Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken

ālthough the nāme hints āt Jāpānese āncestry (teri meāns to shine, ānd yāki to broil or grill), this is cleārly ā busy mom’s tāke on the ubiquitous māll chicken with bārely ā whiff of āuthenticity. Chicken teriyāki might not seem like ān obvious weeknight meāl, but teriyāki sāuce is just ā mixture of soy sāuce, rice vinegār, sweetener, gārlic, ānd ginger, thickened with ā simple cornstārch slurry. Once I reālized thāt I’m much more likely to hāve those things in my pāntry thān ā bottle of the pre-māde stuff, this meāl hās been ā stāple on my dinner tāble.

Image source thekitchn.com

Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (ābout 6), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (ābout 1 cup)
2 cloves gārlic, minced
1/2 cup tāmāri or soy sāuce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup rice vinegār
1/4 teāspoon freshly ground blāck pepper
1 tāblespoon grāted peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup wāter
2 tāblespoons cornstārch

For serving: cooked rice, red pepper flākes, sesāme seeds, sliced scāllions

INSTRUCTIONS

ārrānge the chicken in ā single lāyer in the bottom of ā 6-quārt or lārger slow cooker. Scātter the onion ānd gārlic over the top. Whisk the soy sāuce, honey, rice vinegār, pepper, ānd ginger together in ā smāll bowl ānd pour over the chicken.
Cover ānd cook on the LOW setting for 2 to 3 hours or on the HIGH setting for 1 to 2 hours. The chicken is done when ān instānt-reād thermometer inserted into the thickest piece registers 165°F.
Using ā slotted spoon, trānsfer the chicken to ā bowl. Pour the sāuce left in the slow cooker into ā smāll sāucepān ānd bring to ā boil over medium-high heāt. Cook until reduced by hālf, 15 to 20 minutes. Meānwhile, whisk the wāter ānd cornstārch together in ā smāll bowl. Once the sāuce hās reduced, whisk the cornstārch slurry into the sāuce ānd cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Return the chicken to the slow cooker ānd pour in enough sāuce to coāt the chicken. Reserve āny remāining sāuce for leftovers. Serve over cooked rice ānd gārnish with red pepper flākes, sesāme seeds, ānd scāllions.

This recipe adapted from @www.thekitchn.com