Mika’s Sesame Teriyaki Chicken

Mika's Japanese Sesame Teriyaki Chicken

This is a quick and easy way to make Teriyaki Chicken – all in one pot, no marinade step required!  In the time it takes you to steam some rice, your chicken will be done (from start to finish) – which makes it an easy weeknight meal.

I like to add a little bit of extra flavor to my Teriyaki chicken with the addition of garlic, seeded minced jalapeno, and sesame oil.  None of these ingredients are essential – so if you don’t have them (or don’t like them), you can leave them out.  But I feel like they give a little bit of extra flavor, so I use them.  (Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno if you don’t want your chicken to be spicy.)

I buy large family packs of chicken drumsticks and freeze them in smaller portions – a 4 pound package of 14-16 drumsticks is usually less than $4.00, so this is a pretty inexpensive dish.  You can double the recipe if needed, or you can substitute with chicken thighs or other parts.  Keep in mind that thicker parts (like thighs) may need to cook longer, while smaller parts (like wings or drumettes) may be done sooner.

Mika’s Sesame Teriyaki Chicken:

You can use any type of chicken - but this recipe works best with either drumsticks or thighs.

• ~2 lb. chicken drumsticks (about 8 drumsticks)
• 1 T. canola oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 small jalapeno pepper
• 1/3 c. soy sauce
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 T. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2-3 green onions, sliced (optional)
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds (optional)

1.  Cut the jalapeno pepper in half, remove the seeds and membranes (you can keep the seeds and membranes if you prefer your chicken to be spicy).  Mince the jalapeno pepper, and place it in the bottom of a measuring cup along with the minced garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic paste).  (In the photo here, I am using a jalapeno pepper from my garden that turned red after sitting on the plant a little longer – the green ones from the market are fine too.)

2.  Add the soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to the measuring cup, and mix to make your sesame teriyaki sauce.

3.  Add the canola oil to a large skillet or wok, and heat over medium.  Add the chicken pieces and allow to cook a few minutes per side to brown.

4.  Pour the teriyaki sauce over the chicken, and bring it to a gentle simmer.

5.  Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

6.  Remove the lid, and flip the chicken pieces, then cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes (until your chicken is cooked through).  At this point, your sauce will still be quite watery.

7.  Flip the chicken again, and bring up the heat to medium high (uncovered).  You will want to cook and reduce the sauce a few minutes until it is thick and bubbly (but not dried out or burnt).

8.  Remove the chicken to a serving platter.  The sauce leftover in the pan might be quite sticky (like molasses) at this point, so you may want to add a little bit of water (about 1/4 c. water to 1/2 c. water) to loosen it up into a pourable sauce.  Return the pan to the stove, and over medium heat, scrape the bottom of the pan with a plastic or wooden spatula to loosen the sticky sauce and mix it all together.

9.  Pour the sauce over the chicken, and garnish with the sliced green onion and sesame seeds.