Teriyaki Chicken

One of my favorite things to eat is chicken and rice. I swear I could eat it nearly every day. Teriyaki chicken especially, and I like my teriyaki a little on the sweet side with a little char on it. Just a little though. This particular version produces gorgeous succulent melt in your mouth goodness. My mouth is literally watering as I’m writing this description, and I’m not even hungry!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Marinade

• 3/4 cup light soy sauce (not low sodium, just not dark)
• 1 TBSP of dark soy sauce (optional)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 TBSP mirin or dry vermouth (or extra pineapple juice)
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Trim off excess fat, and pound each chicken thigh so it’s an overall even thickness. I like to use the back of a large knife, but you can also place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and hit it with a rolling pin. When all the chicken has been flattened, place it in a large zip-top bag.
2. Combine marinade ingredients and add the prepped chicken. Take out as much of the air as possible, seal the bag, then squish the chicken around a bit so all the chicken is coated. Marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, overnight is better, but 24 hours will give you the best flavor.
3. When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 425f, and line a baking tray with foil and grease lightly with oil, or oil a broiler pan. Remove the chicken from the bag and remove excess marinade and any large bits of ginger or garlic. Lay the chicken across the prepared pan in a single layer. Discard the rest of the marinade.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, turning once. Then brown under the broiler until cooked through or to desired brownness (or blackness). You can also cook these over a very hot BBQ.
5. Place the cooked chicken on a warmed platter and tent with foil, let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 1/2 inch strips. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 Servings

Notes

• IF you have any leftovers, it’s nice to use them in a wrap sandwich, or tossed in with stir-fried vegetables, or eaten cold with your fingers standing with the fridge door open swearing you’re only going to eat one more piece but actually eating all of it because you can’t control yourself.