Teriyaki Chicken is one of the first recipes I learned how to cook as a young adult. The recipe I used was from a favorite aunt and consisted of loads of brown sugar and soy sauce, both things we don’t use often in our kitchen. With the advent of coconut aminos, we can now make Teriyaki again using ingredients I feel good about serving my family on a regular basis.
What are coconut aminos?
Coconut aminos are made from the sap of the coconut blossom, which has had salt added and is fermented. It is a great soy-free replacement for soy sauce in savory recipes, though it is a bit sweeter and less salty than soy sauce is. When substituting in recipes you can usually substitute 1:1, but add more salt and less sweetener if needed.
You can find Coconut Amnios at Thrive Market, Amazon, Trader Joes, and most health food stores.
Are coconut aminos GAPS Legal?
I would be cautious, since I don’t know the amount of time the coconut aminos are fermented. For those who are on advanced GAPS and aren’t so sensitive, they may be okay in a recipe. Coconut nectar is made from the sap of the coconut blossom, which like the sap of a maple tree, contains sucrose. Sucrose is a sugar that is more complex than is allowed on the GAPS diet, and is digested a little bit further down the digestive tract.
Teriyaki Chicken in the Instant Pot
This recipe is done easily in the Instant Pot, though you can fry the chicken and reduce the marinade easily on the stovetop too. I use the bowl-on-the-trivet method to cook rice or broccoli at the same time as the chicken is cooked using the pressure setting for an easy meal.
- ½ cup coconut aminos (find here)
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds boneless chicken (we used thighs) (find here)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, light green and white parts only, thinly sliced into rounds
- In a medium bowl or dish that will fit in the refrigerator and can be covered, combine coconut aminos, fresh ginger that has been grated, garlic, sea salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Using a chef's knife, cut boneness chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Add chicken to the coconut aminos mixture, cover, and refridgerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- In the bottom of the Instant Pot (IP), add sesame oil and heat IP to Saute- Medium. Allow to preheat for 2-3 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken from the marinade. Reserve marinade for later steps. Add chicken to the hot oil.
- Cook chicken in the hot oil for 5 minutes, then use the spoon to flip chicken over. Cook an additional minute and then cover with the reserved marinade.
- Optional: Add the trivet, a bowl, and 1 cup of uncooked rice + 1-1/2 cups water in the small bowl above the chicken using this method here.
- Turn off Saute setting, and secure the lid on the IP. Set to Manual: 10 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally, or you can use the quick release if you're in a hurry.
- Remove the optional rice bowl and trivet, and remove chicken with a slotted spoon. If desired, use the Saute function again on medium heat for 10 minutes to reduce the marinade into a thicker teriyaki sauce.
- Spoon chicken over rice, and sauce over the chicken and enjoy!
Meanwhile, add reserved marinade to a saucepan and reduce over medium-low heat until it is a thick sauce.
Pour teriyaki sauce over fried chicken and enjoy!
Serving suggestion: Serve with sauteed or steamed asparagus or broccoli.
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