Mizutaki: Fukuoka's Milky Chicken Hotpot

Mizutaki is a chicken hotpot said to have originated in Fukuoka in the early 20th century. Chicken bones and meat are simmered for an extended time until the broth turns cloudy and milky-white, a texture and color distinct from the clearer chicken hotpots found elsewhere in Japan. Bone-in chicken pieces are typically used, since the bones contribute much of the broth's richness and body.

A mizutaki meal usually starts with the broth served on its own as a soup, often with a ponzu (citrus soy) dipping sauce, before chicken and vegetables are added and cooked at the table. As with many Japanese hotpots, the meal finishes with rice or noodles cooked directly in the leftover broth. Compared to Fukuoka's heartier, more pungent motsunabe, mizutaki reads as the more delicate, refined option.