Chicken teriyaki is one of those extremely simple dishes that I could eat every day. This chicken teriyaki rice bowl isn’t the most traditional, but I enjoy it this way. I used chicken breast because they are healthier but if you don’t care, use boneless chicken thighs instead.
How to butterfly chicken breasts
The reason I always butterfly chicken breasts before cooking is so that they cook more evenly. Chicken breast are naturally thicker on one side and thin on the other. By flattening them, this creates uniform thickness throughout so that they are cooked perfectly.
The first thing I do is by removing the tender. This is the small piece of the chicken that hangs and can be easily pulled off. The second step is to begin slicing the chicken breast horizontally in half without cutting all the way through. Once you have cut about 2 inches through, open up the cuts and turn them face down while applying pressure. Continue to press down until flat.
What aromatics to use for chicken teriyaki rice bowl?
Onions in chicken teriyaki rice bowl
I used yellow onions that were very finely diced. This way a lot of the juices from the onion is released into the teriyaki sauce. You sacrifice some texture but it works great.
Minced garlic
Minced garlic is a must for any type of stir fry meat dish. I would recommend using fresh peeled garlic and not the minced garlic that comes in a container. The fresh garlic is much more fragrant and cannot be replaced.
Birds eye chilies in chicken teriyaki rice bowl?
If you cannot handle spice then leave this out but trust me, the small kick of spice is amazing with the teriyaki sauce.
How to keep chicken breast juicy
The key to keeping chicken breast juicy is as simple as not overcooking it. When I cook a chicken breast that has been butterflied, I don’t cook it for longer than 3-4 minutes on each side. I would rather leave it slightly underdone than overcooked.
With this recipe, you can even leave the chicken slightly underdone and once you add it back into the sauce, the residual heat will continue to cook it.
Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken breast
- 3 chicken breasts (or 5 bonesless chicken thighs)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- ½ tbsp cumin powder
- ½ tbsp paprika
Sauce
- ½ yellow onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 large birds eye chili
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup honey
- corn starch slurry
Corn starch slurry
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
Garnish
- chives
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Dice up the onion, garlic, and chilies for later.
- Mix together your corn starch slurry and leave for later.2 tsp corn starch, 1 tbsp water
- Butterfly your chicken breast and rub with olive oil as a binder.3 chicken breasts, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder, and paprika.½ tbsp salt, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, ½ tbsp cumin powder, ½ tbsp paprika
- Cook chicken breast over a high heat pan with 1 tbsp of oil for 3-4 minutes on each side. DO NOT overcook.
- Remove chicken from the pan and set aside to rest.
- In the same pan turn the heat down to medium and add diced onions, garlic, and chilies. Stir for 1 minute.½ yellow onion, 5 cloves garlic, 1 large birds eye chili
- Add soy sauce, chicken stock, mirin, honey, and corn starch slurry. Simmer for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup mirin, ¼ cup honey, corn starch slurry, ¼ cup chicken stock
- Cut chicken breast into cubes then add it to the sauce in the pan.
- Top with chives and sesame seeds.chives, sesame seeds
