Sweet-Sour-Lemony Chicken
In the Setouchi kitchen marmalade is as much a sweet-sour, fruit-filled type of master sauce used in savory dishes as it is a spread for hot buttered toast. It’s a very quick and easy recipe because the other main seasoning is Shio Ponzu sauce, a master sauce that is a light, yet rich-blend of all the sweet, salty, acidic seasonings you need. Because the sauce doesn’t contain soy sauce, which has wheat, the dish is gluten-free.
The recipe calls for chicken drumsticks because they’re chopstick ready and also because their bones help to enrich the stock. Any bone-in chicken meat (wings or thighs) can be used. The recipe also works well with fish and pork. Again, bone-in is better, but boneless meats are fine too. There’s enough umami in the seasonings to ensure the dish will be delicious.
Sweet-Sour-Lemony Chicken
Su-Tori no Remon Fumi : 酢鶏のレモン風味
Serves 4
Main Foods
Chicken Drumsticks, 12, about 1.5 lbs (625 g)
Yellow Onion, 1 large (300 g)
Red Bell Pepper, 1 large (120 g)
Lemon, 2 (240 g)
Seasonings
Canola or Other Neutral-Flavored Vegetable Oil, 1 tablespoon
Sake, 2 tablespoons
Lemon Marmalade, 4 tablespoons
Sea Salt, big pinch
Shio Ponzu, 3/4 cup (180 ml)
Aromatics / Flavorings
Scallions, 2
Directions
Marinate the chicken in the sake and a big pinch of salt for about 30 minutes. Cut the onion into thick slices and red bell pepper into wide triangles. Cut the skin from the lemons (and save for another use), then cut each lemon into chunks, for a total of 8 pieces.
Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken, and brown it on all sides.
Add the onions, lemon chunks, marmalade, and Shio Ponzu sauce, lower the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the red bell pepper and cook for a minute or two more.
Serve
Serve topped with chopped scallions.