Teriyaki chicken bake

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Many of my best memories are made around food. One of the earliest is the porridge my mum used to feed me when I was a child. She cooked it on the “mbaula” and it had a slightly smokey flavour. I would finish my plate, then go and scrape the pot for the layer that formed at the bottom.

Growing up I spent many nights in the kitchen with my sisters making baked casserole dishes, throwing in all sorts of ingredients. I loved dinners at the table with my family where we shared rice and beans with bananas, my dad’s signature dish.

My first sushi introduced to me by my brother in-law during my first visit to Norway, I stuffed the whole roll in my mouth because I didn’t realised you could take small bites (cringe). My first taste of south-eastern European food such as Cevapcici while traveling in Austria with my boyfriend.

All these are memories that feel so powerful because all my senses were engaged. Seeing the vibrant colours on my plate, feeling the various textures, smelling the food, the crackling sounds in the air when the waiter brings a hot plate and of course the tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and every other flavour I can’t conjure up the words to describe.

That is why when my best friend’s asked me if they could come over for lunch last Friday, I was not only excited to serve up a meal that will knock their socks off. I was enthused at the thought of creating yet another memory to hold on to. Life is so busy we don’t get to see each other often, so I really cherish the few times that we can all get together over a good meal.

For our lunch I made baked chicken thighs, slathered in a homemade teriyaki sauce. Served with rice noodles and mixed steamed vegetables. Recipe below:

Teriyaki Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons corn flour (I use the Maizena brand, which I get in Chipiku)
• ¼ cup of water
• ½ a cup of soy sauce (I used low-sodium, can also be found in Chipiku)
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 thumb of freshly grated ginger

Method:

• Add corn flour to the water in a cup and mix well, set aside
• Put a small sauce pan on the stove over medium heat, pour in the soy sauce, sugar and honey and stir with a whisk until solid ingredients melt
• Turn down the heat, add the ginger, garlic and allow the mixture to infuse for a minute
• Finally add the corn starch mixture and keep stirring with whisk until the sauce becomes thick
• Take off the heat and put it to the side

Chicken bake:

• 8 chicken thighs (you want to use chicken that’s on the bone for juicy results)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper (freshly ground)

Preparation:

• Start with chicken thighs that are thawed
• Rinse the chicken under some cold water
• Dry the chicken with a paper towel
• Trim excess fat (if you are into that)
• Season with salt and black pepper

Method:

• Put the olive oil in a hot pan and fry the chicken for 3-4 mins or until it gets a light golden-brown colour
• Transfer the chicken to a baking tray, skin side up and brush with the teriyaki sauce
• Put in the oven at 180⁰ C bake for 20 minutes
• Turn the chicken over, brush the other side with the sauce (coat it well), bake for another 20 minutes and voila! You are done!

Tip: In the first step when you fry the chicken, only put a few pieces of chicken in at a time, if you put in a lot of chicken at once it releases all the juices and starts to cook rather than fry.

I fried 4 chicken pieces at a time in a 26 cm wide, shallow, non-stick frying pan. When I removed that batch, I poured all the oil out. Wiped the pan with kitchen paper to remove the burnt bits before adding a bit of the oil back and putting in the second batch.

Notice I said I only add a bit of oil back because the first batch of chicken released some fat and therefore increased the amount of fat in the pan.

Serving suggestion: rice noodles with steamed cauliflower, broccoli, sweet peppers and a cucumber carrot salad.

Note: You can also get ready made teriyaki sauce in food lovers, shoprite and chipiku. However, I found this homemade recipe with fresh ingredients to be the best. I might never buy the bottled stuff again.

If you do try this recipe, I hope you make some pleasant memories over it. Whether you eat it on your own, with good friends or family. Please let me know how it went!