I love Asian food. However it is not always the easiest thing to make, especially on a weeknight with kids running around screaming for dinner. I am almost always in a hurry to get dinner done and get on with the rest of my night, which is why I love simple, great tasting recipes. Well, it doesn’t get any simpler than four ingredients!

Super Easy 4 Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken

To start out with you get some chicken thighs. Breasts could work but they would get really dried out by the time they were done cooking I think. I like dark meat anyway so… To continue, get the chicken thighs and take out the bone if you wish. It will help them cook faster. The night before your meal, or the morning of, you want to start marinating your chicken. The marinade is also the sauce so you pretty much have your meal all set up before you leave for work and just throw it on the grill when you get home.

The marinade is simple: half a cup of low sodium soy sauce, half a cup of Mirin (which is sweetened rice wine vinegar), and a tablespoon of fresh minced ginger. If you have never cut up ginger before, don’t worry. It is easy. Just cut off the dried up ends and peel off the thin skin. Then mince. Mix all three ingredients together in a big gallon sized bag and toss in the chicken thighs to marinate for at least eight hours.

Now, when you get home fire up the grill or use a grill pan like I did to cook the chicken. First, pour the marinade into a small sauce pan.

Then placed the chicken on a lightly greased grill pan on medium heat. You don’t want to crowd it or it won’t cook evenly, so if you have a lot of chicken you will have to cook it in shifts.

Put a lid on it and cook eight minutes on each side for boneless thighs or twelve minutes on each side for bone in thighs. I left the skin on for extra flavor but you don’t have to. The chicken will brown up nice and be super moist!

While the chicken is cooking put on a pot of rice and start working on the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. It should thicken up slightly. If you like thicker sauce you can add half a tablespoon of corn starch while it is cold. I like to serve the sauce over the chicken to give it extra flavor or over the rice for a yummy combo.

When the chicken is done cut it into strips if desired and serve on top of rice with a nice Asian salad. I just get a bag mix that comes with cabbage, carrots, crispy strips, almonds, and a great ginger dressing.

Fast, easy and tasty! What more could you want out of a weekday meal your family will love?

Super Easy 4 Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken

Four Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken – Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

  • 4-8 Chicken Thighs
  • ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • ½ cup Mirin sweetened rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger

Directions:

  1. Remove bone from chicken thighs if desired.
  2. In a large gallon bag mix together ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup Mirin, and 1 tablespoons fresh minced ginger.
  3. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade and press out the air, sealing tightly.
  4. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least eight hours.
  5. When ready to cook, pour marinade in a small sauce pan. Bring marinade to boil and then reduce to simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want a thicker sauce, add ½ tablespoon corn starch to marinade before heating.
  6. Meanwhile, place the chicken thighs on a lightly oiled large grill pan. Do not crowd.
  7. Set heat to medium and cook covered for 8 minutes on each side for boneless thighs. Increase time to 12 minutes each side for bone in thighs.
  8. Serve with rice and salad.