Breath of the Wild fans are almost certainly familiar with its cooking system, which allows players to combine ingredients found around the world into dishes that restore health and offer other types of bonuses. Naturally, players might be curious how these recipes translate into real life. One of the simplest ones to try at home is Glazed Meat, simply because of how little goes into it. And it tastes great, depending on how it's prepared.
Breath of the Wild's Glazed Meat recipe is about as basic as it gets. Players only need to combine Courser Bee Honey with some form of meat for it to shake out, granting a Link a decent boost to his health and extra stamina if the components used are good quality. It's a simple recipe that can get players through a surprising number of situations in the game.
For recreating the dish in the real world, the obvious answer when selecting a protein is some sort of poultry. Honey and chicken pairs together well, so a honey-glazed chicken breast or drumstick certainly isn't anything to scoff at. There are a few quirks here that make the situation a bit more complicated, though.
First, no matter what Glazed Meat is going to resemble some sort of red meat when all is said and done. That means that beef, while certainly not the best pairing, is a more accurate representation of the dish depicted in-game. Next, Link typically doesn't use spices in his dish, though Rock Salt can be added as an ingredient without altering the final version in Breath of the Wild.
That leaves players wanting to try Breath of the Wild's Glazed Meat in an interesting position. To really put it to the test, four versions of Glazed Meat will need to be made: one with chicken and no spices, one with chicken and spices, one with beef and no spices, and one with beef and spices.
Getting Prepped
First and foremost, those looking to cook are going to need to pick up some ingredients. Here's a quick shopping list:
- Whole chicken $8-$10
- Choice of steak cut - $7-$20+
- Choice of honey -$6-$10
- Salt/pepper/seasonings
- A frozen pizza, just in case $5-$15
It's a pretty straightforward breakdown, but there are some asterisks to keep in mind here. A whole chicken is the most cost-effective method for those that want to try both the drumstick and the breast, but it will take some extra work. Breaking down a chicken isn't a complicated process, but it can be intimidating, and something of a gross-out factor. Anyone uncomfortable with breaking down a chicken may just want to buy the pieces separately.
The steak is another cost issue. The choice of cut will have an effect on the final product just like any other steak, but wasting a nice – and likely expensive – piece on a project like this isn't a great idea. The best bet is to start with something cheap like a bottom round, then work up from there if the flavor profile is a good fit.
Right off the bat, there are a couple of snags that fans are going to notice with this process. First, Link just tosses ingredients into a giant wok, which isn't an ideal way to prepare food. Plus, he doesn't use any sort of cooking oil, so trying to go with his method 1-to-1 is going to result in a disaster. For the purposes of this experiment, a nice cooking pan – preferably cast iron for creating fond – some oil, and an oven are all necessary.
Chicken and No Spices
First up is chicken and no spices. Get the oil hot and lay down the chicken breast and thigh, but don't try to cook them all the way through. The goal is to get a nice sear, but honestly, it won't matter that much by the end of the process, at least not where this recipe is concerned. Of note, it's probably best to make sure the chicken is skinless for this one, that way it absorbs into the meat a bit better.
Once the chicken has been browned, transfer it into a pan and bake it in the oven at 425 degrees, with the goal to get the final temperature to 165 degrees. Once the chicken reads at about 155, cover it with about a half cup of honey and let it cook the rest of the way through. The final product isn't anything special, basically being a piece of flavorless meat with a subtle sweetness to it, but it isn't outrageously awful either. It's definitely not as good as some of the other options, though.
Chicken and Spices
Those looking to make a real meal for themselves can go a bit wild here, and the payoff is quite nice. The process is essentially the same as the spiceless chicken but there are a few key differences. First, leave the skin on for this recipe. The chicken seasoning will give the meat beneath the skin flavor, and the honey glaze compliments the rest of the flavor profile nicely.
Once again, sear the chicken. The goal is to create a nice layer of fond – the bits that stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking – to give the honey glaze a richer flavor when the time comes. When the skin around the chicken is nice and crispy, transfer it into an oven and cook at 425 until the chicken reads around 165 degrees. After that, pull the chicken and let it rest off to the side.
Take the honey and add it to the pan over medium-low heat. Scrape as much fond from the pan as possible, and add a dash of soy sauce and a tablespoon of garlic powder. The mixture is going to bubble quite a bit, but that's okay. Put the chicken in a bowl and pour the glaze over it. Toss the chicken around to make sure that it's evenly coated. Optionally, throw in some sesame seeds and green onion to give the dish a little bit more pop. By far, this is the best combination possible, and it results in a legitimately delicious chicken recipe.
Beef and No Spices
A word of warning, spiceless beef and a honey glaze is absolutely wretched. To whip this up, lay some oil in the pan and let it heat up, just until a small amount of smoke starts to rise. From here, lay in the steak and let it sear quickly on both sides. Next, add about half a cup of honey over the top of the steak. This is where the trouble will start.
The heat of the pan will almost certainly char the honey coating the steak, and getting the glaze thick enough to stay on the steak takes an uncomfortable amount of time. Be sure to have a window open alongside any other ventilation, as there's going to be a decent bit of dark smoke rising off of the pan by the time the steak is "ready." Be careful when searing the steak initially, as it's easy to mess this part up and end up with an over or under-done steak. The glaze throws off every method of checking how done the steak is without a meat thermometer because of how burnt the honey will be.
On top of looking like a disaster, the steak tastes horrendous. Bits of fond and burnt honey coat the outside, giving it a weird, waxy texture and taste. The sweetness and the burnt flavor are directly opposed to each other, resulting in an all-around disgusting flavor profile. Not to mention, cheaper cuts of beef are a lot tougher, even if allowed to rest before and after cooking. This is the most common way Link prepares the dish in Breath of the Wild, and it's by far the worst.
Beef and Spices
Much like the chicken with the spices, it's alright to dress this one up a bit more fancily than the others. However, as far as keeping things true to the in-game version, this one strays the furthest off course, as the honey won't be used in a glaze so much as it will be a sort of pan sauce to go on top of the steak. This time, feel free to use some salt and pepper to keep things interesting.
Again, sear the steak, trying to create as much fond at the bottom of the pan as possible. When the steak is seared to the preferable level of doneness, set it aside and allow it to rest. It can be tempting to cut into the steak right away, but this process makes the meat a bit more tender. Next, lower the heat on the burner and add in some honey and a bit of soy sauce. Scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan and incorporate it into the mixture as much as possible. Then, add a dollop of butter to make a richer sauce.
For now, set the sauce to the side. Cut the steak into horizontal strips at a bit of an angle, then stack them across the top of the plate. Spoon the pan sauce on top of the steak, and that's that. This isn't as good as the glazed chicken, but it works surprisingly well. The sweetness of the glaze works well with the rich flavor of the beef, especially with the benefit of seasonings. It may not be lore accurate, but it is tasty.
That's essentially all there is to one of Breath of the Wild's most iconic meals. With Breath of the Wild 2 on the horizon, Nintendo could make the cooking system more complex, but fans will just have to wait and see.
Breath of the Wild is available now on Switch.