TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL (DONBURI)
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl features juicy, tender teriyaki chicken thighs served over steamed Japanese rice. This restaurant-style donburi cooks in just 30 minutes with handful of ingredients. Serve it with your favourite vegetable for your next lunch or a weeknight dinner.
Equipment
- 1 Pot or rice cooker
- A rice paddle
- Measuring spoons
- A small saucepan, and whisk
- To cook the chicken, you will need a non-stick pan or standard skillet
- Silicone baking spatula or tongs
- Knife, and a cutting board.
Ingredients
- 3 cup short grain Japanese rice or calrose rice
- 4 cup filtered water
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sake
- 4 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 small ginger knob
- 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs about 1 pound
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 green onions sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Rice - Stovetop instructions - Place rice in a saucepan and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Combine washed rice and filtered water in a medium saucepan. Bring the rice to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Rice cooker instructions - Place rice in the electric rice cooker pot and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Combine rice and filtered water in the pot and cook per the rice cooker directions.
- Mix teriyaki sauce - Add soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar in a bowl. Use a grater to grate the ginger into the mixture and whisk until well mixed. Set aside.
- Tenderize and season chicken - Tenderize the chicken so they are the same thickness. Generously season on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Cook chicken - In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once the oil is hot, use tongs to place the chicken skin side down. Use the tongs to gently push down on the meat so all of the skin comes into contact with the pan and cooks evenly. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the skin turns golden. Then turn the chicken thighs over, add a tablespoon of water to the pan, and cover with a lid. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
- Simmer in sauce - Reduce the heat to low, then pour the teriyaki marinade over the chicken. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to reduce the sauce, baste the chicken with the sauce, then remove from heat.
- Cut chicken and assemble - Place the chicken on a cutting board and slice into strips. Divide rice into bowls, place the chicken on top of the rice, and drizzle with the teriyaki sauce from the pan. Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds and green onions.
Notes
COOKING TIPS
- Fewer steps - If you want to make this chicken recipe in fewer steps, use store-bought teriyaki sauce.
- Use a large bowl - Serve this dish in a donburi bowl or large bowl to ensure all of the ingredients will fit.
- If you are using a rice cooker and the outside of the rice gets hard or crispy, use a fork to fluff the rice and add moisture back into those crispy bits.
- Be sure to tenderize the meat so the pieces to cook evenly.
- Store leftover teriyaki chicken and rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After 3 days, you need to freeze the chicken. Frozen cooked chicken can last up to 3 to 4 months in the freezer. In order to reheat the chicken, heat the oven to 350°F, then heat it for 15 min or until warmed. If frozen, let the chicken thaw first before reheating it.
- Use tongs or a fish spatula - A fish spatula is long and slotted, making it easier to pick up the chicken than it would be with a traditional spatula.
- Fewer steps - If you want to make this chicken recipe in fewer steps, use store-bought teriyaki sauce.
- Use a large bowl - Serve this dish in a donburi bowl or large bowl to ensure all of the ingredients will fit.
- If you are using a rice cooker and the outside of the rice gets hard and crispy, use a fork to fluff the rice and add moisture back into those crispy bits.
- Be sure to tenderize the meat so the pieces to cook evenly.
- Gluten-free - Make with gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or Healthy Honey Teriyaki Sauce.
- *Bone-in, skin-on chicken - Ask your butcher to remove the bone from the thighs for easy preparation.
Nutrition
