Restaurant-Quality Teriyaki Chicken (and Teriyaki Sauce)

 Teriyaki bowls are a great healthy eating option, especially if you're looking to get in a high amount of protein. The problem with restaurant teriyaki bowls is that they are often made with dark meat (which is higher in calories per gram that chicken breast is) and the sauce they put on it and marinate it in is probably full of high fructose corn syrup, a high amount of sodium, and preservatives up the wazoo.

 I really like "goopy" and sweet teriyaki sauce to finish my teriyaki bowls with, and I have been really disappointed by every grocery store brand I've tried, so I made my own. It rocks! It is a little sweet, has a little kick of vinegar, and great overall flavor. It can be used in any capacity you could think of, but I find it is best as a finishing sauce before serving or as a final glaze on the grill. Here are my tools for the day:

INGREDIENTS:

Teriyaki sauce ingredients.

For the rice, just to give it a little kick. I will saute finely
chopped onions in a bit of canola oil then add the rice.
After a quick saute on the rice/onion mixture, I will add
2 cups of water and a splash of seasoned rice vinegar.

For the teriyaki sauce, it is really easy:

• In a small to medium saucepan, dissolve 1 cup of white sugar into 1 cup of water. 
• Once dissolved, add 1cup of store-bought teriyaki sauce, 3/4 cup white vinegar, a drizzle of sesame oil, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and several smashed garlic cloves. Heat until sauce is at a low boil.

Note: The following steps can be omitted if you would like don't want a "goopy" sauce or you want to avoid the cornstarch.

• Take one heaping forkful of cornstarch and put into a small cup. Add a tablespoon of water and mix into a slurry (use more water if necessary).
• Add the cornstarch slurry to the boiling sauce, and increase to a high boil. Boil until the sauce is at the desired thickness. 

My Favorite (Asian-style) Chicken Marinade Ever

Ingredients for chicken breast marinade.

The chicken marinade is also easy, but you have to butterfly or thin-slice the chicken for the best possible results. Here is a quick sequence to show it in case you haven't ever done it.

For the chicken marinade, 

1. Smash several cloves of garlic in a zipper-close bag. 
2. Mix 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce with 1 tsp each red pepper flakes and sesame oil.
3. Rub hoisin mix onto both sides of the thin-sliced chicken pieces, place into bag.
4. Add 1-2 cups of store bought teriyaki sauce, marinate at least 30 min and up to four hours.

To prepare, grill the marinated chicken over a medium-high fire (to get great grill marks), and put the sauce on it as the chicken is almost done, allowing the sugar in it to carmelize and get sticky. Serve with rice and a vegetable that is in your fridge. Tonight I had some leftover grilled veggies and some broccoli: