Crisp-Skinned Chicken Thighs with 1-1-1 Sauce

In Japan, we learned a 1-1-1 formula for making tare (pronounced tah-reh), the salty-sweet soy-centric sauce used to season dishes of all sorts, from grilled foods to soup broths. With a base of equal parts shoyu (soy sauce), sake and mirin, ingredients such as garlic and ginger can be added to supply depth and complexity. We also toss in a few dried shiitakes to boost the umami factor. (We suggest saving the mushrooms after straining. Minced or sliced, they are a deeply flavorful topping for steamed rice or tofu, or add them to noodle dishes.) We use the tare on skin-on, boneless chicken thighs that are broiled in the lower part of the oven. The skin renders, browns and turns crackling crisp. If you cannot find boneless, skin-on thighs, purchase bone-in thighs and remove the bones yourself. With the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut the meat away from either side of the bone using a scraping action, then slide the blade under the bone and cut it free. There will be a piece of cartilage attached to an edge of the meat that also will need to be trimmed. Yuzu kosho, a condiment made of green chilies, yuzu (a type of citrus) and salt, is punchy, pungent accent to the chicken. Only a tiny amount is needed to supply big flavor. If you wish to try yuzu kosho but cannot find it, make our ersatz version with pickled jalapeños and lemon zest (recipe follows).