Weeknight Chicken Teriyaki

Happy Monday!  I have been extremely busy these last few days as my husband and I are desperately trying to make a decision about our living situation.  Since the move to South Carolina, and the SUPER fun craziness that I mentioned here (please note the heavy sarcasm in that statement), we have been renting a smallish house while we build our home.  But finding a builder, closing on a plot of land, designing a house, etc is keeping us very occupied.  I have literally been running from one place to another, always with Evelyn, Eli, and Lane at my side and I haven’t been home all that much to prep dinner ahead.

So.  Quick and easy stovetop recipes have been my main go-to choices this summer.  Especially since our grill broke.  Say what??  Yes.  It broke.  In July.  Talk about rotten luck.  Maybe Mike and I should make shopping for a new grill our next date night?!  A little dinner, a little dancing, a little flirting over BTU’s and automatic ignition switches…

My slow cooker has also gotten a ton of use as well and there will be several recipes coming your way soon.  I have been keeping it by my side more than usual.  And I don’t mean that figuratively; sometimes I set it on my nightstand for safe keeping while I sleep… because yowzah!  Its true what they say!  South Carolina is HOT!  Granted, its not unbearable and we are kind of loving it, but heed my words friends.  Yes!  South Carolina summers are hot and I ain’t just whistling dixie!  So anytime I can get away with ignoring the ‘ol oven is a good day.

This chicken teriyaki recipe was one I had been messing around with the last few months we were still living in IL.  I really really love teriyaki of any kind and I have been making several different versions over the years.  But when I decided to just break it down to the basic teriyaki ingredients with no extra frills, I discovered we all really liked that best.  Go figure!  The simplest and easiest version  is our favorite!

A few things to note:  There is white rice in these pictures because when I photographed this recipe, I was cleaning out my pantry for the move and found some instant white rice in the back corners of the cupboard.  I rarely purchase white rice anymore so PLEASE be sure to eat this with brown rice for the crazy amounts of nutrition it contains.  That said, its your life.  This is fantastic with any kind of rice, rice noodles, or plain old linguini.  Heck!  Scoop it up with cardboard and this stuff would still be outrageous.  I won’t tell.
Weeknight Chicken Teriyaki 
Inspired by Nigella
Cut up the chicken and make the sauce the night before and you can have dinner on the table in no time!  Mirin is traditional to teriyaki and gives it a flavor you can’t skip.  It is a Japanese rice wine that has a sweet taste and I keep the open bottle in my pantry just for asian recipes.  I easily use a small bottle before it spoils.  Look for it in the asian/international food section of your store.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into large, bite sized pieces (about 8 thighs)
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
1 heaping tsp of sesame oil
1 heaping T of brown sugar
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated, about 1 T
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let marinade for half an hour.  Heat a large skillet-preferably non-sitck-and add just a bit of olive oil.  Using a slotted spoon, lift the chicken out of the marinade and fry over medium heat until it gets good color and is almost cooked through, turning so it doesn’t burn, 5-10 minutes.  Add the marinade to the pan and let bubbly slowly while the chicken cooks the rest of the way and the sauce thickens, a further 5 minutes.  Sauce will thicken a bit more as the dish cools.  Serve over brown rice with fresh veggies!