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!