Chicken Teriyaki

There's this Japanese restaurant in my hometown. Their chicken teriyaki is sooooo good. After I eat it, I feel sooooo bad.

I wish you could make restaurant-style meals in your own kitchen, in a way that actually makes you feel good after you're done eating.

Oh, wait. You can.

The title may be a bit misleading. I generally don't keep teriyaki sauce in the house, but I always have a good bottle of reduced-sodium soy sauce. I really like the flavor of soy sauce better anyway. But you could definitely use those two sauces interchangeably, depending on which one you prefer.

Start with the rice. I like the long-cooking brown kind, which takes about 50 minutes, so I put it on just before I start with the vegetables. If you are on the white versus brown rice fence, remember that brown rice has more fiber, is more nutrient-dense, and is lower on the glycemic index than white rice. I'm just sayin'.

In a large skillet, saute in a bit of olive oil and a bit of soy sauce whatever veggies you have on hand. I used...
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 zucchini, thinly sliced longways (Is it 2 zucchini or 2 zucchinis?)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
A handful of broccoli florets
1 small carton button mushrooms, chopped

I like to cook my chicken in a separate skillet. I have a phobia of raw meat, and the thought of raw chicken getting on my vegetables and then not cooking all the way out of them kind of makes me cringe. So, in another skillet, I heat up just a tad bit of olive oil as well as a shake of soy sauce and add...
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into sweet little chunks

The secret with the chicken is, once you put it in the hot skillet, not to mess with it for a few minutes. Let it sit for a little bit before you move it around. Once it's easy to separate with a utensil like a wooden spoon,** move it around and cook until it's good and sticky brown. I also like to add a little more soy sauce to the pan as the chicken soaks up the juices.

**Sidebar...The Coach is more than willing to do dishes for me after supper while I get Little Bit's bath ready. But I guarantee you, if I use a wooden spoon when I cook, I can go back in the kitchen and it will be spotless, all the dishes in the drainer, except for the wooden spoon. He won't touch it. I have no idea. It freaks him out. Likewise, if a plate has any bit of ketchup on it, that plate will keep the wooden spoon company in the dirty side of the sink until I rescue it.

Once everything is cooked, serve with rice on the bottom, topped with veggies, topped with chicken.



Yes, it looks super good. Trust me, it tastes even better. Enjoy!