Baked Teriyaki Chicken

Yes, it has seriously been 4 1/2 months since my last post! I'm not ordinarily known as a "slacker" and I seriously have no idea how the time flew by so quickly?!? I put my blogging on hold back in late February/early March, because we were focused on getting our house ready to put on the market and between getting everything organized and having to keep the house spotless 24/7, it's been hard to get psyched about doing much in the kitchen. We've pretty much been eating off of paper plates the past 2 months, but I've finally decided to get back in the swing of things!

Grocery shopping has been a bit challenging lately, because NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING has been on sale--at least in terms of meat, chicken, pork, etc! I found some chicken legs and thighs on sale for $.99/lb the other day, so I picked up a package of each and knew I'd have to find a good way to "dress them up", because they're not necessarily my husband's favorite. I went to allrecipes.com (which tends to be my "go to" site) and typed in "chicken thighs" under the search for recipes by ingredients and this recipe was rated very highly! I am so very glad that I tried this recipe and like many of the reviewers said, I honestly think it was one of the best teriyaki sauces I have EVER had...homemade, bottled, or otherwise! I did change around the recipe a bit, but I loved the way the sauce turned out! I do happen to like chicken thighs, but my husband and I both agreed that it would be absolutely delicious with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I served it with white rice and Asian-style veggies that I sauteed with a little peanut oil. I truly think the options are endless, if you focus more on the sauce-aspect of the recipe. I will definitely make it again, but the next time, I think I'll either cut up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and stir-fry them in the sauce or bake the strips in the sauce and serve them over rice. Whatever you choose to do, I definitely think the sauce is the focal point, so you could try the recipe as written, substitute bone-in chicken breasts or try the boneless, skinless. I'll be anxious to hear feedback in general and especially if anyone tries a different method of cooking! FYI: I doubled all of the sauce ingredients, because I wanted to ensure there was plenty of sauce to spoon over the rice. I already doubled the ingredients in the recipe listed below, because I wouldn't suggest making any less...

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs (I used 4 thighs and 8 drumsticks, skin removed)

Directions:

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. (It took about 20 minutes to get as thick as I wanted it).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). (I actually did 400 degrees, but would even consider going down to 375).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. (I also lined my dish with foil, for easier clean-up!) Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking. (I would also suggest maybe covering the first 30 minutes and uncovering for the second half of cooking. Of course if you use a different type of chicken, you'll have to alter the cooking time--the hour of cooking was for the thighs and legs).

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com