Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can rest assured there was plenty of authentic and delicious Japanese food readily available.
However, there was one restaurant, Tamami’s (pronounced TUH-MAH-MEES), that did it better than any other restaurant around.
In fact, I haven’t had equivalently delicious teriyaki sauce from any restaurant since then!
Until, that is, one night recently I saw this recipe on r/slowcooking posted by u/kariimabde, espousing a recipe called “Honey Garlic Chicken” intended to be cooked in a slow cooker.
Intrigued, my girlfriend and I decided to try this recipe. And the result took me straight back to the incredible Teriyaki sauce that Tamami’s made when I was a kid!
After some research, it turns out this Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is just Teriyaki sauce after all! So, with that in mind, I decided to share this incredible recipe (with a twist) to the world.
However, even though I avidly follow r/slowcooking, neither my girlfriend nor I own a slow cooker! But I do own an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven! So, we had to make some changes to the process.
And, after successfully completing this recipe, with some small alterations to the original ingredient list, I’ve decided to stick with the final recipe posted above.
Read on if you want to see what I’ve changed and why. Or simply go make this recipe yourself if you’re as impatient as I was!
Ingredient Variations from Honey Garlic Chicken
First, see below for the original ingredient list posted on Reddit:
Next, see the below list for the changes I made to the Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe’s ingredient list in order to make it a true Teriyaki sauce!
- Changed out low sodium soy sauce for full sodium because I like salt.
- Enhanced 1/4 Hoisin Sauce to 1/2 Cup because more umami never hurt anyone.
- Added Fish Sauce to enhance the “Meatiness” of the dish.
- Added Beef Stock because I had some leftover and it didn’t harm anything.
- Added Chicken Stock because it enhances the flavor and allows it to simmer and reduce in the oven.
- Changed the Sesame Seeds to Toasted Sesame Seeds, because they’re just better.
- Added Pineapple Juice because it’s an authentic part of traditional Teriyaki dishes ranging back to original Japanese settlers in Hawaii.
- Rice, because that is the meaning of Donburi, translating from Japanese to “rice bowl dish” and is the way this dish ought to be served. Hard stop.
And there you have it! Those are the changes I made to the ingredient list, and why I made those changes, in case you were curious.
After spending a few years working out some stir fry recipes, I’ve developed a good base of knowledge to feel comfortable in making these changes on the fly.
Now on to the process changes I made from the original recipe.
Process Variations from Honey Garlic Chicken
See below for the original instructions posted by u/kariimabde:
Starting from the first instruction line, I quickly acknowledge that I do not have a slow cooker. But what I do have is a Red Lodge 7.5 Quart Enameled Cast-Iron Dutch Oven!
So, I have to change the whole recipe…. just about!
So instead of cooking the chicken slowly, we sauté the chicken in the bottom of our cast iron dutch oven with salt and pepper to caramelize the meat and create a delicious fond.
We then take out our meat to let it rest (although not fully cooked through yet), and then we build our sauce with the garlic, ginger, and everything except the corn starch and stocks.
Allowing these items to meld will build a delicious base before adding back the chicken and the corn starch and stocks.
Then we pop this in the oven and let it go to town for about 45 minutes!
Last Thoughts
There really isn’t a lot to this recipe, in all actuality.
You should have an easy time coming by these ingredients in the Asian section of your supermarket.
Also, this Teriyaki sauce will just blow your mind.
My girlfriend and I ate 8 meals worth of this in just two sittings. It’s that good!
Just make sure you eat it over some delicious white rice and you’re good to go!
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
This recipe provides an incredibly delightful and flavorful experience. I made this twice in the same week, and had to immediately share it with the world! 5/5 all around rating. I will certainly be making this for years to come. What do you think?