Teriyaki Chicken

There are as many recipes for Teriyaki Chicken on the internet as there are residents in Pretoria. Just saying that out loud sounds a bit crazy. So you can imagine my dilemma when I tried to figure out what the proper way to make Teriyaki was…and to this day I still don’t know. So I just threw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl, added some chopped up chicken and hoped for the best. Thank goodness it came out utterly divine.

Every week, I face the challenge of coming up with a new way of cooking chicken. Not that my tried and tested recipes aren’t good enough, but we eat chicken twice a week…at least. And I know thousands of families across South Africa also eat chicken often (heck, most men in South Africa feel that chicken is a vegetable). So I really like to post new chicken recipes weekly so I can inspire my readers to try something new.

I knew my kids would absolutely love this chicken recipe because it’s sweet and sticky and to give it some edge, I added freshly chopped chillies to the adults’ plates. The only complaint my husband had was that it was quite strong and that was my fault because instead of adding 1/2 a cup of soy sauce, I added 1 1/2 cups to the marinade. It was one of THOSE moments where the kids were running around me chasing each other, the cat was rubbing against me for his food and the dog wouldn’t stop barking at the cat. So please, whatever you do, DON’T add that much Soy sauce, unless you’re cooking this for 12-15 people! I also cheated a bit with the marinade because I bought Teriyaki sauce from my local supermarket and just jazzed it up to my taste. I know you might not have a lot of the ingredients in your pantry, but just like herbs, I urge you to buy them. You can keep them in your fridge/pantry for ages and use them over and over again. Trust me, it’s worth it.

I served the Teriyaki Chicken with steamed Jasmine Rice and blanched Sugar-Snap Peas and it was a very satisfying meal full of flavour and texture. And if you put the chicken in the marinade the night before, it will only take you 20 minutes to have dinner on the table.

Serves 4-6

4-6 large deboned, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
3tbsn sweet chilli sauce
2tbsn fish sauce
2tbsn soft brown sugar
2tsp ginger, crushed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

canola/vegetable oil for frying

• Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and place in a Ziploc bag.
• Combine all the marinade ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and pour over the chicken.
• Allow to marinade for at least 20 minutes or over night.
• When  you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat a wok or large frying pan until it’s VERY hot and add 2tbsn canola or vegetable oil.
• Drain the chicken from the marinade but KEEP the marinade.
• Fry the chicken until it starts to feel firm and it’s gone a nice caramelly colour and turn down the heat. Pour in half of the marinade and allow to cook until the marinade has reduced and has gone slightly sticky and thick and the chicken is cooked all the way through.
• Serve the chicken with steamed jasmine rice and greens of your choice.