This Easy Chicken Dinner with a Creamy Seattle Teriyaki Twist is Perfect on Busy Weeknights

Serve with the chicken still in the hot pan

Dear friend, are you looking for an easy, repeatable dinner recipe for busy weeknights? I’ve got you. As a busy mama who works full-time and takes care of a small family, I’m all about quick, easy, delicious dinners, that are also rotatable.

Now, if you’re a fan of Seattle-style teriyaki, which has a special place in my heart, you’re going to love this dish. If you don’t know what Seattle-style teriyaki is, well, it’s sweet, savory, and you get your protein grilled. Here, we will be pan-frying chicken thighs, which you can swap out with your protein of choice, like firm tofu, scallops, salmon, shrimp, or beef. Just adjust your cooking times to avoid overcooking or undercooking your protein.

Seattle-style teriyaki is unapologetically comforting. It’s the kind of food you eat out of a foam takeout box with a plastic fork or chopsticks and zero regrets. Here, I up the comfort and turn teriyaki into a creamy, one-pan meal. This, by the way, is my “live-with-me-in-sin” version of classic teriyaki: you get tender chicken thighs seared until deeply golden brown, then finished in a silky, umami-rich teriyaki cream sauce with mushrooms and spinach.

Yes, this is the one-pan, weeknight-friendly dish for you, my hungry, busy, and a little stressed-out friend. I see you. This dish will feel slightly indulgent without being fussy. I also reduced the sugar, so it is not as sweet as traditional Seattle-style teriyaki. It just feels a little less guilty, if you know what I mean! You can also go sugar-free by using allulose instead.

So, if you love Seattle teriyaki, cozy flavors, and recipes that deliver maximum satisfaction with minimal effort… yeah, this one’s for you. Happy cooking, my dear!

XOXOXO,

Kat Lieu

Here the dish is plated with white rice and served to my family

---

Yield 4

Author Kat Lieu

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

10 Min

Inactive time

30 Min

Total time

50 Min

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Kat Lieu's Delicious and Creamy Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This delicious one-pan dish is savory, creamy, satisfying, and slightly sinful. It's Kat Lieu's version of "marry-me-chicken" or "live-with-me-in-sin-chicken" with a Seattle-style teriyaki Asian twist! This dish is hard to mess up and will be a quick and easy meal for any weekday. If you love Seattle-style teriyaki, you will love Kat's creamy teriyaki!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the marinades/sauce

• 1/2 cup high-quality soy sauce like HEYDOH classic
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine or cheap sake
• 1/4 teaspoon MSG
• Dash of garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 to 1-inch ginger, grated (optional)

For the teriyaki chicken

• About 1 pound of boneless chicken thighs, skin on or off, is up to you (that's about four pieces)
• Cooking oil
• 1 box of sliced baby bella or white mushrooms, washed and dried
• About 1/4 cup heavy cream
• cornstarch slurry, if needed (1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed very well with a few teaspoons of water)
• a bunch of spinach or a cup of baby spinach, washed and dried
• White sesame seeds and fried garlic crisps for topping

For serving

• Cooked white rice

Instructions

Prepare the marinade

1. Add all the marinade ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix until the sugar dissolves.
2. Flatten the chicken thighs and soak them in the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, covered, in the refrigerator.
3. Heat a skillet or frying pan over high heat. Once the cookware is hot, add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Reserve all the marinade in the same container. Remove the chicken and shake off excess marinade. Pan-fry the chicken over medium-high heat until deeply golden-browned and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
4. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside for now. In the same pan or skillet, cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat until they are golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add in all the reserved marinade. Once the marinade simmers and bubbles form, stir in the heavy cream. Keep cooking the sauce to reduce it. If it's too runny, stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring with a rubber spatula.
5. Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted. Top with the chicken and cook for another minute or two, so the chicken absorbs the sauce and flavor.
6. Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and fried garlic crisps. Plate up the chicken, one piece per diner, top with sesame seeds, and serve with hot white rice. Enjoy!

Notes

• Want to switch up the protein! Instead of chicken, try salmon or firm tofu! Beef and pork also work. The possibilities are endless!
• For added protein and extra creaminess, stir an egg or two into the sauce toward the end of cooking.

Recommended Products

Zojirushi 5.5 cups Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker

108 Asian Cookies

Modern Asian Kitchen

Modern Asian Baking at Home Cookbook

All rights reserved for the respective recipe author and modernasianbaking.com

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @katlieu on instagram and hashtag it #subtleasianbakes