Japanese Food is Light, Healthy and Delicious

As a whole, there is much freshness and lightness to Japanese cuisine. Take these Stuffed Chicken Negimaki, a traditional Japanese dish of scallion stuffed meat, usually made with slices of beef. In keeping with my lighter, healthier approach to dinners, I have made these rolls from pounded chicken breasts and kept the rest of the traditional dish the same.

Cooking the Scallions in a Soy Broth adds Flavor

These Stuffed Chicken Negimaki are a breeze to make. All you have to do is lay out your chicken breasts and pound them, cook the scallions in a mixture of soy, mirin and honey and, when cooled, roll the scallions into a lovely little chicken package and grill them. Once they are nearly cooked, a brush of the remaining soy broth (reduced to a glaze) is brushed on the packages for shine and an extra layer of flavor.

Serve the Negimaki with Basmati Rice or Noodles and some Fresh Broccoli

While the Stuffed Chicken breasts are grilling, all you have to do is make some rice or Chinese noodles, add some small pieces of grilled or steamed broccoli to the top and voila! One step, one pan side dish. Easy peasy.

Kids love this dish because it is different yet not too different. You can slice the chicken breasts into thin rounds for a more interesting look. However, we were so hungry for dinner and these looked and smelled so delicious that unfortunately, the sliced version never made it to the photos!

Not only do these Stuffed Chicken breasts make and outstanding dinner dish, you can also serve them all sliced on a platter as an appetizer. Just serve a small bowl of dipping sauce in the center for a tasty twist.

So if you make this dish, please post some pics on IG and tag me so I can see the more artistic view of this dish! Thanks for stopping by, please try these and please pin for me. Every bit of attention helps!

Stuffed Chicken Negimaki

Ingredients

For the sauce:
¾ cup light soy sauce
¾ cup mirin
3 tablespoons honey
2 cloves garlic minced
¾ tablespoon sesame oil
12 scallions trimmed so that they measure the same length as the chicken breast rolled from the shortest end (see photo)
For the chicken:
6 boneless chicken breasts gently pounded to 1/8 inch thickness
1/4 cup peanut oil
Basmati rice or Chinese Noodles
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

For the sauce:
In a small, heavy saucepan combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let the mixture simmer for 6 minutes. Add the scallions and let them cook for another 6 minutes until they are soft but not mushy.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
For the chicken:
Lay out the chicken breasts on a sheet of waxed or parchment paper with the pointed end facing you and the wider end facing away.
When the scallions have cooled, place 2 of them on the shortest side of the breast, about 1 inch from the edge. Reserve the sauce.
Tuck the bottom edge over the scallions and make a tight roll. Tie them with two pieces of cotton twine.
Do the same for the other breasts.
Brush the breasts with the oil and set aside until you are ready to grill them.
Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium high heat (about 400 degrees). Place the chicken bundles on the grill and grill for 8 minutes per side.
Reheat the sauce over very medium heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye since it burns easily.
Remove the chicken breasts from the grill and serve the breasts whole or sliced over a bed of basmati rice or Chinese noodles which you have tossed in some sesame oil.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

While the chicken is grilling you can place some broccoli tossed in sesame oil on a foil pan and cook, stirring once, until the broccoli is just crisp tender.