• Varmint's Teriyaki Chicken
• Easy Chicken and rice/noodles
• Carbonara

Varmint's Teriyaki Chicken

I've done a lot of searching for a good Teriyaki Marinade and I finally created this one by combining two recipes I liked and then doing a little experimenting. This sauce goes well on chicken and shrimp. Note: High quality ingredients really make a difference. Don't use cheaper alternatives unless you absolutely have to!

Marinade/Sauce Ingredients

• 20 oz. Can Chunked pineapples
• 1/2 tsp. pepper paste
• Thumb-sized chunk of ginger root (peeled)
• 3-4 Large garlic cloves
• 1/2 C. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Hoisin Sauce
• 2 Tblsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tblsp. Sesame Oil
• 1/2 Cup Rice Wine
• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1 Tblsp. Sesame Seeds
• Corn Starch (for making sauce)

Making The Marinade

I typically use about 1/3 of the marinade to actually marinade the meat. The rest I use for making into sauce (see below).

1. In a blender, add pineapple juice, 1/4 of the pineapple chunks, pepper paste, ginger root, garlic, and sugar. Blend on high until you get a very fine puree (about 60 seconds).
2. Add Hoisin sauce, olive oil, and sesame oil to the mixture in the blender. Blend on low for about 10-20 seconds so that the oil is well mixed. Pour this mixture into a bowl.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir until will mixed.

Making the Sauce

The sauce is good for serving with dinner or for basting as you cook.

1. In a small bowl add 1/2 Cup water and a tablespoon of corn starch and stir.
2. Pour what is left of the Teriyaki marinade into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until it starts to boil.
3. Drizzle in the corn starch mixture a tablespoon at a time until the sauce gets slightly thicker. It should be just thick enough to keep the sesame seeds from floating to the top quickly. Done!

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

1. Cut 2-3 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into long strips about the width of your pinky.
2. Put the chicken strips in a bowl and marinate in the Teriyaki marinade for at least 30 minutes. I like to marinade them overnight when possible.
3. Buy some heavy-duty bamboo skewers, the kind that don't bend easily. (You can buy the cheaper skewers, but you will be sorry once you get them on the grill.) Thread the chicken strips onto the skewer folding it accordian style as you go. The skewer should pierce the strip 3-4 times. Between strips of chicken, add a chunk of pineapple. Each skewer should end up with 3-4 pieces of chicken and 3-4 chunks of pineapple.
4. Put the skewers in a medium hot grill and watch them like a hawk. Don't let them cook more than 1-2 minutes in the same position, as the sauce chars easily and the flavor will be diminished. Each time you rotate the skewers, paint them with the teriyaki sauce. If you have an upper deck on your grill, rotate pieces to an upper deck every other turn. Total cooking time is around 15 minutes. Tip: Put on a pair of leather working gloves to handle the skewers while cooking.
5. Serve fresh off the grill with rice and vegetables of your choice. (I prefer salads, spinach and zuchini)