Recipe: Chicken-Shiso-Umeboshi (Patreon)

That's my photo up there (dark) and might not be too appetizing. Here. Let's try this one.

A little better. 

This is a flavor combination I've always loved, the super sour umeboshi plums along side shiso leaf and, of course, chicken -- which doesn't really have a flavor per se. But together brilliant! 

I'm not sure how easy it is to get either the shiso or the umeboshi where you are, but if you can get both, I highly recommend trying this (or your own version of it). 

It's really simple, too. 

Ingredients: 

Six chicken tenders (I've seen this done with chicken breast, cute or pounded thin, too)

Several umeboshi/pickled plums (as sour as you want it!)

Twelve whole shiso leaves (again, you can cut them half if you're not a fan of the flavor, or add more. I used two per chicken tender)

Salt and pepper to taste

Enough flour for dusting all six chicken tenders -> 1/2 flour and 1/2 katakuriko/potato starch flour (I'm sure corn starch would work, or you could use all flour, or bread them like tonkatsu with flour, egg, and panko <-- I've seen that done as well. Photo at bottom.)

First, I cut open all the chicken pieces and salted and peppered both sides. 

Then I placed two washed shiso leaves per chicken inside along with the umeboshi that I deseeded and chopped finely. 

I've seen some recipes use a umeboshi paste. I'm sure that would be fine. I've also seen some people put thin strips of cheese in the middle. I really wanted to do that, but I know these aren't going to seal well and it will just be a sputtering mess in my fry pan so I resisted the urge. Maybe if I had used chicken breasts instead. 

Fold them over as best as you can. You can toothpick them closed if you want. Mine seemed to stick of their own volition. There wasn't too much falling apartage in the pan. 

Here there are all dredged in the half flour, half katakuriko mixture. 

Shake off excess and fried in about a half cup of oil, turning till done.

After frying and draining on a rack, cut them (to make sure fully cooked) in half and served with rice. 

There is something really nice about these salty sour chicken tenders. 

Oh! There are lots of variations, too. 

Above are some fried in panko with cheese inside. Yum! 

Then there's this interesting variation with the shiso wrapped around the outside, which looks nice. 

To me umeboshi, shiso chicken is a spring or summer dish. 

I hope you like them! 

XOXO,

terrie