Hibachi Chicken & Rice Skillet Meal

A one-pan family-sized meal with hibachi chicken and rice that’s super easy to prepare, uses everyday ingredients and way less expensive than take-out hibachi chicken bowls.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. JUMP TO THE RECIPE
2. CAN YOU USE CHICKEN BREASTS?
3. ABOUT THAT YUM YUM SAUCE
4. SOME COOKING NOTES YOU'LL WANT TO SEE
5. FIVE MORE ONE-PAN RICE RECIPES

My kids are obsessed with a short-order Japanese hibachi place that makes “hibachi bowls” of steak, chicken or shrimp served over hibachi-style fried rice. They drizzle Yum Yum Sauce (“white sauce”) over the bowl and devour it like they haven’t eaten in days.

It is good but, my Lord, it’s expensive! Even if I get the small bowls for all of us, it’s still $80 easy. 

I’ve made something similar several times but it’s a lot of work so I figured out a way to make a one-pan meal close enough to the hibachi version. My family LOVES this recipe and I love it because it’s easy and way cheaper than take-out.

CAN I USE CHICKEN BREASTS INSTEAD OF THIGHS?

I really and truly think this recipe is BEST with chicken thighs. By using chicken thighs, you can really brown them nicely – packing in a ton more flavor – without worrying about overcooking the chicken. Breasts will overcook and be dry by the time the rice is cooked. Plus most restaurant Hibachi Chicken is made with chicken thighs, soooo… 

WHAT IS YUM YUM SAUCE?

Yum Yum Sauce (sometimes called White Sauce) is a slightly sweet mayo-based sauce used in Japanese steak houses (I should clarify… used in American Japanese steak houses – it’s not a thing in Japan). Yum Yum Sauce is typically made with mayonnaise, a little tomato paste (or ketchup), sugar, rice vinegar, paprika and garlic powder. It is mostly used as a dipping sauce but it's commonly drizzled over hibachi-style fried rice.

You can use store-bought Yum Yum sauce, search up a recipe online (there are a gozillion) or use my recipe for Bang Bang Sauce instead (another American-made sauce used with Asian cuisine). Bang Bang Sauce is much easier to make and has a little kick so that’s what I prefer. The recipe is listed with my Bang Bang Salmon Bites recipe.

NOTES ABOUT COOKING HIBACHI CHICKEN & RICE

• To use Jasmine rice, increase rice to 2 1/3 cups and rinse first. Reduce initial cooking time (before adding the chicken) to 5 minutes. Jasmine uses less liquid and cooks more quickly than extra-long grain white rice. 
• Don’t panic about using the marinade from the chicken. It will be COOKED into the recipe so there is no “raw chicken risk”. If it helps, think of it as a cooking sauce.
• Most Hibachi Chicken isn't served with whole pieces of chicken like my recipe (it's usually sliced into bite-sized pieces on the hibachi). I keep the chicken pieces whole to ensure the chicken stays moist and tender AND to make serving a breeze.

• Finish the chicken "upside down" for a presentation that looks most like restaurant-style chopped Hibachi Chicken. The underside of the thigh (where the bones have been removed) will naturally cook into pieces that look somewhat chopped.
• Feel free to add other vegetables. Carrots and mushrooms can be added to the recipe with the onions. If using broccoli or zucchini, sauté them before the onions then remove and add back with the chicken when it goes in (so they don’t get too mushy or cook to oblivion).
• I don’t know how to convert this to be made with steak or shrimp as each would completely overcook in a one-pan skillet meal like this.

LOVE ONE-PAN MAIN DISHES WITH RICE?

Me too! Rice is kinda my jam. Here's a sampling of my favorites, covering several cuisines from Italian to Mexican to Southern and a few in between:

CHICKEN SCAMPI WITH GARLIC PARMESAN RICE - A simple one-pan meal with tender chicken scampi over perfectly cooked buttery, garlic parmesan rice. 

TACO RICE WITH QUESO - A one-pan skillet dinner made with ground beef, taco seasoning and Mexican style rice drenched in an easy queso cheese sauce. 

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA RICE - A hearty rice recipe with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) flavored with bacon, tomatoes, onion and garlic. 

COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS & RICE - An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style pork ribs. 

CHICKEN & MUSHROOM RICE - A quick and easy skillet meal with savory chicken and buttery mushrooms cooked with rice in one pan. 

Recipe for Hibachi Chicken & Rice Skillet Meal

Hibachi Chicken & Rice Skillet Meal

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 45 M

A one-pan family-sized meal with hibachi chicken and rice that’s super easy to prepare, uses everyday ingredients and way less expensive than take-out hibachi chicken bowls.

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2 lbs)
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger powder
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3.5 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 cups extra-long grain white rice
• 1/4 cup Yum Yum sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine soy sauce, pepper, garlic powder and ginger to make a marinade. Add chicken thighs and marinade to a zip-top bag then refrigerate 1-6 hours. 1/2 c soy sauce, 1 tsp each pepper and garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ginger, 6 chicken thighs
2. Remove chicken from marinade onto a few layers of paper towels, keeping marinade to be used later. The paper towels are to absorb excess liquid before cooking to reduce popping and burning.
3. Add enough oil to a large skillet to generously coat the bottom then heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Place all chicken thighs into skillet then cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Remove chicken from skillet. 3 tbsp vegetable oil
4. Add onions to hot skillet with pan drippings then sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic then cook an additional 2 minutes. 1 sliced onion, 1 tsp minced garlic
5. Add reserved marinade to onions to deglaze the pan then cook 5 minutes or until marinade is reduced by half.
6. Add chicken broth and rice then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover then cook for 10 minutes. Stir with a fork, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure the rice isn’t sticking. 3.5 c chicken broth, 1.5 c rice
7. Arrange chicken in skillet over rice, cover then continue cooking 10-15 minutes over low heat until rice is done.
8. To serve, drizzle Yum Yum sauce over chicken then garnish with chopped chives or scallions if desired. 1/4 cup Yum Yum sauce

Notes

• Trim any excess fat from chicken thighs if needed before adding to marinade.
• To use Jasmine rice, increase rice to 2.25 cups and rinse first. Reduce initial cooking time (before adding the chicken) to 5 minutes. Jasmine uses less liquid and cooks more quickly than extra-long grain white rice. 
• Don’t panic about using the marinade from the chicken. It will be COOKED into the recipe so there is no “raw chicken risk”. If it helps, think of it as a cooking sauce.
• Finish the chicken "upside down" for a presentation that looks most like restaurant-style chopped Hibachi Chicken. The underside of the thigh (where the bones have been removed) will naturally cook into pieces that look somewhat chopped.
• Feel free to add other vegetables. Carrots and mushrooms can be added to the recipe with the onions. If using broccoli or zucchini, sauté them before the onions then remove and add back with the chicken when it goes in (so they don’t get too mushy or cook to oblivion).
• I don’t know how to convert this to be made with steak or shrimp as each would completely overcook in a one-pan skillet meal like this.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

386.35

Fat

11.83 g

Sat. Fat

2.29 g

Carbs

38.35 g

Fiber

0.91 g

Net carbs

38.13 g

Protein

27.88 g

Sodium

804.32 mg

Iron

1.66 mg

Calcium

32.48 mg

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2024/01/hibachi-chicken-rice-skillet-meal.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2024

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