Woke up craving takeout today then remembered that teriyaki chicken recipe my cousin raved about last week. Figured why not try cooking it myself since saving some cash never hurts. Plus, kids always whine about boring veggies – maybe pairing them with this sweet chicken would actually work. Headed to the kitchen around 4 PM feeling pretty hopeful.
Gatherin’ Stuff Was Simple Enough
Rummaged through the fridge first. Found some skinless chicken thighs I’d bought on sale – perfect ’cause thighs stay juicy even if I mess up the cook time. Also grabbed what veggies were left: broccoli starting to look sad, some carrots hiding in the crisper, and half a bag of snap peas from freezer. Checked the pantry:
- Soy sauce (the regular kind, not low sodium)
- Brown sugar
- Minced garlic jar (who has time to peel?)
- Ground ginger
- Cornstarch for thickening
- Packaged microwave brown rice – judge me, it’s Wednesday.
Marinade & Veg Prep Took Minutes
Whacked the chicken thighs flat with my meat mallet – kinda therapeutic actually. Mixed equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar (maybe 1/3 cup each?), big spoonful of garlic, and a few dashes of ginger powder in a bowl. Tossed the chicken in, squished it around real good, then stuck it in the fridge. Honestly? Let it sit for barely 20 minutes while I chopped carrots into sticks and broke up the broccoli florets. Threw the snap peas in frozen, no thawing needed – lazy win.
Cooking Was a Sizzlin’ Affair
Heated my biggest skillet on medium-high. Pulled chicken out, shaking off extra marinade – saved that liquid gold though! Plopped the thighs in hot oil. That sizzle sound? Chef’s kiss. Fried ’em about 5 minutes per side until nice and caramelized. Pulled chicken out onto a plate – those charred bits looked killer.
Dumped carrots and broccoli straight into the same skillet, no cleanup yet. Stir-fried for maybe 3 minutes ’til they started softening. Poured in the saved marinade plus maybe 1/4 cup water. Added the snap peas. Let it bubble away! Scooped a spoonful out, blew on it like I was handling lava, tasted… Needed more oomph? Added another splash of soy sauce. Mixed a teaspoon cornstarch with cold water, stirred it in ’til the sauce turned shiny and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Result? Surprisingly Edible!
Chopped the chicken quick, tossed it back into the veggie sludge for a minute. Served it over that nuked brown rice. Whaddya know – kids didn’t pick around the broccoli! Hubby grabbed seconds before I even sat down. The sauce clung to everything just right. Honestly? It wasn’t rocket science. That shortcut marinade caramelizes like magic in the pan, and dumping frozen peas saved effort. Might actually make this again next week when broccoli inevitably reappears in the grocery haul.
