Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

Photo from The
Country Cook

I keep telling myself I’m done chasing new teriyaki recipes because, honestly, I already have a favorite that rarely lets me down. And yet every time I see a new recipe pop up, I convince myself maybe this will be the one that takes the top spot. Spoiler alert: not this time.

Teriyaki is one of my go-to meals whenever I’m tempted to order takeout. I finally found a local spot that nails exactly what I want in a teriyaki sauce—mostly savory with just enough sweetness to round it out without turning into dessert.

This recipe just didn’t hit that balance for me. The sauce leaned much sweeter than I prefer and never really delivered that rich, savory teriyaki flavor I was hoping for. That said, I don’t think it was a bad recipe at all—it just wasn’t my kind of teriyaki.

If you love a sweeter teriyaki profile, this one may be right up your alley. For me, the search continues… even though I probably already know who the winner is.

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

Recipe from The Country Cook

Serves 4

• ½  c light brown sugar packed
• ½ c low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T garlic paste (or freshly minced garlic)
• 1 tsp ginger paste (or finely minced fresh ginger)
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1.25-1.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 T cornstarch

Mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice wine vinegar together in a small bowl.

Pour half of the mix over the chicken and stir to combine, cover and marinate for 1 hour.

Once they have marinated, preheat an electric grill to medium heat.

Thread the chicken onto 3 to 4 skewer sticks.

Spray the grill grate with olive oil spray and place the skewers down evenly spaced.

While they are grilling, add the remaining sauce mixture to a small saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken a bit.

Once the first side of the skewer has cooked for 4-6 minutes or until it is no longer pink, flip it over and brush on half of the sauce from the pan.

When the other side is done, repeat the brushing process and allow the other side to caramelize for about 2 minutes. Flip it one more time to get the top caramelized as well for another 2 minutes.

Remove the skewers from the grill and let them cool for five minutes before serving with white rice, sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.