Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken– so flavorful you’ll forget how easy it is to make! Filled with flavors of ginger, garlic and just a touch of red pepper, it’s a meal you’ll want over and over again!
There is a little hole-in-the-wall cafe where we used to live in Corvallis, Oregon that serves the best Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken you can get short of flying to Hawaii. The ribs are probably their claim to fame, but I’m a sucker for their shoyu chicken and macaroni salad. It’s been a while in the making, but I think the recipe I’ve come up with makes for a pretty stinkin’ good substitute when I have a hankering for big plate of sweet meat, rice, and mac– which happens at least twice a week.
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Hawaiian Shoyu chicken is one of the simplest things to make. Seriously. Yet somehow the few, simple ingredients turn into deep flavors, tender meat and an all-around unforgettable meal. Shoyu is just another name for soy sauce, so as you might guess, we’re using a lot of soy sauce here. Other ingredients include Worcestershire sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, water, and a little red pepper.
What kind of chicken should I use for Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken?
You’ll need about 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I know I’ll have someone ask if they can use breasts, and the answer it yes, yes you CAN. But try it once with chicken thighs just for me, please? The thighs have so much flavor and really make this shoyu chicken what it’s supposed to be.
Tips for Making Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken:
- This recipe can be made on the stove-top or in a slow cooker. Directions for both will be in the recipe below.
- My favorite way of eating it is with lots of steamed rice, macaroni salad, fresh-cut pineapple, and a little concoction our local cafe serves with all of its meats called “Da Sauce”. It’s basically more soy sauce and sugar and the recipe is included in the recipe card below.
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Want More Easy Chicken Recipes?
- Garlic Ranch Chicken Marinade
- Bacon Wrapped Pesto Chicken
- Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies
- Sticky Sweet Chili Chicken
- One Pan Smothered Chicken Skillet
Tools used for Making Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken:
- Instant Pot : I use my Instant Pot as my slow cooker these days. This is the model that I have and LOVE. It’s been with me for over a year and I’ve definitely put it through the ringer, but still works like new! It’s changed the dinnertime routine at our house and helps me make meals in under an hour that used to take HOURS!
- Ninja 3-in-One Cooking System: When my Instant Pot is already in use (It makes the BEST rice) I still use my favorite slow-cooker. I’ve owned this slow cooker for about 6 years (when they were first introduced) and I still love it. The stovetop feature allows me to sear and cook meats before allowing them to slow cook (less dishes) and there’s a bake feature as well.
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Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 inch piece fresh ginger chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
For Da Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large pot on the stove top.
- Combine remaining ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chicken and stir until all chicken is immersed in sauce.
- Bring to a low boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for about 1 hour at a low simmer until the chicken is tender.
To Make in a Slow Cooker:
- Cook on LOW for up to 8 hours or HIGH for 4.
- Remove chicken from cooking liquid, shred and return to pan to soak up some more flavor. Serve over steamed rice with the sauce below.
- To make "Da Sauce": Combine and stir all ingredients until the sugar is dissolved and serve with the chicken and rice.
How long in the instant pot? Have been using this recipe for a long time, love it!
For fresh, not-frozen chicken thighs I would cook for 7 minutes, high pressure, natural release.
How about frozen thighs?
I was thinking fondly of Local Boyz in Corvallis and searched Pinterest for shoyu chicken recipes. This was the only one with a photo of shredded chicken meat rather than whole thighs so I clicked. I haven’t tried making it yet, but I am so excited to have found a recipe based on Local Boyz’s delicious chicken!!
I added maple syrup and lemon, and used brown sugar instead of white, and li hing ginger [because that’s all i had]… and omgasms! All the flavors popped! Had to keep the soup just because it was so flavorful! Mahalo nui loa for documenting a local favorite!
Can’t wait to try this, as we live in Corvallis area & LOVE eating at LOCAL BOYZ! Thanks for sharing we always buy bottles of their DA SAUCE to bring home with us so this is great to have a recipe for when we don’t want to drive to town! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for the recipe, I LOVE Local Boyz!!! Can’t wait to try this. Would like to have the Instant Pot recipe too.
Wow, I’m sure local boys love you too! :*
I was wondering if this could be made by pressure cooking in an Instant Pot. Thank you so much Heather. Can’t wait to try your recipes.
Can this be made with pressure cooking in an Instant Pot. Thank you so much Heather. Can’t wait to try your recipes 😊
Another OSU Alum here <3 Can you tell me how many minutes under pressure? I didn't see it, but saw your mention of using the IP Thanks!
I was wondering about the time in the instant pot, as well. I’ve been making this for a few years on the stovetop and slow cooker… Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Small world! I knew exactly which hole-in-the-wall you were talking about even before I clicked the link! HA! I miss Local Boyz (moved from Oregon to NM a few years ago) and was looking for something similar to what they have, and here you are! Thank you! I can’t wait to try this!!
Had to comment as I found this recipe on Pinterest… as I TOO am a Local Boyz fan (Go Beavs!) and was craving some tasty shoyu. This recipe was so delicious that I am making it again tonight! Reminds me of some good times….
best plate lunch since spam!!!!!!
I came across your recipe on Pinterest. I’m planning on making it for my family, but I never did come across the recipe for “da sauce” or for the macaroni salad. Did you ever post those? (It wasn’t at the end of this post.)
Sorry about that! I just changed some of the formatting on the site and it didn’t translate over well. The recipe for Da Sauce is there now and here’s the recipe for the mac salad– http://heatherlikesfood.com/hawaiian-style-macaroni-salad/
since it sounds like this is a forum for mostly oregon people. I highly suggest going to Ate oh Ate on East Burnside for the best hawaiian food in Oregon. I have been to both Local Boyz and Roxys and truly neither compared to Ate Oh Ate
Boo, local Boyz cannot be beat
I agree, Ate oh Ate is the best! They catered my cousin’s wedding and everything was amazing. I don’t want to admit how much shoyu chicken I ate.
Went to the store today for ingredients and going to try tomorrow! Can’t wait! Quick question… Do you put the chicken thigh meat into the slow cooker frozen? Or did you thaw first?
P.S. I googled a recipe for “shoyu chicken” and decided yours looked the best… But how funny that I am an OSU alum and I love Local Boys!
How can you adapt this recipe for pressure cooker?
I have a son who loves Local Boyz in Corvallis and wants to go there weekly for the Shoyu chicken. After searching through recipes online, I came across this one as it sounded good and easy to make. Well you have made my day! Thank you a million times over for this! Although I love Local Boyz, this saves me trips and money to go there! So cool that everyone else has heard of this place and raves about it… Now do you have their ribs recipe mastered? I found a mac salad recipe on here (thank you for that one too whoever posted it) This turned out great by the way!!!
Made this the other day. It was really good. Your advice was correct about my slow cooker, it was cooking to hot. Turning it to low and cooking it for a shorter time worked well. I also thickened the liquid on the stove with corn starch. Yum
Small world. Preparing to try this and read comments for “tips”. Local Boyz used to be the go to joint for me before moving to Eugene. Was surprised to see but “da sauce” was indeed a good hint at local connection.
I’ve been so surprised by the amount of people that have emailed or commented that they are familiar with Local Boyz. Small world! Hope you love the chicken.
Made this today and used your recipe. So good! Had never made shoyu chicken before and was impressed with how good it was (compared to the spots I’d visited in Portland) and how easy it was to make. Thanks so much!
It’s definitely a go-to meal for me– so easy and tastes great! Glad you liked it!
Way too much ginger. I’m a decent cook and my fiance typically loves my meals but the amount of ginger this recipe calls for is so off putting that we both decided taco bell was a better option. I will try the recipe again but will definitely use less than a quarter the amount of ginger this one calls for.
I didn’t use regular sugar because I didn’t have any. I use brown sugar and it made it sweeter compared to what I think yours tasted like. It was in perfect harmony to the ginger.
My name Is actually Kay-Jaysons. That is my first name cool right
It is totally awesome
It is a really unique name! Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve been looking for a recipe to replicate the Shoyu chicken at Local Boyz. So lucky I found this one! My hubby and I both graduated from OSU but now we’re in Alaska. Can’t wait to try this!
Yay, OSU folk! Glad you found it!
I had a feeling you’d be somewhere in the Pac Northwest. Might I suggest adding star anise to your shoyu chicken. 1-2 pieces. It gives it that something special 🙂
Ooh good idea! Thanks!
So happy I found this…I can’t wait to try your shoyu! My husband and I went to OSU and LOVE Local Boyz!! When we moved to Beaverton we started going to Roxy’s, like the person above mentioned, and it definitely rivals Local Boyz. I actually like Roxy’s mac salad better, and recently found a recipe that’s pretty similar. I’ve shared the link below – (my recommendation though would be to use less apple cider vinegar, maybe half; it was a little potent for our taste.). It would go great with the shoyu.
http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/hawaiian-style-macaroni-salad/
I haven’t been to Roxy’s yet but plan on it! Thanks for the recipe.:)
You just made my day with two words “Local Boyz”. Since we are stationed in Yokosuka Japan I’m craving some good Hawaiian food. This will be made for dinner tomorrow.
What a small world, Local Boyz (while visiting a friend in Corvallis) was what started my love of the plate lunch, now its a weekly trip to Roxy’s in Beaverton.
Tried this out with friends this Weekend, was fantastic, very similar to what I get at Roxy’s. I only had chicken breast on hand, and I could tell the difference, will be using thighs next time.
Curious what size is slow cooker are you using for this recipe?
White sugar or brown sugar better?
Good time with da sauce!
I When I read that your local cafe serves a special sauce that they call “da sauce” I was intrigued because my favorite Hawaiian cafe calls their secret sauce “da sauce” as well. So I checked your link and was pleasantly surprised when I saw Local Boys come up. I’m glad that you are attempting to recreate their amazing shoyu chicken. I can’t wait to try your recipe! Remember, don’t steal “da sauce”!
Too bad you moved..I was gonna come over for dinner! Hehehe
I don’t like kikkoman either. I take my packets of aloha shoyu with me in my purse for when I eat out and have rice it chow mein 😉
@Lisa and Travis: I sure am talking about Local Boyz! Best, place, ever. We’ve since moved and I miss it!
You don’t by any chance live in Corvallis and are talking about Local Boyz are you?
never use kikkoman….aloha brand better…..
Just curious, is the Hawaiian restaurant you’re talking about Local Boyz? From the description is sounds a lot like it.
Loved this recipe, made it both in the pan and in the crock pot. I think the pan version turned out better. I may have cooked it too long in the crock pot. I was curious if you had posted the mac salad recipe yet?
Hey! How long can I leave this in the slow cooker if it’s on the “warm” setting?
Once cooked it will keep on the warm setting for about 4 hours. Much longer than that and you’ll lose some quality.
Would like to try this! But I dnt have a crock pot can a regular pot due?
Yep! The direction for stove-top preparation are in the recipe at the bottom of the post!
Do you remove the ginger, or is it supposed to cook down enough to eat? I bit into a chunk of ginger once in my shoyu chick and it was horrible (but not enough to make me stop ordering it-still my favorite). but it did scare me off from ever using fresh ginger.
You can take it out at the end but I find it cooks down and is pretty mild in the end.
I love chicken thighs. They stand up to crock pot cooking way way WAY better then chicken breasts do. this looks wonderful. can’t wait to see the mac salad recipe.
It will be up next week, probably. 🙂
Mac salad isn’t right🤪
I’ve been making this for 40 years. Only thing I do different ido different I use brown sugar