Hibachi Grill Table | What to Look for When Making Homemade Hibachi Chicken
A while back, I was so focused on finding an amazing hibachi chicken recipe that I pored over dozens of recipes and couldn't find anything that really satisfies me.
After a few experiments, I realized that the key to making perfect hibachi chicken at home is not what the hibachi chefs do. This sounds very ill-advised, but let me explain.
Overcrowding
Almost every Chicken hibachi recipe starts with four chicken breasts. Of course, at hibachi restaurants, that's what they do, and sometimes they prepare even more.
However, you have to be aware that the size of a hibachi grill table is usually larger than your deep fryer at home.
Overcrowding will cause the temperature to drop, and the liquid will pool at the bottom of the skillet, so the meat will not brown properly, and therefore taste less.
Cooking full breasts
See, hibachi grill table have hot, medium, and warm spots, so chefs can switch between high and low in seconds.
This allows the chef to control the browning and cooking time of the meat, ensuring that the chicken and sides (rice, vegetables) are done at roughly the same time.
We are very limited at home. We need to use two or three skillets at the same time to get similar control. It's almost impossible.
Cooking a large chicken breast in a skillet without any liquid is tricky because by the time the thickest part is cooked, in most other areas it's already firm and rubbery, Even chalky.
Cut chicken too early
The last one is "don't follow those poorly designed recipes that say what you're supposed to do" not "don't follow what hibachi chef is doing".
One of the worst experiences I had with preparing hibachi chicken was following a recipe given by a well-known copycat recipe.
The recipe says to take 4 chicken breasts, cut them into small pieces and fry them on the deep fryer.
I ended up with a bunch of white, odorless rubber balls that collected a cup or two of juice in the bottom of the pan. Never again! Never again!
