Good Ideas: Chicken Negimaki



Since my husband is not a sushi lover, he always orders chicken negimaki when we go to a Japanese restaurant.

Negimaki are small bites of chicken breast or beef rolled up w/ scallions in a soy glaze.
I figured I would try them at home.

It was very simple, the only challenge was keeping them hot. They have to be gobbled up right away. You could leave the bundles whole, but the fun is eating the little sushi sized pieces!

They made a nice dinner over rice, and would be a great appetizer for a crowd.
Easy and Elegant.



Chicken Negimaki: (inspired by the NYT)

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 bunches scallions, only the ends trimmed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 water
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Flatten out your chicken breasts with a meat mallet until you get them really thin, about 1/4" thickness.

In a small saucepan, but wide enough to hold the scallions, simmer the marinade with the scallions for a minute or two just to wilt the scallions. Let marinade cool.



On a cutting board lined w/ plastic wrap, lay out the chicken breasts and place some scallions in the center, lengthwise. Roll them up in jelly roll fashion and tie with kitchen string to secure. Lay chicken rolls in a baking dish.

Pour marinade over chicken rolls and marinate at least 4 hours in the fridge.



Heat a grill pan coated with vegetable oil.
Remove the rolls from the marinade (reserving the extra marinade for dipping sauce later).

Cook on moderate heat, turning the rolls to cook all sides until the chicken is cooked thru, about 10 minutes.



If you want to use the leftover marinade as a dipping sauce, then make sure you boil it a minute or two, because there was raw chicken sitting in it.

Let the bundles rest a minute, cut the strings and then slice into little pieces and serve immediately.



Enjoy!

Comments

is there a culture whereby you can have more than one husband - because if there is I would like to be considered - I eat sushi, I eat anything, these are such a great and tasty solution for those non sushi lovers.
These look fabulous, all flavors I love! ~Leslie
The JR said…
Those look fantastic. That's my kind of food.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said…
Move over doggybloggy, Stacey - marry ME!
Oh man does that look good! I'm with Hen on the sushi, but these I would gobble up in a heartbeat!
Amanda said…
Looks great! I love sushi, but these look fun to eat too! Definitely a cool way to make chicken!
kat said…
These look & sound great. Gotta bookmark
Kathy Walker said…
Wonderful combination of flavors! Much better idea, for me, than sushi!
Pam said…
I love this idea! I bet they tasted wonderful.
lisa is cooking said…
These little chicken rolls look so cute! I love the idea of them as party food.
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Sounds like Henry's got his work cut out for him, judging from the comments. Seriously, I never knew you could get this cooked food at sushi places. Think I'll have to visit them more often - or try your recipe.
I'm not familiar with this dish but I'll look for it next time we go to a Japanese restaurant. It looks easy to make and delicious too.
Oui, Chef said…
I'm always looking for fun new ways to serve chicken, and we ALL are big fans of Asian flavors around here. This will be a perfect addition to our weeknight repertoire. Thanks! - S
tasteofbeirut said…
Love these fun little bundles! elegant and simple to achieve too.