Steps

1. Remove excess skin, yellow fat, and blood clots from the chicken thighs.
   🕒 02:20
2. Pierce the entire surface of the chicken thighs with a fork.
   🕒 02:52
3. Rub half of the sugar onto the chicken thighs until no grittiness remains. (Key Tip!) Rubbing sugar first will result in tender and moist meat.
   🕒 03:03
4. Coat the entire chicken thighs with potato starch.
   🕒 03:27
5. Place the chicken thighs in a heatproof container. Add 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine), 2 tsp cooking sake (rice wine), half of the remaining 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, and 1/2 tsp grated garlic. Mix well to combine.
   🕒 03:42
6. Marinate the chicken thighs in the seasoning mixture for 5 minutes.
   🕒 04:08
7. Cut the tomato (1 pc) in half, remove the core, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
   🕒 04:14
8. Wash the shiso leaves (3 pcs), pat them dry, remove the stems, and thinly slice them.
   🕒 04:40
9. In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp mentsuyu (noodle soup base), 1/2 tbsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, and 1 tsp sesame oil. Mix until the sugar dissolves.
   🕒 05:11
10. Add the cut tomato, sprouts (20g), thinly sliced shiso leaves, 2g bonito flakes (katsuobushi), and 1 tsp white sesame seeds to the dressing and toss well.
    🕒 05:30
11. Dip the marinated chicken thighs back into the sauce. Place them in the heatproof container with the skin side down. (Key Tip!) Heating with the skin side down prevents the skin from shrinking.
    🕒 06:04
12. Loosely cover the chicken thighs with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in it, and microwave on 600W for 3 minutes.
    🕒 06:14
13. Remove the plastic wrap and flip the chicken thighs over. Drizzle with the remaining sauce, re-cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on 600W for 2 minutes 30 seconds.
    🕒 06:35
14. Leave the covered chicken to rest for 5 minutes to cook through with residual heat. (Key Tip!) Cooking with residual heat ensures a juicy finish.
    🕒 07:05
15. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the cooked chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.
    🕒 07:19
16. Heat the remaining sauce in the microwave on 600W for 1 minute without covering to thicken it. (Key Tip!) Heating the sauce evaporates the alcohol and thickens it, allowing it to coat the chicken well.
    🕒 07:45
17. Pour the thickened sauce over the cut chicken thighs to complete the dish. Season with black pepper if desired.
    🕒 08:08