Teriyaki Sesame Seed Chicken Thighs

Cooking from the Pantry to table - There's nothing more satisfying than planning your own menu, shopping for fresh ingredients and preparing of daily meals.  I plan my meals on the weekends and I start with Sunday dinner fixing enough to have left over's for lunch the next day.  You will love this simple recipe for Teriyaki Chicken Thighs.  You will need to do a little prepping the night or day before.  Take your boneless chicken thighs out of the freezer and let thaw, then prepare your marinade. Next day you are ready to create this wonderful dish. Enjoy!

 

 

Ingredients

Let's make the Marinade

·       1 tbsp Smoked or regular Sesame Seed Oil

·       2 tbsp Soy Sauce

·       2 tbsp Agave Nectar or ( brown sugar can be used)

·       2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

·       2 cloves garlic minced

·       1 tbsp cornstarch

·       1/2 cup of water

Chicken Thighs

 

·    8 boneless / skinless chicken thighs

·       1/2 cup scallions diced for garnish

·       2 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish

Teriyaki Sauce

·       2 tbsp honey or Agave Nectar

·       2 tbsp Soy Sauce

·       2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

·       2 tbsp Dry Sherry

·       1 tbsp minced ginger

·       1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce 

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse chicken thighs and remove visible fat.  In a large Ziploc bag, combine sesame seed oil, soy sauce, Agave Nectar, rice wine vinegar, garlic, cornstarch and water.  Then  add chicken thighs. Marinade overnight or 2 hours or so before cooking.

Step 2

Preheat oven 400° degrees, remove chicken thighs from marinade and place them on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. 

Then remove from oven and let rest for about 5 - 10 minutes.

Step 3

While thighs are cooking, to make teriyaki sauce, in a small sauce pan add honey, soy sauce, vinegar, sherry, ginger and Hoisin sauce and let simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes over medium heat until the sauce becomes glossy and caramelized.  Remove from heat and set a side.

 

Step 4

After thighs have rested, slice in strips and place in serving dish and pour teriyaki sauce over sliced thighs, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.  Serve with white or brown rice.

 

My Pantry Tip

One of the things I do when my shopping is complete on the weekends.  I prep all of my fresh herbs for my meals during week.  Example - I will wash my scallions and let them air dry on a paper towel.  Once they are dried, I diced them and put in a plastic container lined with paper towel to absorbed moisture and place them on my refrigerator door.  They will keep for about a week.