Teriyaki Chicken=Karaoke BBQ

by Katie Chin, Tastemaker in Residence

“Well, Hello Summer!” My daughter Becca painted a sign last night welcoming guests to our last minute Karaoke BBQ.  I was feeling inspired to make Teriyaki Chicken as it’s a big hit among kids and it’s a great compliment to the Prawn Mango Salad I was also making.  I feel so honored that my recipe for Prawn Mango Salad is featured in Maria Shriver’s  The Sunday Paper this week so decided to make both dishes for our guests!

Did you know that in Japanese “Teri” means luster and “Yaki” means grilled?  I love this recipe for Teriyaki Chicken because it’s so darn easy you can spend more time with your guests and less time prepping in the kitchen.  All the classic sweet, savory and tangy flavors of Teriyaki Chicken are in this recipe from the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar and brown sugar.

I use bone-in thicken thighs here but you can easily swap out or add some boneless, skinless chicken breasts or drumsticks (easier for karaoke because you can hold the microphone in your other hand.  LOL).  Serve Teriyaki Chicken with steaming jasmine rice and extra Teriyaki Sauce on the side  and your BBQ will really sing!! 

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp dry mustard

1-1/2 cups soy sauce

3-1/4 cups water, divided

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

6 bone-in chicken thighs

3 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp cold water

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce, 1-1/2 cups of the water and vinegar. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve the marinade.

2. Heat a grill on medium high heat. Grill chicken thighs skin side down for 10 minutes. Turn over and grill another 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring reserved marinade to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, for about 12 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

4. Brush each chicken thigh with about a tablespoon of sauce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately with hot jasmine rice and a side of teriyaki sauce.

This Teriyaki Chicken recipe is also extremely versatile as you can use it for beef, pork and even salmon.  A fun variation is to make a Teriyaki Bowl with rice or noodles on the bottom and top with slices of chicken and your favorite veggies.  I think kids love to eat anything in a bowl and the yummy Teriyaki Sauce is a sure fire way to get them to eat their veggies!!

Double the sauce and keep stored in the fridge to drizzle on everything from eggs to steak – especially great for leftovers when you want to jazz things up.