Once the sugar has dissolved, the chicken wings are added and they simmer on medium-low for about an hour, until the soy sauce mixture becomes thick and slightly caramelized.

•  1 cup soy sauce
•  1 cup sugar
•  1 cup water
•  2 to 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
•  2 to 3 pounds chicken wings, disjointed, tips reserved for another use

Combine soy sauce, sugar, water and ginger in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Add the chicken wings and cook, turning occasionally, until they are very tender and the soy mixture is very thick, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Makes 10 appetizer servings.