Teriyaki Chicken Breasts & a Bonus Tip for Cooking Chicken ;-)

I love Asian flavors, but the hubs is not as big of a fan.  His passion is Mexican food, but there are only so many enchiladas and burritos that this girl can eat.  Every so often I have to try and sneak another type of food onto our table.

We both really enjoyed this Teriyaki Chicken Recipe. Even the kiddo loved it.  It is both beautiful and packed full of flavor.  If you prefer more subtle flavors, halve the sauce recipe or cut back on the soy. 

However, I like lots of bold flavor, especially on chicken breasts since they're usually kind of bland.  One way I've found to get more flavorful chicken is to pound your chicken until it is a fairly uniform thickness.  That way it cooks evenly and doesn't have one thick flavorless side and one thin, chewy side.  Whether you're using a marinade, a sauce or breading the chicken, you get a better chicken to seasoning ratio by making your chicken breast thinner.  Another plus is that it cooks faster.

Hmmm.... faster, yummier chicken?  What's not to like there?

Serve the Teriyaki Chicken on a pillow of brown rice and ladle the extra sauce over the top.  For a pretty presentation, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Enjoy!

Recipe
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water
2/3 c white sugar
1 c soy sauce
1/3 c cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper

4-5 medium sized chicken breasts, pounded to about a 1/2" thickness
sesame seeds and diced green onions for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking dish with foil.
2. Combine cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper in a small sauce pan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens to a syrup like consistency.
3. Place chicken in dish and brush with sauce; turn over and brush other side.  Bake 40 minutes, brushing every 8-10 minutes with sauce.  (You can bake it for less time, but the sauce may not stick to the chicken as well.)  Garnish with sesame seeds and diced green onions. 

Source: Adapted from AllRecipes.com 
Printable Recipe

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Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Foodie Friday