When I moved to Seattle over 3 years ago, I had no idea that Seattle’s signature cuisine was, of all things, teriyaki. When I think of Seattle, I think of coffee, salmon, farm fresh organic produce, and of course, grunge. You literally can’t go a city block without running into a teriyaki joint. It didn’t make sense to me at first, but now I can see why this dish is synonymous with the Emerald City. I can liken it to the Mission burritos of San Francisco, or the Chicago hot dog- It’s cheap, fast, delicious, and reflects the city’s grit and working class. In a city that is overrun by Amazon and the booming tech industry, it’s places like your local teriyaki joint that keep the spirit of Seattle in the 90’s alive.

My take on Seattle teriyaki combines sweet fresh grilled pineapple with a sticky, salty-sweet glazed chicken served over a foolproof Instant Pot coconut rice. This teriyaki sauce uses an aromatic herb paste made with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, scallions, and cilantro added to the traditional ingredients of soy sauce and sugar. It’s everything you love about teriyaki but slightly elevated, and is as easy to make as it is to order takeout.

Chicken Teriyaki with Grilled Pineapple and Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

kosher salt

pepper

8 pineapple rings

Herb Paste:

2 Tbsp lemongrass, chopped (tough outer leaves removed, and white parts only)

1 Tbsp ginger, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 C cilantro, leaves and tender stems

3 scallions, cut into 2” pieces

3 Tbsp canola oil

Instant Pot Coconut Rice:

2 C short grain brown rice

1 Tbsp herb paste

1 C water

1 C coconut milk

1/3 C unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/3 C soy sauce

1/4 C water

1/4 C unseasoned rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp herb paste

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

Make herb paste by combining lemongrass, ginger, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and canola oil in a food processor. Puree until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Make coconut rice. In your Instant Pot, combine rice, herb paste, water, coconut milk, coconut flakes, and salt. Secure the lid and make sure valve is set to sealing. Using the manual or pressure cook function, set timer to 25 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally, as it gives a better texture to the rice. Keep warm on warming function until ready to serve. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, cook the rice according to the stovetop directions, replacing half the water with coconut milk.

Make teriyaki sauce. In a small saucepan combine soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sugar, and 2 tsp herb paste. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. While the sauce is heating, make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together cornstarch and water. Add slurry to sauce and bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken to a syrupy consistency, and should easily coat the back of a spoon. Remove sauce from heat once it has thickened to prevent burning.

Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper. On a grill or grill pan, cook chicken for 7 minutes per side, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Glaze chicken with sauce.

Cook pineapple on a well oiled grill or grill pan until nice char marks form. approximately 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve chicken and pineapple over coconut rice, topping with more teriyaki sauce as needed.

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Chicken Teriyaki with Grilled Pineapple and Coconut Rice