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Teriyaki chicken bowls are one of my go to dinners when I have company and I need something fast, easy, and have no idea what people like to eat. My recipe was modeled off of those teriyaki places you find in the mall food courts: coated chicken with cabbage and carrots over rice. Simple, but delicious, and I can make the components separately to satisfy the pickiest of eaters. Plus cabbage and carrots are veggies that last a while in the fridge and are always easy to have on hand.

At some point this winter when I have less of an abundance of produce, I will post that recipe – promise. For now this is a modification that is a little more summery and fun: teriyaki chicken rolls! They can be served warm or cold; made at the table or made ahead of time.

Oh and collard greens, I had never cooked with them before this recipe (yay CSA broadening my horizons). I wanted to try something fresher rather than cooking them low and slow with fat for a while. I highly, highly suggest the blanching method I describe below…I tried them raw and let’s just say I learned from my mistake and I am not a fan. Blanching does a great job removing the bitter and making a more flexible leaf. I was really happy with this use of them.

Teriyaki Chicken Rolls

Teriyaki sauce recipe inspired from Just One Cookbook and Japanese Farm Food
This amount of chicken makes about 8 decent sized rolls

Teriyaki Chicken
1 lb chicken thigh, fat removed and cut into chunks/strips*
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ onion, cut in half length wise then strips
2 gloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sake**
½ tablespoon sugar***
Optional: Ground (¼ teaspoon) or grated (1 teaspoon) ginger

1. Heat up wok/cast iron skillet/pan on medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add chicken. Let chicken sit on one side for 3 minutes to brown slightly.
2. While chicken is cooking mix soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar (and ginger if adding) in small bowl. Set aside.
3. Add onions and stir. Cook another 2 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent then add in garlic. Mix again and cook for an additional minute.
4. Add sauce mix to pan, it will bubble, this is good! Continue to stir mixture until sauce has cooked down and is no longer liquid and coats the chicken completely. Remove chicken from pan and place on plate.

Preparing Other Components
Collard Green Leaves
Carrots
Rice

1. Wash and remove stem from collard greens. This should effectively cut them in half, if it does not, completely finish the job.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and place ice cubes in a medium bowl with some water.
3. Place halved collard greens in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from boiling water and place in ice water bowl. Leave in bowl until completely cool then pat dry.

1. Skin carrots and cut into strips the length of the collard green halves, or a little shorter.

1. Cook white or brown rice as desired however you normally do it. I use a rice cooker (which I love) but you can also use the stove.

Assembling the Rolls
½ collard leaf
2 tablespoons rice
4-5 pieces of teriyaki chicken, with some onion
2-4 carrot strips
Black sesame seeds

1. Take collard greens and lay them flat. About 1/3^rd of the way down the leaf, place 2 tablespoons of rice and flatten out.
2. Next to rice, place carrot strips. Overlap if they are not the full length of the leaf.
3. On top of the rice place teriyaki chicken.
4. Sprinkle on sesame seeds.
5. Grab the end of the collard that has less leaf and roll up and over rice, chicken, and carrot strips. Pushing tight into and tuck under. Follow this rolling direction and continue rolling up the rest of the collard leaf.
6. Repeat to make additional rolls.

Notes:

*I use chicken thigh because I like the flavor and the way it is inconsistent in meat type and shape. You can also use chicken breast the same way in this recipe.

**If you do not feel comfortable with sake in this recipe you can use another tablespoon of mirin instead. It will result in a different taste but I like it equally as much.

***When I make this for just my husband and myself I do not use the sugar. Japanese Farm Food taught me that the recipe does not have to be as sweet as what is served in restaurants here in the United States. I add sugar when I serve others to appeal more to that known taste.

For an easier, non-rolled version of this recipe, boil a cabbage for 5 to 10 minutes (depending on size) after removing the core on the bottom. Remove leaves and serve rice, carrots and chicken in the leaves for teriyaki chicken cabbage rolls!

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