Delicious Chicken Musubi
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Equipment
- Musubi press
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 5 whole sushi nori sheets
- 3 cups of short-grain rice
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 3 to 4 chicken thighs
- ¼ cup of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 bowl of water
Instructions
- All ingredients ready? Let's begin!
- Wash the rice thoroughly with cold water and keep washing until the water becomes clear. You will need to repeat this step between 3 and 5 times. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or pot.
- When cooked, add rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and salt and stir until fully combined. Set it aside to let cool.
- Wash the chicken thighs and shape them to a thickness of ½ inch. Cut them into 10 pieces, about 2 inches wide, and set them aside.
- Heat sake, soy sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large wok or sauté pan over medium heat. Let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until it’s thickened slightly.
- Combine the chicken and soy sauce mixture and cook each side for about 3 minutes or until they are fully cooked.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate so it can cool.
- With the chicken and rice cooled to a warm temp, you can start the musubi assembly. Directly in front of you, place one nori strip vertically. On the top and middle of the nori, place the musubi mold horizontally.
- In the mold, you want to add ¼ cup of rice. Use your bowl of water to keep the top of the mold wet, then press it firmly on the rice. You may sprinkle furikake as needed.
- Add a piece of chicken and more furikake.
- Scooping another ¼ cup of rice into the mold, repeat pressing the rice again. But this time, press the musubi and top to the bottom with both hands to remove the center part of the mold.
- Fold over the nori on both sides.
- From here, you can cut it in half or eat whole.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Musubi is a popular staple in many areas. But it seems that there are just as many areas that don’t have it, too. So we wanted to make sure everyone could partake in this fan-favorite by presenting you with a handy recipe.
One of the best parts about this recipe is that it doesn’t take long at all to complete. What’s more, you can substitute the chicken with Spam if you prefer a more traditional approach to musubi. Be sure to read the “Substitutes” section for directions on how to prepare musubi with Spam.
Notes & Tips
- We recommend eating the musubi immediately after preparing it. At the most, it should be consumed within just a few hours after prep.
- When cutting nori, it’s always best to cut your sheets vertically as opposed to horizontally. It’s much easier to wrap your meat and rice this way. Moreover, you should cut your nori into 10 pieces, as this will give you plenty to work with.
Substitutions
Prefer to use Spam in place of chicken? No problem! Just follow the directions below using 1 can of Spam instead of the 3 to 4 chicken thighs.
- Follow steps 1 through 3 from above.
- Cut the Spam into 10 evenly-sized pieces.
- Heat sake, soy sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large wok or sauté pan over medium heat.
- Let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until it’s thickened slightly.
- Combine the Spam and soy sauce mixture and cook each side for about 3 minutes or until they are fully cooked.
- Transfer the Spam to a plate so it can cool.
- With the Spam and rice cooled to a warm temp, you can start the musubi assembly. Directly in front of you, place one nori strip vertically.
- On the top and middle of the nori, place the musubi mold horizontally.
- In the mold, you want to add ¼ cup of rice. Use your bowl of water to keep the top of the mold wet, then press it firmly on the rice. You may sprinkle furikake as needed.
- Add a piece of Spam and more furikake.
- Scooping another ¼ cup of rice into the mold, repeat pressing the rice again. But this time, press the musubi and top to the bottom with both hands to remove the center part of the mold.
- Fold over the nori on both sides. From here, you can cut it in half or eat whole.
As you can see, you just need to replace the chicken with Spam and follow the directions as usual. Upon completion, eat the musubi right away for best taste.
Common Questions
If you cut the nori vertically, you will have long strips with which to easily roll up your rice and meat. The way that the nori is produced dictates that you cut vertical strips for best results.
The musubi mold is essential in making your nori rolls. The mold serves to keep your rice and meat neatly in place as you pile on ingredients. Without the mold, your food would go everywhere, and you’d have a really messy musubi on your hands.
Sides & Pairings
Musubi is best served with sides of vegetables or soup. You will find that chicken or Spam musubi is very filling on its own, so you don’t necessarily need hearty sides to complete your meal. In choosing your veggies, you may need to make some minor adjustments based on whether your musubi is made with chicken or Spam.
