Chicken Teriyaki and Veggie Bowl

I'm from Seattle. If you have never been there before, it is a city filled with culture. You see it in people, in art, food, clothing, skin color and religion. There is something for everyone and it is a beautiful, thriving city. I miss it so much. And just like you would picture a Starbucks on every corner, there are also coffee stands and Teriyaki places everywhere! And although teriyaki may not make the top of my "I miss Seattle" list, it is certainly one of the easier ones to recreate. Because I'm pretty sure I don't have the capital to build and staff a large performing arts theater, shopping malls or purple mountains majesty. :) Considering this is a significantly more conservative task to take on, and one I've never done before... Well, I did it. And, no surprise to me (or my audience of one, my husband) it was super yummy. It almost took me back home to being 22, getting teriyaki with my roommate in Kirkland and chowing down. So this teriyaki recipe, as with any thing I cook, was kind of a fly by the seam of your pants recipe. So what I did was take some out before I reduced it to make a marinade for the chicken. Then I thickened it, and it made 1 1/2 mason jars worth. So there is enough "sauce" to marinade 1 batch of chicken and 3-4 cups of thickened teriyaki sauce. Serves 4-5 (Serving based off of chicken and rice servings; there will be extra teriyaki sauce.)

Ingredients: 1 1/2-2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 cups soy sauce 1 1/2 cups water, plus 3 tbsp separated 6 tbsp rice syrup (1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp) 6 tbsp honey (1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp) 1/4 cup white sugar 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger 6-8 garlic cloves 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch 1 1/2 cups white rice shredded carrots (optional) edamame (optional) zucchini "noodles" (optional)

Instructions: (I made the sauce/marinade the night before so that the chicken would have the yummy flavor infused. If you don't have time to do that, life will go on. But I am a huge fan of marinating meat over night.) 1. Begin by combining the soy sauce, water (reserve 3 tbsp for later), rice syrup, honey, sugar, fresh grated ginger and pressed/minced garlic in a sauce pot. Stir and allow the flavors to cook together for 5 minutes or so. 2. Remove roughly 1/2- 3/4 cup of the unthickened teriyaki sauce and add it to which ever container you chose to marinate your chicken thighs in. Stir and coat the chicken evenly; returning it to the refrigerator for a few hours or over night. 3. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tbsp water with 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch. When it is mixed, with out lumps, add it to the teriyaki sauce in the pot. Stir and reduce for another 5-10 minutes. 4. Transfer the sauce to mason jar or another lidded storage container. 5. Cook your rice according to the instructions on the package. This will vary if you're cooking brown rice, white rice, or quinoa. Also if you're using a rice maker, or a stove top pot, that could alter the cooking instructions/time. But white rice will take about 20 minutes to cook. 6. While your rice is cooking, heat up the grill and prep your veggies, if you're adding them. (I used shredded carrots, steamed edamame and spiraled some raw zucchini with my Vegetti Pro.) 7. Cook the chicken thighs on the grill for roughly 10-12 minutes, at around 375 degrees. Flip the chicken half way through. If your grill is warmer or cooler, cooking time may vary. Verify the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. It should be 165 degrees. ' 8. Allow the chicken to rest and then slice it into strips. 9. Plate rice, followed be veggies (optional) and then grilled chicken. Drizzle teriyaki sauce over it all. I like to put it on fairly heavy, you may like a light drizzle. Its your call! (The extra sauce will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.) Enjoy!