Easy Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Using a Crock-Pot®

The Asian cuisine widely uses soy sauce and after that must be the next most popular choice – teriyaki sauce. Although it is usually purchased ready-made, teriyaki sauce is very good, but homemade teriyaki sauce is always better, more economical, and healthier because the ingredients to go into the sauce controlled by each cook. The flavorings for teriyaki sauce are garlic, chili, and ginger. Sometimes, I make plain teriyaki sauce and add the flavorings, such as mentioned above depending on the dish that I make that day. However, for the chicken prepared in a Crock-Pot® recipe today, I flavor my teriyaki sauce with all of them. Because homemade teriyaki sauce is so easy to prepare, I seldom make a large batch because the initial nutty aroma will deteriorate with time.  I think making the Crock-Pot® teriyaki chicken is a must-have recipe for a healthy dinner versus take-out food.  I hope this recipe will always be a number-one choice for adults and children.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

2 green onions, sliced for garnish

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds for garnish

Hot cooked rice

1/4 cup homemade teriyaki sauce

1 tbs coconut oil

Thickening ingredients:

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tbs water

Homemade teriyaki sauce:

1/4 cup equal quantities of soy sauce, mirin, and sake

2 tbs sugar

1tbs honey

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

1 garlic clove, a piece of sliced fresh ginger, and one dried chilli

Directions:

To make teriyaki sauce:

Combine all the homemade teriyaki sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil; simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by one quarter. Let cool completely before storing in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid.

To make Crock-Pot® teriyaki:

Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Place in the Crock-Pot®. Pour in the teriyaki sauce; close the lid and cook for 2 ½ hours or more depending on each Crock-Pot®’s manufacturer.

When the chicken is tender, remove from the Crock-Pot® and shred.

Pour the sauce into a saucepan; bring to boil; mix the thickening ingredients and slowly pour into the sauce. Simmer the sauce until thickened. Add the green onions.

To serve:

Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. I like to chop some cilantro to top with chicken too.

Tip:  I use a rice cooker plus the Crock-Pot®. This gadget has the sauté function. Therefore, I just remove the chicken from the Crock-Pot® and add the thickening sauce into the rice cooker pot using the sauté function.  I love this rice cooker and suggest that each household have one. It is an inexpensive rice cooker, but with a lot of good functions, and it deserves a recommendation.