🍱 Niwatori Jiru

In Oita Prefecture, which is one of the top purchasers of chicken meat per household per year in Japan, local dishes using chicken meat have long been eaten. "Niwatori Jiru" was a feast when chicken meat was once a precious commodity. Whenever there was a celebration or a guest was invited, the chicken was first slaughtered, and the meat and entrails were used for "Tori meshi" or "game-ni", and the rest of the chicken bones was used for "Niwatori Jiru". The broth is made from the chicken bones as well as the meat, so there is no waste and the ingredients can be enjoyed to the fullest. Along with "Niwatori Jiru", "Tori meshi" is another chicken dish. This is a rice dish with stewed chicken, Gobou(=Burdock), carrots, and other ingredients mixed in. The leftover pieces of meat and entrails from making "Tori meshi" are sometimes used for "Niwatori Jiru". For this reason, "Tori meshi" and "Niwatori Jiru" were often made as a set.