Chicken Teriyaki with Ginger Rice

I had a bit of a tricky time choosing a Sandra Lee for this weeks Food Network Chefs Cooking Challenge recipe because she uses so many pre-made ingredients. I have nothing against using pre-made stuff but it can be hard to track down here! I had some drumsticks in the freezer so I decided to make the Chicken Teriyaki with Ginger Rice.

Chicken Teriyaki with Ginger Rice
Courtesy Sandra Lee

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (2 tbsp brown sugar Splenda)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 (1-inch) piece peeled, fresh ginger, divided use, 1/2 grated the other half thinly sliced
• 2 pounds skin-on boneless chicken thighs (I did drumsticks)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (skipped this)
• 2 cups conventional white rice (I don't eat much white rice so we did brown instead)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 bunch scallions, ends removed

Directions

In a large plastic resealable bag, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and grated ginger and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Put the chicken thighs into the bag with the marinade. Seal and refrigerate at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. (I cooked these in the Turbo but followed the grilling instructions)

Remove the chicken from the marinade and set aside. Put the marinade in a pot over medium heat and reduce by half. Oil the grill grates with canola oil, arrange the chicken on the grill, skin-side down and cook for 8 minutes per side. Brush the chicken liberally with the reduced marinade before turning.

In a medium pot combine the rice, sliced ginger, salt and 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let cook until the rice has absorbed all the water and is fluffy, about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, put the scallions on the grill. Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes per side. I forgot to do this, oops!

Transfer the rice to a serving platter, discarding the sliced ginger. Top with the cooked chicken, garnish with grilled scallions and serve.

The Verdict: The chicken was good. I think that I still prefer my other chicken recipes over this one, but it did have less ingredients and went together pretty fast. The rice was just boring so I won't keep that recipe around.