Teriyaki chicken and rice is a mom-meal as old as the 90's. A sweet savory white meat with an easy to cook carb is the perfect family dinner fodder. Personally, I like to spice it up a bit and add a bit of autumnal flavor to the chicken marinade. Chicken tenders are just SO easy to thaw and cook that I keep them stocked in our freezer at all times. I like to bump up the nutrition by adding bone broth to the rice pot. The kids may be a bit skeptical of the cucumber salsa, but mine LOVED it. It’s just one of those no brainer dinners for me that I know I can cook with my eyes closed and everyone will gobble it up. The more of those we can collect, the better!
Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
2 pounds chicken tenders (or boneless skinless chicken breast cut in strips)
½ cup apple juice
¼ cup coconut aminos
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
a pinch of red pepper flakes
Cucumber Salsa:
2 small cucumbers, diced small
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
½ teaspoon salt
Directions:
These taste their best if you can marinate the chicken for 4-12 hour before cooking. I like to mix the chicken and marinade mixture in a bowl in the morning while I’m cleaning up after breakfast and pop it in the fridge. Then, I take it out of the fridge to come to room temp for an hour or so before cooking. If you can just mix it up before cooking, it will still taste great!
Preheat a wide skillet over medium heat. I love to use my low dutch oven because I can fit a lot of chicken in at once! When your pan is nice and hot, put a bit of olive oil in the pan and place half the chicken in the pan. Try to give them a bit of space so each one can lay flat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until nice and browned on one side, flip and put the lid on to cook for another 5 minutes. I like to pop the finished chicken on baking sheet lined with parchment in a warm oven while I cook the next batch. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. While those are cooking, stir up your cucumber salsa by mixing it all together in a bowl. Give it a little taste and add a bit more seasoning if needed.
Serve the chicken with rice and top with the cucumber salsa. Dinner is served!
