In the Rotation

As soon as the weather gets warm, I start craving grilled chicken. I love the simplicity of grilled chicken. It pairs well with plenty of sides, and it's versatile and quick enough for any weeknight. I had this recipe saved from the blog Bakin' and Eggs, whose author, Jen, is running a series called 68 Days of Gourmet. Featured there are 68 recipes spanning the 68 years Gourmet Magazine was in publication until, sadly, it ceased publication in October 2009. Among those recipes is one I was dying to try, for teriyaki chicken.

I was drawn to the recipe because it called for simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand, and I knew it would make a great weeknight dinner to add to the rotation. Of course, apartment living means using my cast iron grill pan instead of a "real" grill, but it produced great results just the same. I used low-sodium soy sauce because it's all I keep in the house, and I also grilled it in the cast iron grill pan instead of broiling and it worked just fine. I was very happy with how this turned out, and I really look forward to making it again.

Teriyaki Chicken

adapted from Bakin' and Eggs, originally from Gourmet Magazine May 1990

makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

5 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. peeled minced fresh ginger root

3 Tbs. honey

1 Tbs. medium-dry sherry

2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to make a paste

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound to 1/2 inch thickness.

In a large shallow dish whisk together the soy sauce, ginger root, honey, sherry, vinegar and garlic.

Add the chicken to the dish and turn to coat.

Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least twenty minutes, turning once.

Heat a cast iron grill pan* over medium high heat.

Place the chicken into the pan and cook on one side for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes, until no longer pink and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.

* Please see the original recipe if you are interested in directions for making this with the broiler.