Honetsukidori (Bone-In Chicken Leg)
Honetsukidori (Spicy Roasted Bone-In Chicken Leg of Marugame)
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Honetsukidori is a chicken dish known as a specialty of Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture. A whole bone-in chicken thigh is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and other ingredients and then roasted. Its skin is crisp and fragrant, and it has a spicy flavor. Part of its appeal is the hearty way of eating it, holding it in your hand and biting right in. It is said to have begun when Ikkaku (一鶴), a restaurant in Marugame City, started selling it in 1953 (Showa 28). Restaurants often let you choose between the chewy oyadori (mature hen) and the tender hinadori (young chicken), and it is typically enjoyed with the cabbage served alongside. Today Ikkaku has restaurants not only in Kagawa Prefecture but also in Osaka, Yokohama and Hakata. Seasoning differs from restaurant to restaurant: some marinate the chicken in herbs and olive oil, while others finish it with a soy sauce-based glaze and chicken fat (chiyu). It is now served not only in Marugame City but also at izakaya (Japanese pubs) and specialty restaurants elsewhere in the prefecture, such as in Takamatsu City, and it is known as a Kagawa specialty second only to Sanuki Udon.
Origin
According to Ikkaku's company history, the restaurant was founded in 1952 (Showa 27) in Tori-cho, Marugame City, as a shop serving okonomiyaki and oden. It was an era when yasai-yaki (vegetable pancakes) cost 5 yen and nikutama-yaki (meat-and-egg pancakes) cost 30 yen, and the following year, 1953, the shop began selling honetsukidori for 80 yen apiece. Several articles report that the owner, Kondo Sadaichi, came up with the idea after seeing a scene in a Hollywood movie in which someone bites into a bone-in piece of chicken. However, there are other theories about who came up with the idea.
History
In 1967 (Showa 42), Ikkaku moved its main restaurant to Hama-machi in Marugame City and registered 'Honetsukidori Ikkaku' as a trademark. It expanded within the prefecture, opening its Dokigawa branch in Marugame City in 1973 and its Takamatsu branch in 1988, among others. From the 2000s onward it opened restaurants in Yokohama and Osaka, and in 2021 in Hakata (Fukuoka City) as well. The number of restaurants serving honetsukidori has grown in Marugame City and Takamatsu City, and Marugame City is said to promote it as a local specialty, for example by producing a guidebook called 'Honetsukidori Daihyakka' (Honetsukidori Encyclopedia).
Features
Chicken thighs are used with the bone in, seasoned beforehand with salt, pepper, garlic and so on, and roasted. Generally, oyadori is a mature hen that has finished laying eggs and is said to have a firm, chewy texture and rich flavor. Hinadori is a young chicken about 90 days old, and it is tender and juicy. Dipping the accompanying cabbage in the chicken fat that collects on the plate is also introduced as a way of eating it, and at some restaurants 'torimeshi' (chicken rice) is also popular.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
Honetsukidori is popular as a dish to enjoy with beer at izakaya. Another characteristic is the hearty way of eating it, grabbing it with your hands and biting right in. Some restaurants offer takeout, and Marugame City has also created a tourism PR character, 'Tori Bugyo Honetsuki Juju' (the Chicken Magistrate).
How It Differs from Home Cooking
Rather than being made at home, honetsukidori is popular as a dish to enjoy freshly roasted at specialty restaurants and izakaya. Besides restaurants that offer takeout, Ikkaku also sells it by mail order. Honetsukidori sets are also among the return gifts for Marugame City's furusato nozei (hometown tax donations), making it possible to enjoy the authentic taste at home as well.
Famous Shops
骨付鳥 一鶴 丸亀本店
香川県丸亀市浜町317
The main restaurant of Ikkaku, regarded as the birthplace of honetsukidori, located very close to JR Marugame Station. Oyadori is listed at 1,129 yen and hinadori at 1,001 yen, though prices may change. It is a popular restaurant where lines often form on holidays.
寄鳥味鳥（よりどりみどり）
香川県高松市兵庫町1-24
A honetsukidori specialty restaurant founded in the 1980s, located on the Hyogo-machi shopping street about a 10-minute walk from JR Takamatsu Station. It roasts Kagawa-raised asabiki chicken (processed the same morning) in a dedicated oven, and you can choose between oyadori and hinadori. A 2023 article listed both at 980 yen. Takeout is also available.
骨付丸亀鳥
香川県丸亀市通町87-2
A honetsukidori restaurant in central Marugame City. Its seasoning is reported to go easy on the spices, while a generous serving of kaiware daikon (radish sprouts) adds a refreshing touch. A 2023 article listed both the mature hen and the young chicken at around 1,100 yen each.
FAQ
Q. Which should I choose, oyadori or hinadori?
A. Oyadori is a mature hen that has finished laying eggs; it is said to be chewy, releasing more flavor the more you chew. Hinadori is a young chicken that is tender and juicy. You can choose according to your preference; at Ikkaku, oyadori is listed at a slightly higher price than hinadori.
Q. How should I eat honetsukidori?
A. It is common to hold the bone end wrapped in a paper napkin or the like and bite right in. Ikkaku's restaurants are reported to have instructions on how to eat it. Dipping the accompanying cabbage in the chicken fat that collects on the plate is also recommended.