Description
Chicken Hekka brings Hawaiian comfort straight to your dinner table with tender chicken and colorful vegetables dancing in a savory sauce. Your family will devour this delicious one-pan meal that feels like a warm island welcome.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast
- ½ pound sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 bundle (2 ounces bean thread noodles)
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1 can (2 ½ cups) sliced bamboo shoots
- 1 sliced onion
- 1 julienned medium carrot
- 2 sliced stalks celery
- 10 sliced ¼ inch green onion stalks
- ½ finger crushed fresh ginger
- 8 ounces can sliced water chestnut
Sauce and Cooking Liquid:
- ¾ cup shoyu (soy sauce)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup sake
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Trim 2 ½ lbs chicken into 1-inch bite-sized pieces. Prep all vegetables by slicing onions, julienning carrots, chopping celery, and cutting green onion stalks into ¼-inch rounds.
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 2 hours if needed. Whisk together ¾ cup shoyu, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup sake, and ½ cup chicken stock in a mixing bowl until sugar dissolves completely.
- Submerge chicken pieces in the sauce mixture. Refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes, ensuring meat is fully coated.
- Boil a medium pot of water. Drop 2 oz bean thread noodles into water and cook for exactly 5 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside on a clean kitchen towel.
- Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok over medium-high heat (375°F). Add ½ finger crushed ginger and sauté for 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Transfer marinated chicken to the hot wok, reserving sauce. Sear chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until golden brown edges develop.
- Incorporate sliced onions, carrots, and celery into the wok. Stir continuously for 2 minutes until vegetables slightly soften.
- Pour reserved sauce into the wok. Add 2 ½ cups bamboo shoots, ½ lb shiitake mushrooms, and 8 oz water chestnuts. Simmer for precisely 5 minutes.
- Fold in cooked bean thread noodles and sprinkle 10 sliced green onion stalks across the dish. Toss gently to combine all ingredients.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately in warm bowls, ensuring each portion has an equal mix of chicken, vegetables, and noodles.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken for maximum flavor, with longer marination times developing deeper, richer taste profiles.
- Slice vegetables uniformly to ensure even cooking and balanced texture in each bite.
- For gluten-free adaptation, replace shoyu with tamari and use gluten-free chicken stock.
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms work well if dried ones aren’t available, though dried mushrooms deliver more concentrated umami flavor.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13-14 minutes
- Category: Sautéed
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5 to 6
- Calories: 253 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1010 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg