Chicken Teriyak-Wee
April 28, 2010
I love it when parents email or send me a message on Facebook asking me to make healthy versions of their family’s favorite recipes. Hands down, one of the most requested one is Chicken Teriyaki. I adore Chicken Teriyaki. What's not to adore? Teriyaki sauce's sweet and savory flavor is something that most kids enjoy, and adding it livens up the most simple of foods like salmon, vegetables and of course, chicken.
One of the biggest pitfalls of buying pre-made teriyaki sauce from the grocery is that most brands generally contain loads of corn syrup (a big no-no in my book!). I've been buying a corn syrup-free brand from Whole Foods for a long time, but it's expensive, and when you need a good amount of sauce to marinate the chicken, it's just not worth it. So, I decided to play around with the general flavors in teriyaki sauce (pineapple, soy and ginger) to see if I could produce a healthy version that still retained teriyaki's great taste. I can't believe how incredible the results were and once I found the right balance, it took me no time to throw the ingredients together.
I'm not sure if I've ever received as many "this is incredible!" responses from my informal tasting group as I did with this dish. Now I'm adding this recipe to my rotation. So for all of you who suggested it, thank you, and keep the ideas coming!
Chicken Teriyak-Wee (Serves 4)
- Prep Time:30 minutes, (PT30M)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes, (PT20M)
- Total Time: 50 minutes, (PT50M)
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
Preparation
- 1. Place the crushed pineapple and juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- 2. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl (or a zipper bag for easy clean up) cover with 2/3rds of the teriyaki sauce (reserving the remaining for the sauce) and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (**keeping the chicken in the marinade overnight will make it even tastier**)
- 3. Preheat the oven to the broil setting and place the rack in the middle shelf of the oven (at this point you can discard the sauce that you marinated the chicken in).
- 4. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and broil for 8-10 minutes on each side for a total of 16-20 minutes (if the chicken is thick, it may take an extra minute or two). The chicken can also be grilled for 6 minutes on each side.
- 5. While the chicken is broiling, put the remaining teriyak-wee sauce in a saucepan, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until thickened.
- 6. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes.
- 7. Slice the chicken, cover with sauce and serve.
- Make extra sauce and freeze for up to 4 months!
Monica
January 12, 2013 at 11:36 pm
jawahina
February 26, 2013 at 4:40 pm
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December 8, 2012 at 9:54 am
catherine
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sjgz314
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catherine
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September 9, 2010 at 12:05 am
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September 2, 2010 at 3:51 pm
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July 19, 2010 at 6:18 am
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July 16, 2010 at 12:57 am