Shoyu Chicken

Ingredients:

3-5# Chicken Thighs (with bone and skin)

Ginger Root

20 cloves Garlic

1 – 2 C Raw Sugar (to taste)

Soy Sauce

Water

Start by covering the chicken thighs with water in a Dutch oven sized pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. This is done to “clean” the meat. You will see some icky foamy stuff come off of it. Using a slotted spoon fish out the chicken pieces and leave behind the foamy stuff. If you have dogs, this broth makes a great “people food” addition to their dry food. My dogs think they have died and gone to heaven when I add this to their food. Rinse the pot out so there is no more icky stuff. Put the chicken pieces back in the pot and cover about halfway with Soy Sauce. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Slice the ginger root in 1/4” slices (on a slant). Using the handle of your knife give a quick whack to each exposed side of the ginger slices. Add to chicken. Use the side of your knife blade and smash the garlic. Add to chicken. Add 1 C sugar and after it melts into the sauce taste it and add enough sugar to give it that sweet salty flavor that’s oh so good. Boil on low, stirring occasionally for about 2 – 2 1/2 hrs. until the chicken falls off the bone. Fish all the chicken out of the sauce, then turn the sauce on high and reduce for a real yummy sauce. Strain out the ginger and garlic, then skim off the fat. The chicken can also be baked in the oven in a 13×19 pan at 350 for about 2 hours.

I like to serve this with brown sweet rice and some sort of veggie.

One of my favorite old Cary Grant movies is “Topper”. In it, Mrs. Topper painstakingly plans out every meal that her oh so important banker husband is to eat. You know, like Roast on Sunday, Lamb on Monday. etc. This type of planning seems a bit boring to me and given our hectic lifestyles, just not practical. So what I am going to accomplish here is a basic grocery list of items to keep on hand that can be used for just about any meal.

My family is always happier with me when I am hungry, because in survival mode I come up with the best meals. The question in our household is not “What’s for dinner”, but rather, “Mom, aren’t you hungry?” I really don’t like planning meals just like I am not a good shopper (in the traditional sense). I have been accused of shopping like a man – 1) know what you want (or need), 2) know where to get it, 3) go in, get it, get out. Window shopping has never been a favorite past time and neither has the planning of meals. All I know is that I don’t want the same meal day after day. I like to keep my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer well stocked so that when I do decide what to fix I don’t have to make a trip to the store.

The first thing to consider is what type of food do you like to eat. For me, I try to have some sort of protein, some sort of starch and some vegies. Make a list of the types of protein, starch and vegies you like. Now here’s the challenging part. We need to consider how each of these things will fit within your budget. It is possible to have an incredible variety of chicken dishes if that’s the only meat you can afford (or like). Speaking of chicken, there was a time when my daughter Melissa would only eat chicken. She was dead set against any red meat and would rarely eat pig. Given this challenge I was able to make chicken every night of the week and still keep it fresh and exciting.

The other very important aspect of stocking up your household for kitchen success is having the basic herbs and spices to make any dish exciting. Although my favorite way to use herbs is fresh picked, dried herbs are very handy to keep on hand. If you do any shopping at a mega store such as Costco or Sam’s Club, be sure you have the room to store it. If room is an issue for you, do your shopping at a regular grocery store.