There are a handful of recipes that I have been developing off and on through the years for one reason or another. Some of them don't turn out the first run or two, others I burn myself out in, and some take a specific amount of tweaking to get it just right. This happens to be one of those recipes.
When I was younger, I ate a lot more fast food just as almost any young American. My mom was not nearly as excited about food and cooking as I am, and that is completely fine. Everyone has their own passion. So, my dad ended up doing the most of the cooking on the nights that he could, but sometimes he would come home way too exhausted to manage; this was around the time when I was in high school.
One of my favorites, and also a favorite of my little brother was the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl from Jack-N-The-Box. I'm not sure what the allure of faux asian food from a traditional fast food burger place was... but, man - those Teriyaki bowls were amazing! So, I decided to buckle down and make my own healthier take on that famous bowl from my past.
To keep with the original, I used a white rice on the bottom. Though if I were to make this completely my own I would use a cauliflower rice, quinoa, or at least a brown rice here. Next was the teriyaki chicken. It spends all day cooking in the crock pot to come out full of flavor and super tender! After that, it's all about the veggies and the sauce.
Ooooh... that sauce though. I can't tell you just how good it is. My mom was fortunate enough to have one of these bowls to try for herself last night. She was the first to comment on the sauce, not once, but at least twice!
It was rather difficult for me to keep from eating it by the spoon out of the sauce pan.
I can honestly say that this Healthified version of the Teriyaki Chicken bowl is way better than the one you could buy, and for a lot of reasons too. Never mind, the fact that it's made with ingredients that you have complete control over and is full of fresh vegetables.
Healthified Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 Prepared Bowl • Calories: 384.1 • Fat: 4.4 g • Carb: 56.1 g • Fiber: 2.9 g • Protein: 30.1 g • Sugar: 2.5 g • Sodium: 786.3 mg
Ingredients:
2 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1/2 C. Onion, Chopped
1/2 C. Agave (Honey works too!)
1/2 C. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 C. Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, Minced
Pinch Black Pepper
1/4 C. Cold Water
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
3 C. Cooked Rice
3 C. Broccoli Floretes, Steamed
1 1/2 C. Carrot Slices, Steamed
Directions:
Place the 2 Lbs. chicken into the bottom of the crock pot in a single layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 C. Onion, 1/2 C. Agave, 1/2 C. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce, 1/4 C. Rice Wine Vinegar, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, and a Pinch of Black Pepper.
Pour the mixture over the chicken, cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
Once done, remove the chicken from the crock pot to shred with two forks or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Transfer the sauce in the bottom of the crock pot into a medium sauce pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/4 C. water and 3 Tbsp. cornstarch and pour into the sauce; stirring well to combine.
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; stirring constantly until thickened.
Reserve 1/2 C. of the teriyaki sauce and mix the rest with the shredded chicken.
Place 1/2 C. rice into the bottom of each of 6 bowls.
Divide the chicken evenly among bowls and top each with 1/2 C. broccoli and 1/4 C. carrots.
Drizzle the remaining teriyaki sauce over the top of the bowls.
Enjoy right away!
