Kurokoshou Roast Chicken (Black Pepper Soy-Glazed Chicken)

About This Recipe

While Japanese home cooking doesn't have one single dish called 'black pepper roast chicken,' pepper-forward soy glazes are common across yakitori and teriyaki-style preparations, and this recipe leans into that tradition -- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs roasted hot until the skin crackles, then finished under the broiler with a soy-mirin glaze loaded with coarsely cracked black pepper for real heat and aroma, closer to the pepper-heavy grilled chicken found at some yakitori-ya and izakaya. The technique that makes this work is starting the chicken skin-side down in a cold or barely warm pan to render fat slowly, which is how you get genuinely crisp skin without burning it, before finishing in a hot oven. The glaze -- soy sauce, mirin, sake, and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper -- is brushed on only in the final stretch of roasting so it lacquers rather than burns. Served with rice and a simple vegetable side, this is the kind of dish a Japanese home cook makes when they want something more assertive than a delicate dashi-based dinner -- pepper-forward, savory, and satisfying with minimal ingredients.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8 piecesbone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspblack peppercorns(coarsely cracked)
• 4 tbspsoy sauce
• 3 tbspmirin
• 2 tbspsake
• 2 tbsphoney
• 2 clovesgarlic(grated)
• 1 tspgrated ginger
• 1 tspneutral oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and half the cracked black pepper. Let sit 15 minutes at room temperature.

2. 2

   Render the skin

   Place chicken skin-side down in a cold oven-safe skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook 10-12 minutes without moving, letting the fat render slowly until the skin is deep golden and crisp.

3. 3

   Flip and transfer to oven

   Flip the chicken, then transfer the skillet to a 200C/400F oven. Roast 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Make the glaze

   While the chicken roasts, whisk soy sauce, mirin, sake, honey, garlic, ginger, and remaining cracked pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer 4-5 minutes until slightly syrupy.

5. 5

   Glaze and finish

   Brush the chicken generously with the glaze and return to the oven for a final 5-7 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 74C/165F and the glaze is lacquered and sticky.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Rest 5 minutes, then crack extra pepper over the top. Serve with steamed rice, spooning any pan glaze over the top.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken drumsticks or a whole spatchcocked chicken, adjusting roasting time accordingly.

• •

  Add a teaspoon of yuzu kosho to the glaze for citrusy heat alongside the black pepper.

• •

  Grill instead of roasting for a smokier, more yakitori-style char.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked chicken up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a 180C oven for 10-12 minutes to re-crisp the skin rather than microwaving, which softens it.

Frequently Asked Questions