Chicken with Winter Melon

Togan, or Japanese winter melon (sometimes referred to as "squash"), is excellent when cooked with poultry or meat in a teriyaki-flavored broth. You can find the recipe for teriyaki sauce in an earlier post on this website.

The resultant dish goes well with steamed white rice and sides of tsukemono or takuan (recipe also on this website). It’s a good, slurpy meal on a cold winter’s day.

Ingredients

·         JAPANESE WINTER MELON, 2 medium (10”), or 3 small

·         CHICKEN THIGHS, 4 boneless, skinless

·         ONIONS, 1 medium or 2 small

·         WHITE WINE, ¼ cup

·         TERIYAKI SAUCE (recipe elsewhere in this blog), ¾ cup

·         WATER, ¼ cup

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Peel the melon with a vegetable peeler, cut in half lengthwise, then into ¾-inch half-moons. If the seeds are a bit on the tough side, remove the seeds with a spoon first.

2.       Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch strips.

3.       French-cut the onions.

4.       In a large pot, sauté the chicken until the surface is lightly browned. Remove and reserve.

5.       Deglaze the pot with the white wine.

6.       Add in the onions and sauté until slightly tender.

7.       Replace the chicken in the pot.

8.       Add in the teriyaki sauce and water, and bring to a boil.

9.       Add in the winter melon.

10.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

11.   Stir all the ingredients, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the melon is tender but not limp and mushy.

12.   Serve alongside or over steamed rice.