Have you ever tried making Teriyaki Chicken or Teriyaki Beef only to find out that there’s a lot more to making quality teriyaki than simply adding some store-bought teriyaki sauce to some cooked meat? I certainly have. 

As I’ve said before, about a year and a half ago I got back to the U.S. after living in Japan for two years. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Japanese food is amazing. One of the things I tried making after I got back was Teriyaki Chicken, but I was disappointed in my efforts. No matter how I cooked the meat or what meat/sauce ratio I tried, the result was never what I hoped it’d be.

Eventually, I realized that I’d been foolish. I went to the internet, and within just a few minutes realized how much work goes into good teriyaki. Regardless of the work, however, making teriyaki is still relatively easy. Today, I want to share a recipe with you that works for both chicken and beef.

cookingclassy 

Now, admittedly, teriyaki isn’t originally a dish of Polynesia; it finds its origins in Japan. Like so many foods, however, it became popular in Hawaii when large amounts of Japanese people came to the islands to work in the sugar cane industry. Since then, it has remained popular and is often found in various plate lunches alongside small portions of both macaroni and garden salad. Nowadays, If you’re trying to eat like a Hawaiian, teriyaki will almost certainly enter your diet at some point.

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You’ll need the following to complete today’s recipe: 

3-4 lbs beef or chicken
2/3 cups soy sauce
1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons orange or pineapple juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, crushed
3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
Chinese parsley (cilantro)

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients except onion and cilantro
2. Slice chicken or beef and soak in mixture for about 4 hours or overnight
3. Remove meat from sauce and bake in shallow pan at 325 degrees for about a 20 minutes (You may need to add a little sauce to the bottom of the pan to keep the meat from drying out.)
4. Remove from oven, turn meat, add a little more sauce and bake for 10 more minutes
5. Add the remaining sauce to the pan and bake for ten more minutes
6. Remove from oven and serve with green onion and cilantro
(Some ovens bake differently. The goal is to have the meat be medium rare when it’s done) 

thecomfortofcooking 

That’s it! I hope you enjoy another week filled with exciting food-making adventures!

Original recipe can be found here: Polynesian Cultural Center Teriyaki Beef Recipe

Peter

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Author Bio

I’m Peter. I grew up in Seattle, but have been living in Hawaii and Japan for the last 4 years.

I love traveling; I love learning about different cultures; I love food, and I love my wife.

We’re hoping to go to Korea next year, and graduate school the year after that.

My life’s the best kind of dream, the one you don’t have to wake up from.