I’m going to say that around 50% of people reading this typed in “Wagamama’s Chicken Teriyaki Donburi’ into a search engine and got to this blogpost. I’d also bet that you went onto Wagamama’s website and was disappointed at their recipe/guide on how to make it yourself at home – I know I certainly was! I decided to create my own recipe for a much tastier version of Wagamama’s Chicken Teriyaki Donburi (and much cheaper too!)

The word teriyaki itself is a combination of ‘teri’ which refers to the shine that comes from the reduced soy sauce and sugar and ‘yaki’ which refers to the method of grilling. I adapt this slightly and cook the chicken in my wok until cooked and then adding the ingredients for the sauce to the wok, almost backwards marinating if you will.

For ease, I cooked my rice in a rice cooker. They are a fantastic piece of kitchen equipment because they save the hassle of cooking rice over the hob, gas or electric, and using microwave rice. Cheap long grain rice works just fine here and you can bulk out your expensive jasmine or basmati rice with the cheap long grain rice to make it go further. A 1.5L rice cooker, which is more than enough to cook 4 servings, ranges in price from £15 to £30.

The time it takes to cook the rice is also how long it takes to cook the chicken teriyaki itself, making for a perfect dinner. I slice the chicken breasts into strips so that they can cook quicker but also makes the chicken breast go a bit further. You can also use chicken thighs for this recipe, they have a bit more flavour but make sure that they are skinless and boneless. I serve the chicken teriyaki with raw carrots for crunch, rocket for pepperiness, sesame and chill broad beans to up the vegetable content and kimchi for a punchy kick. You can find kimchi in refrigerated packets in most Asian supermarkets.

This would also go really well with my Romaine Lettuce Kimchi, which has been one of my most popular posts in 2017!

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300g long grain rice

2 tbsp oil

3 chicken breasts, sliced into strips

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp dark soy sauce

120ml white wine

3 tbsp sugar – you could also use honey

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 carrot, cut into thin strips

40g rocket leaves

150g frozen broad beans

1 tsp sesame oil

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

100g kimchi, optional

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Wash the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then place into the bowl of your rice cooker. Add enough water to the rice cooker to reach just under the first crease of your middle finger when you touch the surface of the rice with your middle finger. Switch on the rice cooker and leave the rice to cook.

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium high heat. Cook the chicken breast strips in the wok until they are cooked through, stirring to stop it from sticking. Once cooked, add in the crushed garlic, the two soy sauces, the white wine and the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Leave the teriyaki sauce to boil down and reduce by half. When reduced by half, add in a handful of the spring onions and carrots and reduce by a third.

Place the broad beans into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for around 7 – 8 minutes until they are soft and tender. Drain away the water and return to the pan, adding in the teaspoon of sesame oil and chilli flakes. Toss to coat.

Remove the chicken from the wok and place into a small bowl and set aside. Continue to reduce the sauce, letting it thicken naturally until it coats the back of a spoon. Return the chicken to the sauce and warm through.

When the rice is cooked, fluff it up using a fork and then divide equally between 4 bowls. Lay the carrots around the left side of the bowl, the rocket leaves around the right side of the bowl and then fill the centre with the chicken, drizzling the teriyaki sauce over the chicken. Serve the broad beans and kimchi in a bowl on the side.

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