Baked Chicken Teriyaki

Teriyaki is a favorite of mine and I love the tangy flavors that accompany either chicken or shrimp. I've even tried salmon with teriyaki which is now a new favorite of mine. This recipe for homemade teriyaki is simple and flavorful. The best part is I used low sodium soy sauce where you would normally have regular soy sauce in take out. 

Chicken Teriyaki Ingredients

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine) I substituted 1/4 cup white cooking wine & 1 Tablespoon honey
4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut to bitesize pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until dissolved. Combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin (or my substitution), ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes together in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer. Slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels; arrange in a baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken breasts, coating all sides.

Bake chicken breasts in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 25 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).

 

You may thing this looks more like a Mexican mole rather then teriyaki. I was a bit surprised at how dark it came out and how much thicker the sauce is then what I am used to. However, it had a nice full bodied flavor and actually tasted a bit smokey, which surprised me since I did not add any liquid smoke. I put some over rice and it was a hearty meal that did not have me craving salt like I can after eating teriyaki. The chicken was nice and moist too. Give this a try and let me know what you think!

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Featured on Friday Food Frenzy April 12, 2013