Name: Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso (Plum & Perilla)
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: 1 chicken breast; Approx. 10 shiso leaves; 2 umeboshi (pickled plums); Grated daikon radish, to taste; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp potato starch; 1 tbsp sake (for A); 1 tsp sugar (for A); 1/3 tsp salt (for A); A pinch of pepper (for A); 1 tbsp mayonnaise (for A); 2 tbsp sake (for B); 2 tbsp mirin (for B); 1 tbsp soy sauce (for B); 1 tsp sugar (for B)

About "Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso (Plum & Perilla)"

This summer-perfect chicken breast dish features the refreshing aroma of pickled plums (umeboshi) and shiso leaves. By using a mayonnaise-based marinade and cooking with residual heat, the chicken stays incredibly juicy instead of drying out. Finished with a savory ume sauce, it pairs perfectly with both rice and beer.

Introduction to 【賛否両論】笠原将弘の料理のほそ道 →

Tips for Making "Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso (Plum & Perilla)"

Prep
- Remove the skin from the chicken breast and cut into bite-sized pieces. Aim for a size that is easy to wrap with shiso leaves.
Marinade
- Massage in sake, sugar, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is the secret weapon that prevents dryness and keeps it juicy.
Marinade
- After massaging in the seasonings, let it sit for 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.
Coating
- Add potato starch right before wrapping, after the initial marination. This makes the surface sticky, helping the shiso leaves adhere.
Cooking
- Sear over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, then turn off the heat, cover, and steam with residual heat for 1 minute. This locks in juices for a moist finish.
Seasoning
- Use umeboshi with about 8% salt content. Remove the pits and finely chop them with a knife into a paste.
Finishing
- Make the ume sauce by mixing the umeboshi paste with sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Coat the cooked meat to finish.

Ingredients for "Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso (Plum & Perilla)"

15 items

* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon

1chicken breast
Approx.10 shiso leaves
2umeboshi (pickled plums)
Grateddaikon radish, to taste
1tbsp vegetable oil
2tbsp potato starch
1tbsp sake (for A)
1tsp sugar (for A)
1/3tsp salt (for A)
Apinch of pepper (for A)
1tbsp mayonnaise (for A)
2tbsp sake (for B)
2tbsp mirin (for B)
1tbsp soy sauce (for B)
1tsp sugar (for B)

How to Make "Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso (Plum & Perilla)"

1
Remove the skin from the chicken breast and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2
Massage the cut chicken breast with salt, sugar, pepper, sake, and mayonnaise, then let it sit for 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.
3
Remove the pits from the umeboshi and finely chop them with a knife into a paste.
4
Mix the ume paste, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar to make the ume sauce.
5
Cut off the stems of the shiso leaves.
6
Massage potato starch into the marinated chicken breast after it has sat for 10 minutes.
7
Wrap each piece of chicken breast with a shiso leaf.
8
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and arrange the shiso-wrapped chicken breast pieces.
9
Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until both sides are nicely browned.
10
Turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let it steam with residual heat for about 1 minute.
11
Turn the heat back on, add the ume sauce, and coat the chicken well.
12
Plate the dish and serve with grated daikon radish on the side.

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

Massaging the chicken with mayonnaise, sake, and sugar increases its water-holding capacity. Combined with the potato starch coating and residual heat cooking, this prevents moisture loss, resulting in a moist finish. Furthermore, the synergistic umami effect of inosinate in the chicken and glutamate in the soy sauce, along with the acidity of the umeboshi and the sweetness and saltiness of the seasonings, balances the five basic tastes for a rich, well-rounded flavor.

Moisture ControlUmami CompoundsBalance of Five Tastes

Detailed Commentary on "Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso (Plum & Perilla)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Starting with Retro Showa Cassette Tape Chat

Chef Masahiro Kasahara's lively talk begins not with cooking, but with memories of Showa-era cassette tapes. Starting with the greeting "Cassette tapes had to be TDK," he shares memories of switching to metal tapes or the stylish "AXIA," and even reveals a slightly embarrassing story of making his own "My Best" mixtape to give to a girl he liked. He also talks about recording "The Best Ten" on a radio cassette player in front of the TV, only to get mad when his mother's voice got recorded—a nostalgic story anyone from the Showa generation can relate to. When the cameraman says, "I'm from the MD generation," the chef jokingly replies, "Are you trying to show off how young you are?" before finally realizing, "Wait, this is a cooking show!" and moving on to the recipe.

Perfect for Summer! Chicken with Ume Shiso

This time, we are introducing Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso, a refreshing dish perfect for summer. Chicken breast is healthy, affordable, and budget-friendly, but it has a reputation for drying out easily. However, with Chef Kasahara's careful prep, seasoning, and precise cooking technique, it turns out incredibly juicy and delicious. The refreshing aroma of shiso and plum is enough to stimulate your appetite, making this an "invincible dish" that is great as a main course with rice or as a snack with beer.

Cutting Chicken & Tips for a Juicy Marinade

First, remove the skin from one chicken breast. The leftover skin won't be used this time, so Chef Kasahara recommends freezing it to make a "chicken skin special" later. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces that are easy to wrap with shiso leaves. Place the cut meat in a bowl and begin seasoning. Here, we use sake (1 tbsp), sugar (1 tsp), salt (1/3 tsp), pepper (a pinch), and our secret weapon: mayonnaise (1 tbsp). Massaging mayonnaise into the chicken breast keeps it from drying out and makes it incredibly juicy. Once the seasonings are well incorporated, let it sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.

Making Versatile Ume Sauce & Prepping Shiso

While the meat is marinating, make the special ume sauce to coat it at the end. Use two umeboshi (pickled plums) with about 8% salt content. Remove the pits and finely chop them with a knife into a paste. Professional tip: don't throw away the pits; save them to add when simmering fish or cooking rice to infuse them with plum flavor. To the chopped plum, add sake (2 tbsp), mirin (2 tbsp), soy sauce (1 tbsp), and sugar (1 tsp), and mix well. You can also customize it by adding grated garlic, grated ginger, or ichimi chili powder. Additionally, prep about 10 shiso leaves by cutting off their stems.

The Magic of Potato Starch & Wrapping Shiso

After letting the chicken sit for 10 minutes to absorb the flavors, add potato starch (2 tbsp) and massage it in. The key is to let the seasonings soak in first, and then add the potato starch right before wrapping. The potato starch makes the surface of the meat sticky, allowing the shiso leaves to adhere perfectly. Pay attention to the front and back of the shiso leaves, wrapping them around the chicken so that the beautiful green outer surface faces outward. While "Ume Shiso Yakitori" at restaurants often uses chicken tenderloin (sasami), the chef notes that chicken breast is cheaper, yields more, and doesn't require removing tendons, making it much better suited for home cooking.

Cooking with Residual Heat for Juicy Chicken

Heat vegetable oil (1 tbsp) in a frying pan over medium heat and arrange the shiso-wrapped chicken breast pieces. Since chicken breast dries out if overcooked, how you apply heat is crucial. First, cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side (3 to 4 minutes total) until beautifully browned. Once both sides have a nice color, turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let it steam with residual heat for about 1 minute. This step of "steaming with residual heat" locks in the juices, resulting in a perfectly tender and moist texture.

Finishing with Ume Sauce & Tasting with Beer

Once the chicken is gently cooked through with residual heat, turn the heat back on and pour the special ume sauce into the pan all at once. Simmer the sauce slightly while tossing to coat the chicken thoroughly. Once the sauce is nicely glazed, plate the dish and serve with grated daikon radish (to taste) for a refreshing touch. The Chicken Breast with Ume Shiso is complete! During the tasting, the chef is highly satisfied with the refreshing aroma of plum and shiso. Taking a bite, he praises his own creation: "Delicious! This is the moistest chicken on Earth." Then, his second daughter, Yuri, brings him a cold beer, and the chef happily gulps it down. Joined by staff member Ryo-kun, they chat about memories of a past "love talk" session they all had while drinking, wrapping up the video in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

About 【賛否両論】笠原将弘の料理のほそ道

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