Baked Teriyaki Chicken

This sweet and savory chicken dish is inspired by Japanese cuisine. Addictive homemade teriyaki sauce comes together surprisingly quickly, blending rich flavors of soy, garlic, and maple. Then, tenderized chicken bakes right in the sauce for a delicious, family-friendly entree in less than 45 minutes. Bonus: there’s plenty of extra teriyaki sauce to spoon over your sides!

I promise once you make this sauce at home, you’ll wonder why you ever used the store-bought stuff. Plus, it’s totally free from corn syrup, refined sugars, cheap oils, preservatives, and all the other nasties that you’ll find in the grocery store.

The recipe below was designed for my small household of two, but just double it to make more! Easy-peasy. Teriyaki chicken pairs well with steamed brown rice, garlic roasted broccoli, and a healthy appetite.

This recipe is adapted from https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/best-ever-baked-teriyaki-chicken/.

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Baked Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This tender chicken bakes right in homemade teriyaki sauce for a delicious, family-friendly entree in less than 45 minutes.

Makes: 2 servings

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25-30 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if desired or necessary), divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit).
2. Pound the chicken breasts in a freezer bag or between pieces of plastic wrap with a meat pounder or flat-bottomed heavy jar until they are an even thickness. Refrigerate until needed.
3. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup soy sauce, water, vinegar, syrup, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic, and stir vigorously to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil.
4. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Whisk together the remaining three tablespoons of soy sauce and the corn starch until the corn starch is dissolved, and stir the corn starch slurry into the simmering sauce. Stir for another one-two minutes until sauce is thickened.
5. Heat the olive oil in a in a large oven-proof pan or skillet (preferably with a metal handle) over medium-high heat.
6. When the olive oil is shimmering, sear the chicken for about three minutes on each side. Once it's seared, pour the teriyaki sauce over the chicken.
7. Move the chicken to the oven, and bake the chicken breasts for about ten-twelve minutes, or until 165 degrees (Fahrenheit) internally. Use extreme caution as the handle of the pan will be hot.
8. Allow the chicken breasts to rest for three-four minutes before serving with generous spoonfuls of sauce from the pan.

Notes and Nutrition Information

• Keep this chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to four days.You can also freeze this teriyaki chicken up to six months, again using an airtight storage method.

• Use low-sodium soy sauce to reduce the sodium in this recipe by about a third.

• For a lighter dish, serve the chicken in half the quantity of sauce. This will cut about 190 calories per serving.

• One half of the recipe as written contains approximately 633 calories, 13 grams of fat, 74 grams of carbohydrates, 54 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber, 49 grams of sugar, and 4917 milligrams of sodium.