Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Dark and sticky with bold punchy flavours, very little effort is needed to produce this quick chicken dish so it's a real winner for casual entertaining - or any other time really. Cook the thighs in a griddle or frying pan, add the sauce, bubble, baste and in moments hey presto! scrumptious, glossy chicken oozing with robust flavour.
My unauthentic version of teriyaki sauce (so different from the bottled stuff) can be
prepared ahead and kept in the fridge for up to a week
Ingredients
4 tbsps. soy sauce (low salt)
4 tbsps. mirin
4 tbsps. vermouth bianco (white wine or apple juice would be fine)
1 tbsp. soft brown sugar
1 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce (I particularly like Lingham's Ginger Garlic Chilli Sauce)
2cm piece of root ginger, grated
2 fat cloves garlic, grated
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (fat and any remaining bone trimmed away)
Method
Put everything apart from the chicken into a small saucepan
Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves
Turn the heat up a little and bubble for approx. 5-8 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce in volume and becomes slightly thicker and syrupy
Add a small drop of oil to the frying pan or griddle pan and wipe over with kitchen paper
Cook the thighs top side downwards first for 4 minutes per side or until just cooked through
Pour in the sauce then bubble and baste the sauce over the chicken (which will now be top side upwards). The sauce reduces and thickens quickly so that the thighs rapidly become coated, dark and glossy.
The is lovely served on Green Beans and Spinach
To get ahead:
Cook the beans to perfection in boiling salted water in the usual way then plunge into plenty of cold water to set the bright green colour. Cover and store in the fridge.
When ready to serve:
Melt a little butter with an equal quantity of olive oil over a moderate heat, drop in the beans and spinach, season with salt and pepper and toss around in the warm buttery juices until the spinach is beginning to wilt and the beans have warmed; this will take a matter of moments.
Tip onto a serving dish and arrange the chicken on top
Helpful Hints
Mirin is available in the Oriental section of most large supermarkets
If the chicken has to be kept waiting you may have to bubble and baste it again for maximum gloss
Serve drizzled with sour cream or plain yoghurt and chives for eye appeal
