A nimono of chicken pieces simmered with root vegetables — burdock, carrot, lotus root, konnyaku, taro — in a dashi-soy-mirin broth. Chikuzen-ni is a New Year's osechi preparation in its most formal context and an everyday okazu in home cooking. It demonstrates nimono technique applied to a protein-and-vegetable combination where each ingredient requires different cooking times and must be managed accordingly.
- **Browning the chicken first:** Unlike many nimono preparations, chikuzen-ni benefits from quickly searing the chicken pieces in sesame oil before the broth is added. This develops Maillard complexity that flat-simmered chicken does not possess. - **Ingredient staggering:** Dense vegetables (burdock, lotus root) go in first. More tender vegetables (taro, konnyaku) midway through. The chicken should finish cooking simultaneously with the most tender vegetables. - **The snap peas or green beans:** Added in the final minute and served still vivid green — the colour contrast against the dark-glazed root vegetables is the visual point.
Tsuji