Chicken Teriyaki Bowls

I had nothing planned for Sunday family dinner after spending the afternoon enjoying the unexpected 88° day outside.  I swore not to order pizza 2 Sundays in a row, so I quick thawed a few individually wrapped chicken breasts that I bought at Costco and checked the cupboards for what I could do with them.

My first thought was that I had snipped some fresh basil from the garden and knew that I had some pine nuts and olive oil, I could do a quick pesto and throw the chicken over some pappardelle pasta.  That got vetoed because we had enjoyed a block of cream cheese covered with some jarred Trader Joe’s pesto Saturday afternoon with some pita crackers.  Damn!

I opened the refrigerator and saw the fresh pineapple that I had ripening to slice and soak in Malibu Rum and inspiration hit.  I’d make some homemade teriyaki and we’d have chicken bowls for dinner.  Whew!  Crisis averted.

Quick Teriyaki Sauce

• 4 TBLS Honey
• 1/2 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 + 1/2 Cups Water
• 8 TBLS Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1+1/2 tsp minced garlic (preferably roasted)
• 4 TBLS Corn Starch dissolved in 1/2 Cup Cold Water
• 3 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 tsp Sesame Seeds

In 1 +1/2 Quart Saucepan whisk together honey, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and crushed red peppers over medium heat. Dissolve cornstarch in water and whisk into sauce cooking about 2 more minutes until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame seeds.  Makes about 4 cups.  Store any unused sauce in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Bowl Prep:

• Prepare 6-8 Servings of White or Brown Rice
• Thinly slice a green bell pepper, 2 ribs of celery, 2 carrots (julienne or matchstick sized), and 1/4 of a medium onion (if desired)
• Quickly stir-fry the vegetables in a splash of olive oil until onion is translucent and other vegetables have softened
• Cut 3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1 x 1 inch strips (give or take), salt and pepper, and stir fry in a well oiled pan over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through.
• Thinly slice the green portions only of a green onion

Assemble Bowls:

• Scoop some rice into the bottom of the bowl
• Add a layer of the vegetable mixture
• Top with a generous portion of the chicken
• Generously spoon teriyaki sauce over the top of the chicken until well coated
• Sprinkle with sliced green onion

This is a really easy make ahead meal.  Prepare everything and store separately in covered containers in the refrigerator.  It is easily and quickly reheated for a weeknight meal!

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