Amami area

Rice, chicken, dried shiitake mushrooms, eggs, papaya miso-zuke, green onions, tangerine peels, seaweed

“Keihan (Chicken rice)" is a typical local dish of the Amami region. It consists of shredded chicken meat, dried shiitake mushrooms, thin strips of egg, papaya preserved in miso and mandarin orange peel on white rice, which is served with chicken stock soup. It is said to have originated in the Amami Islands, which were once under the control of the Satsuma domain, and was created to soften the intimidating attitude of officials coming from the Kagoshima mainland. The officials were treated to "Keihan (chicken rice)", which was made with all the ingredients of chicken, an extremely valuable food at the time. Then, it was not yet customary to pour soup over the food, and it was eaten in the style of cooked chicken rice. Since the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989), the arrangement of adding chicken soup over it became popular, and it is now a common practice.

Commonly eaten throughout the year. It is often prepared and eaten at celebratory occasions and hospitality events.

Put chicken stock and ginger in a pot of water and heat, then add chicken meat (white meat) and boil. When the chicken is cooked, let it cool and tear it into thin strips, and strain the remaining liquid to make soup. Cut shiitake mushrooms and string beans into thin strips, and broil eggs. After preparing rice, arrange the ingredients colorfully on the rice and pour the soup over the rice. It is best to use less rice and more broth, and to eat the soup as if you were slurping it down.
The broth is made from chicken bones and has a very rich flavor, which is combined with the delicious collagen. When made simply at home, chicken soup stock is sometimes used.

In addition to being made at home, there are many specialty stores on the Kagoshima mainland, especially in the Amami area, and each store has its own unique way of making ingredients and soup.
In Kagoshima Prefecture, it is also very popular as a school lunch menu item. In addition, frozen or pouch products containing the ingredients and soup, as well as freeze-dried products, have also been commercialized and are popular as souvenirs.