Dinner Tonight: Teriyaki Chicken
By: Susan Joy
Teriyaki Chicken is a simple and delicious dinner that’s cooked in minutes. It also makes a wonderful finger food for parties, just add a toothpick to each piece of chicken. Teriyaki sauce originated in Japan, the name refers to the shine or lustre the sauce has. The very high sugar content in regular Teriyaki dishes produces the shine. I’m happy to say I’ve been able to create a delicious sauce/marinade containing no refined sugars or soy sauce. I’ve used organic coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. Soy has isoflavones which can raise estrogen and decrease testosterone.
Serves: 4-5 | Prep Time: 00:10 | Cooking Time: 00:15 | *Plus 30 minutes marinating time
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed), (1 lge juicy orange)
- 3 Tbsp honey (unprocessed)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tsp ginger, minced or grated
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 kg skinless chicken, breast or thigh (cut into bite size pieces)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, or ghee for cooking (divided)
- To garnish: sesame seeds, and thinly sliced spring onions
Directions
Add the coconut aminos, orange juice, honey, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger and salt to a large bowl. Mix to combine all the marinade ingredients.
Place the cubed chicken into the marinade and stir to coat well. Place in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes to marinate.
Heat a large frypan on medium-high (I use a large 32cm pan), then add half the coconut oil.
Use a slotted or sieve spoon to drain the marinade off the chicken before adding the pieces to the pan. Place half the chicken, leaving space between each piece into the hot pan. Cook for approximately 1.5 minutes on each side, use tongs to turn the chicken. Watch the pan carefully and reduce heat when needed to prevent the marinade on the chicken burning (but you want the chicken golden in colour). Place the cooked chicken onto a plate, then add the remaining oil and chicken and cook as above. Reserve the marinade in the bowl to make the sauce.
Once all the chicken has been removed from the pan, reduce the heat and immediately pour the reserved marinade into the pan (be careful to watch the pan when the chicken is removed to prevent leftover bits in the pan burning). Simmer the marinade, stirring often until it’s reduced to a thick dark sauce, approximately 8 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to the teriyaki sauce in the pan once it’s thick and stir to coat well.
Once the chicken is piping hot, serve over cauliflower rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onions. If you would like to serve as a snack, place the chicken pieces on a plate lined with lettuce leaves, drizzle over the sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and insert a toothpick into each piece.
You will find my Tandoori Chicken recipe here.
Article supplied with thanks to The JOYful Table.
About the Author: Susan is author of The JOYful Table cookbook containing gluten & grain free, and Paleo inspired recipes for good health and well being.
