High Protein Hawaiian Chicken Dinner for 2
Cook a high-protein, marathon-safe Hawaiian Chicken Dinner for 2 people with me, with 2 proteins and 1 side dish! It’s almost time for my full marathon, so I’m remaking some delicious marathon-safe good luck foods we ate in Hawaii on our last race! There’s nothing that screams Hawaii more than the classic Chicken Plate Lunch, with a big scoop of rice and Macaroni Salad. Today, we’re making it with 2 of Hawaii’s favorite chicken: the iconic Shoyu Chicken and Chicken Katsu. The best part? This all comes together under 30 minutes!
Marathon Safe High Protein Hawaiian Chicken Meal
Three weeks ago, my family flew to Honolulu and we ran our first ever half marathon together. Somehow, every single one of us got a personal record, and I swear it was because of all the delicious food we ate in Honolulu. We are officially 3 days away from my first ever marathon. Honestly, I’m feeling very nervous and excited that race day is almost here. But if there’s one thing that always makes me feel grounded it is a home cooked meal. So tonight, I wanted to recreate that good-luck meal at home.
For dinner tonight, we’re making Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken and crispy chicken katsu with my favorite creamy macaroni salad. I’m making two chicken dishes today, because we need protein to build our muscles as our race approaches. I don’t know if anyone else is like me, but chicken is always my safe protein. It’s easy to digest, it’s comforting, and it never lets me down before a big event.
Macaroni Salad
We’re starting off with the must have macaroni salad, which I’m making in bulk so we can snack on this throughout the weekend. You can honestly add whatever toppings you like, but the non-negotiable is the creamy dressing that ties everything together. It’s a mixture of mayo, Japanese mayo, a splash of milk, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything together and let it rest and absorb flavor in the fridge. Then, start working on the chicken dishes.
- 16- ounce uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- ½ cup Japanese Mayo
- ¼ cup American Mayo
- 3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp of Mustard
- 4 tbsp Milk
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dashi Powder
Toppings
- Chopped celery ~⅓ cup
- Shredded Carrots ~¼ cup
- Sweet Corn ~½ cup
- Chopped Red Onion ~¼ cup
- Chopped Green Onion 3 stalks
- Imitation Crab Meat ~½ cup
Shoyu Chicken
Next, we’re making the Shoyu Chicken. The sauce is easy to put together, just soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. It’s sweet, savoury, sticky, and perfect with rice. While the chicken is simmering in the sauce, I’ll usually move on to the next dish and start pounding out the chicken breast for the katsu. Then, once it’s done simmering, I’ll come back and finish cooking, cutting, garnishing the chicken.
- 4 boneless chicken thigh with the skin on
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 green onions chopped
- Hot rice for serving
Pineapple Shoyu Glaze
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch optional
Chicken Katsu
Chicken katsu is another popular protein option you see all over Hawaii! I’m using my Chicken Katsu Don recipe for the Fried Chicken Katsu, you just don’t have to make any of the sauce. I pound chicken breast nice and thin, season with salt an epper, and coating in the flour, egg, and panko. Then, just deep fry until golden and crispy. I assemble the plate with rice, macaroni salad, and Shoyu Chicken while this katsu rests. Then, simply slice, plate, and enjoy!
- 2 Chicken Breast boneless and skinless
- Salt and pepper
Sauce
- 1/2 Onion sliced
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Dashi Stock
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Mirin or Sugar
- Cooked Rice
- Green Onion Chopped, to garnish
More Complete Meals To Cook At Home in Under 30 Minutes
Making this tonight!