Teriyaki Chicken Breasts

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup soy sauce (or mix tamari and water in equal proportions to make 3/4 cup)

3/4 cup sake

3/4 cup mirin

4 tablespoon sugar

A 1-inch piece of ginger, grated fine

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total (set out for 30 minutes to come to room temp)

2 to 3 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

Combine the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger: Mix the grated ginger, sugar, soy sauce, sake, and mirin in a pot and bring to a boil to create the sauce.

Poach the chicken breasts in the sauce: Add the chicken breasts, return to a simmer, then lower the heat to the lowest possible setting (warm if you can), on your smallest burner, and cover. The idea is to cook the chicken as gently as possible, below a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. If you are working with somewhat large chicken breasts, you may need to cook them longer, or cut them in half before cooking.

Toast the sesame seeds: While the chicken is poaching, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they begin to brown. Move to a small bowl and set aside.

Set aside the chicken, cover with foil: Remove the chicken breasts from the teriyaki sauce, set on a plate and wrap with foil.

Reduce sauce: Bring the sauce back to a boil and boil vigorously until the sauce is reduced to a syrup, about 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce, stirring it occasionally.

Slice the chicken, cover with sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve: To serve, slice the chicken breasts, cover with the teriyaki sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds on them. Serve with plain white rice.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Serves 4
• Calories: 555 kcal
• Total Fat: 9 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 145 mg
• Sodium: 2755 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 39 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 32 g
• Protein: 58 g