Have you been to Tokyo Joe’s?  It’s a Japanese-inspired quasi food chain that started in Colorado and has since branched out to other states like TX, AZ and CA.  Anyway, they have the best Japanese inspired health food!  My high school friend worked there so for years I got tons of freebies and menu samples, but I always wound up ordering the same thing.

Chicken teriyaki bowl with white rice.  It seems simple but the flavors are complex and delicious, and when you’re craving chicken teriyaki you just NEED chicken teriyaki.

20 years later and I live far away from all the Tokyo Joe’s restaurants… far away from everything really.  So to satisfy my craving I came up with my version of their chicken teriyaki bowl.  I’ve been on a health food kick lately anyway so why not?  Did I mention the freebies ran out?  

 

**Harps playing in the background as the clouds part**

I present Chicken Teriyaki with Steamed Rice!!  Scroll down and I’ll give you a brief tutorial on how to make it.  It’s so simple you just need the following ingredients:

• East-West Sweet Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
• Chicken Thighs
• Green Onions
• Steamed Rice

 

PSA:  According to my son Owen, chopsticks are needed too. 🙂

 

I use steamed white rice as the base – recipe here.

 

This is the Teriyaki sauce I use and it’s VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO PASS IT UP FOR SOMETHING CHEAPER OR DIFFERENT!  It’s less than $5 and really easy to find, plus you get two uses out of it since we only use half a bottle in this recipe.  It’s in the aisle with the Asian sauces, rice noodles, etc… just look for the purple foil! 🙂

 

You need six boneless skinless chicken thighs.  If you’re not partial to chicken thighs you can substitute with chicken breast; about 3-4 large breasts would equate.

**UPDATE**  After this blog was posted I made the same recipe with chicken breast and now I highly recommend only using chicken thighs.  The breast meat had too much moisture so the sauce didn’t stick very well, and the meat wasn’t as flavorful.  

 

Don’t forget the green onions either!

 

I multiplied my rice recipe to make 4 1/2 cups of prepared rice.  So instead of using 1 cup of dry rice, I used 1 1/2 cups, and instead of using 2 cups of liquid, I used 3 cups.  

Begin by steaming the rice first.  This gives it a chance to rest in the pot before using (It’s fluffier after sitting on the back burner for a while).

 

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper prior to cooking.

Mary, my best friends mom, bought me specialty salts and oils for Christmas.  The Black Truffle Sea Salt is to die for.  Thanks Mary it’s delish!!

❤

 

To cook the chicken use a dash of olive oil and only flip it twice.  The first side should be seared on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, and after flipping it reduce the heat to medium and finish cooking the other side for 2-3 minutes or until 165º F.  I did this in two batches.

Tip:  When the chicken is done set it aside and using a paper towel wipe all of the oil out of the skillet.  

You want the teriyaki sauce to STICK to the chicken.  Oil prevents that from happening so give your skillet a quick swipe to make it oil-free before you return the chicken to the pan.

Tip #2:  Use a small sharp knife to poke holes all over the chicken and make little pockets for the sauce to soak into.

 

Now return the poked chicken back to the oil-free skillet.

 

Turn the heat to medium and add 1/3 cup (about 4 tablespoons) of teriyaki sauce.

 

Cook until it’s simmering and the sauce begins to reduce.

 

Keep going until it gets really sticky.  Then set it aside to cool.

 

Once it’s cooled down, rough chop it and then begin assembling the bowls.

 

I use half of a 12 oz. bottle of teriyaki sauce.  Once I assemble the bowls I drizzle the remaining pan sauce and a little bit from the bottle over each one to help season the rice better.  Then I sprinkle them with green onion and sesame seeds.

“Your life is YOUR art.  What are YOU creating today?”

 

– The Universe

 

Once everything is plated this recipe makes six servings.  My husband and I each had a serving for dinner which left me four containers for my weekly meal prep.

 

Chicken Teriyaki with Steamed Rice (low-cal meal prep)

• 6 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 4 1/2 cups Steamed White Rice
• 12 oz. bottle (only using 6 oz.) East-West Sweet Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
• 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• Sesame Seeds (garnish/optional)

To make 4 1/2 cups of rice:  Ratio as follows: 1 1/2 cups dry rice to 3 cups liquid (recipe here).

Cook the chicken:  After trimming away the fat, rinse, pat dry and then season both sides with salt and pepper.  Sear the first side in olive oil in a pre-heated large skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, and after flipping it reduce the heat to medium and finish cooking the other side for 2-3 minutes or until 165º F.  Transfer it to a plate and poke holes all over it.  Next, using a paper towel, remove any oil from the skillet.  Now return the chicken to the skillet and over medium heat cook the chicken in 1/3 cup (about 4 tablespoons) of teriyaki sauce.  Continue to cook until it’s reduced to a sauce that sticks to the chicken, about 7-10 minutes.  Once cooled rough chop the chicken.

Assemble the bowls:  First rice, then chicken, then a drizzle of pan/bottle sauce, then green onion and sesame seeds.  Enjoy 🙂 xoxo

______________________________________________________________________________________

Caloric equation for your reference:

If you choose to divide into 6 servings:

One Meal = Skinless Chicken Thigh (209 cal.), 3/4 cup Cooked White Rice (150 cal.), 2 tablespoons East-West Sweet Ginger Teriyaki Sauce (70 cal.) = 429 Calories