This is my first installment for my new section “Complete Meals (with instructions).” It’s for anyone who would like more instructions/ideas on what and how to make a complete meal instead of only finding instructions for one part of a meal. But feel free to take any part of this meal and make it your own. 🙂 

Teriyaki chicken was one of my favorite meals when I was younger. My mom would put chicken in the crock-pot and pour teriyaki sauce and water over top and let it cook all day long. The house would smell great and the teriyaki chicken was so tender that it would fall apart on your plate. Strangely enough, I could never figure out how to replicate that same recipe, simple as it was.

But after our second child was born a friend brought us dinner: teriyaki chicken, rice and peas. And let me tell ya…it was aMaZinG!! I immediately asked her for the recipe, and this was it…with a few slight changes to appease the hubby, and we were golden! I love that this sauce can be made completely from scratch with the option of making it gluten-free, by using a gluten-free soy sauce like this one. 

For the rice I like to use a Rice Cooker like this one. If you’re like me and seem to struggle every time you make rice in a pot because by the time all the water has dissolved you discover the rice is still crunchy [sigh…], and you keep adding more water to try and soften the rice so it will be edible-but it never seems to come out quite right, then a Rice Cooker may not be a bad option for you. They’re super affordable which is great! I’ve been using mine for over 5 years and it still works fabulously! What I love most about a rice cooker is that all you have to do is add the rice and water/liquid (yes, you can use other liquid like chicken broth to enhance the flavor-but for this recipe I’d just stick with water), set it to cook (which is a nifty little flip switch), and when it’s ready it will “ding,” and it comes out perfectly! Every. Time. 

Teriyaki Shredded Chicken and Rice

2015-04-27 09:14:23

Serves 3

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

4 hr

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

4 hr

Ingredients

1. 2 large chicken breasts or 3-4 small chicken breasts
2. 1 cup water
3. 2 Tbsp olive oil
4. salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Teriyaki Sauce

1. 1 cup water
2. 1/4 cup soy sauce
3. 1/4 tsp garlic powder
4. 1/4 tsp ground ginger
5. 5 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
6. 2 Tbsp honey
7. 2 Tbsp corn starch
8. 1/4 cup water

Rice

1. 1 1/2 cup rice
2. 3 cups water

Peas

1. 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
2. water

Instructions

1. If using precooked chicken, start the rice first-otherwise start it about 30-45 minutes before you're wanting to eat. Cook rice according to instructions (you made need more water if cooking brown rice). I've always had the best luck cooking rice in a rice cooker. (I added a link above for a great one.)
2. Place chicken breasts in the crock-pot, with water, olive oil, and spices (just sprinkle a thin layer of the spices over top to give it some flavor). Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. (If you already have precooked chicken you can skip this step, OR if you don't have time for the crock-pot, you can cut the raw chicken into medium-small sized chunks and cook in a sauce pan with olive oil and spices until fully cooked, then set aside until you make your teriyaki sauce.*
3. Once chicken is fully cooked, drain out any excess water or fat, and shred on a plate (you don't want extra liquid from the chicken to enter the sauce as it will thin the sauce out.
4. In a medium sauce pan mix all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce except the corn starch and 1/4 cup of water.
5. Once the liquid has warmed, mix the corn starch and 1/4 cup of water in a separate bowl, then pour it into the warming teriyaki sauce and mix. Let cook for approximately 5 more minutes or until it has thickened, stirring occasionally. (If you would like it thinner you can add a small amount of water to thin it out. I'd start with 1/2 tsp of water and stir and then keep adding 1/2 tsp until it's the right thickness for you. It can thin out quickly though so start out slowly).
6. For the peas, combine the peas and water (enough to cover the peas) in a small pot and heat over medium high heat for at least 5 minutes.
7. Combine the chicken and sauce and serve over rice with peas on the side or your choice of veggies. You can garnish with sliced green onions (optional), but it tastes great without them too. 😉

Notes

1. I have tried adding the teriyaki sauce to the chicken while it cooks in the crock-pot, but the water from the chicken tends to thin out the sauce not allowing it to thicken. The best results have come as I've prepared the chicken and sauce separately and then combined them at the end just before we're ready to eat.

Adapted from food.com

Adapted from food.com

My Homemade Heaven https://myhomemadeheaven.com/