Teriyaki Chicken Breasts Recipe

By chefebbie

One of the benefits of having a well-stocked pantry is that it gives you so much more flexibility when you want to get a meal out quickly. Case in point, this teriyaki chicken. Classic teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce, mirin (a sweet rice wine), and sake. With these items in your pantry, you can easily make a simple but perfect teriyaki sauce for steak, salmon, or chicken. In this version of chicken teriyaki we first poach skinless, boneless chicken breasts in homemade teriyaki sauce. Then we boil the heck out of the sauce to reduce it to a syrupy glaze to pour back over the cooked chicken. The result? Quick to make, low in fat, and the method produces a perfectly tender chicken breast every time.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soy sauce* (or 1/4 cup tamari** plus 1/4 cup water)
• 1/2 cup sake
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• A 1-inch piece of ginger, grated fine
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2-3 Tbsp sesame seeds

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1 Mix the grated ginger, sugar, soy sauce, sake and mirin in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, return to a boil, then remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2 While the chicken is poaching, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they begin to brown. Move to a small bowl and set aside.

3 Remove the chicken breasts from the teryaki sauce, set on a plate and cover with foil. Bring the sauce back to a boil and boil vigorously until the sauce is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce, stirring it occasionally.

To serve, slice the chicken breasts, cover with the teriyaki sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds on them. Serve with plain white rice.