Pound each breast between two sheets of
plastic wrap with a mallet or rolling pin until 1 cm thick.
Place the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar
and 1 teaspoon of the ginger in a flat non-metallic dish big enough to
fit all the chicken in a single layer and stir until the sugar has
dissolved.
Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover
and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once halfway through.
Once the chicken has marinated, bring a
saucepan of water to the boil.
Add the rice and cook for 12 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Drain. Stir in the chives and the remaining
ginger, then cover until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, drain the chicken, reserving
the marinade. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and cook the
chicken, skin-side-down over medium heat for 4-5 minutes - remove form
the pan (the chicken should not be quite cooked through).
Add the reserved marinade and 3
tablespoons water to the pan and scrape any sediment stuck to the base.
Bring to the boil over high heat, then return the chicken (skin-side-up)
with any juices to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until just cooked
through, turning once to coat (If the sauce is still a little runny,
remove the chicken and boil the sauce over high heat until it is
slightly syrupy). Rest the chicken for a few minutes.
To serve, divide the rice among four
serving plates and place the chicken (either whole or sliced on the
diagonal) on top.
Drizzle with a little sauce and serve with
steamed Asian greens)
