Hawaiian Chicken and Veggie Teriyaki Bowls

Ingredients

Chicken + Marinade:

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders or thighs
• 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger (see note)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic (see note)

Veggies + Rice:

• 1 small pineapple, peeled and cut into wedges or thick spears
• 2 to 3 medium zucchini, cut into spears
• 2 medium bell peppers, any color, cored and cut into thick strips
• 3 cups hot, cooked rice (see note)
• Other: diced avocados, fresh or pickled onions, toasted sesame seeds, fresh lime wedges, extra teriyaki sauce.

Instructions 

• Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Combine all the marinade ingredients and whisk until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour half of the marinade into a container to use later; cover and refrigerate. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill, indoor grill pan, air fryer, or oven broiler to medium or medium-high heat. I use a pellet grill and preheat to 375 degrees .
• Cook the chicken until cooked through, flipping once and brushing with reserved marinade the last 1-2 minutes of cooking (discard the marinade used for the chicken). Exact cooking times will vary based on the thickness/type of chicken used; an instant-read thermometer should read 165 degrees F when inserted at the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes while cooking the veggies.
• Add the pineapple, zucchini, and bell peppers to the grill (can also use a grill pan or any of the aforementioned cooking methods in step #2). Brush with reserved marinade. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, brush with marinade, and continue cooking until crisp-tender, another 3-5 minutes. Remove to a pan.
• If desired, pour the remaining marinade (that was used for brushing the chicken, pineapple and veggies) into a small saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes until reduced slightly.
• To serve, slice the chicken into strips. Chop the pineapple, bell peppers and zucchin into bite-size pieces.
• Add a scoop of rice to a serving plate or bowl followed by chicken slices, pineapple, bell peppers, zucchini, and any other add-ins like diced avocados, red onion slices, fresh lime wedges.
• Drizzle with remaining teriyaki marinade/sauce and toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Ginger + Garlic: if using fresh ginger, it works best to freeze the ginger (no need to peel) and then grate the frozen ginger on the small holes of a box grater or rasp grater (again, no need to peel). The frozen cubes of ginger and/or garlic from Trader Joe's and other grocery stores work great in the marinade, too. I have not used dried/ground ginger or garlic for this recipe, but it might work - feel free to experiment. 

Rice: this recipe is fantastic with cilantro lime rice, coconut rice, or plain, cooked white or brown rice. The rice can easily be left out for a lower carb meal.

Teriyaki Sauce: having a favorite storebought brand of teriyaki sauce on hand can help with the extra drizzle of sauce at the end if all the marinade was used for brushing chicken/pineapple/veggies.

Pickled Onions: peel and thinly slice red onions. Pack them into a pint jar. Combine the following and heat through on the stovetop or in the microwave until sugar and salt are dissolved - 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup unseasoned rice or apple cider vinegar (or a combo), 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons coarse, kosher salt. Pour the hot mixture over the onions. Cover. Refrigerate at least an hour but preferably up to 8 hours before serving. They keep in the fridge for several weeks.

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