CEIMB: Sesame-Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

This week's CEIMB recipe for Sesame-Teriyaki Chicken Thighs was chosen by Jessica of Johnstone's Vin Blanc. I was excited to see this recipe picked; I love Chinese food, but don't cook it nearly enough. I just never think to cook it for some reason. When I mentally travel around the world on those nights when I can't figure out what to make for dinner, I usually don't get any further than Mexico or Italy. But the stars definitely aligned for Chinese food this week. It was already on my brain -- I went out for Chinese with some friends on Saturday night. It's funny, when I worked in a restaurant in my early 20s, everyone once in a while a group of women would come in -- they looked old to me at the time, but they were probably just in their 30s -- and you could just tell by the crazed look in their eyes that they didn't get out much and that this dinner was a BIG DEAL for them. We would groan if they ended up in our section, because it was obvious from the outset that they'd be settling in for the night and laughing too loud at their own dumb jokes.

Well, I am now one of Those Women. It used to be that when we went out for one of these twice-annual GNOs, we'd choose the restaurant based on the quality of the food. Then when we got kicked out of the restaurant we'd move to Starbucks, and when Starbucks closed we'd move to either the parking lot or the Whattaburger (with all of the local high school kids) to continue our Very Important Conversation. At that point, the husbands would start calling to make sure that nobody was in a ditch (I am proud to say that my husband has NEVER rung my phone during a GNO -- he knows me well enough to know that I am not in a ditch, but in a parking lot somewhere turbo-talking, and that I will show up eventually). Anyway, all of that transitioning between talking venues was really disruptive to our conversation flow, so we were thrilled when we stumbled upon this Chinese place, which will let us sit there and gab long enough to cut out the need for the intermediate Starbucks stop. Now it's dinner, and then straight to the parking lot or Whattaburger.

So we had a great time at the Chinese restaurant the other night, and dinner was capped off by the best fortune EVER:

"You will do better in real estate than in stocks."

That is like saying "You will do better in third circle of hell than in the fourth circle" -- but hey, thanks for the heads up, fortune.



So I was looking forward to cooking some Chinese this week. These sesame chicken thighs start with THE BEST TERIYAKI SAUCE EVER!!! I am not kidding -- I could drink this stuff through a straw. It is THAT good. It's made with soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. SO easy, and amazingly good. I've actually made this once before, and since I knew how good it was I doubled the recipe so that I can use it later this week -- maybe in some fried rice, maybe as a pork tenderloin marinade. It keeps in the fridge for a week, so it makes sense to double it.

Marinate the chicken thighs in a half cup of the sauce, for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. I would say "the longer the better" with the marinating. Mine only marinated for an hour or so, and I didn't think they were quite flavorful enough (which was easily rectified by spooning some of the extra sauce onto the chicken before eating it, but still). So I'd change that instruction to say "marinate for at least four hours, or overnight." After they marinate, broil them for 8 minutes per side, and then add some sesame seeds to the top and broil for another couple of minutes. That's it!

David and I really liked these. The teriyaki sauce will most definitely show up regularly in my rotation, even if I use it on chicken breasts, pork and vegetables more than chicken thighs. Thank you for picking this, Jessica -- we loved it!

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Also, some of my favorite bloggers have recently passed on some very cool awards to me. And very interesting awards, too! I think there should be separate "blog award designer" awards for the behind-the-scenes inventors of Bloggys. Step up and be recognized, people!

In any event, I never thought that anyone would read my blog when I started blogging. In fact, I remember my poor hubs kind of cringing when I first told him that I set up a blog, presumably because he is well aware of my loose cannon tendencies, but I told him that he didn't need to worry, because nobody was going to read it anyway (note that I could not tell him that he didn't need to worry because I would not be a loose cannon). So to know that people actually read my blog, and like it, is really exciting and flattering. These awards come from some of my very favorite bloggers, which makes them all the more thrilling. Thank you!

Some of these awards might come with rules, but despite carrying on on Tuesday about how I am a rule follower, I am just going to pass these out all willy-nilly like, without any regard for the rules. Yes, it does make me kind of uncomfortable.

Barbara at Barbara Bakes passed on the Kreative Blogger Award:



I am going to pass this on to the wonderful Vibi at La Casserole Carree. My day is always a little bit better for having visited Vibi's blog.

And also to pinkstripes, an all-around talented baker, cook and blogger, and one of my favorite stops.

Melissa at Love at First Bite and Barbara at Barbara at Barbara Bakes shared the uber-cool Uber Amazing Blog Award:



I am going to pass this one on to Pam at For the Love of Cooking. Pam, you have a knack for posting what I am craving for dinner before I even know I am craving it!

And also to Jess at cookbookhabit. I love following Jess's adventures as she works her way through her cookbook collection!

Aggie at Aggie's Kitchen and Michelle at Alwayz Bakin' shared the Butterfly Award.



I'm going to pass this one on to Heather at Diary of a Fanatic Foodie. Heather is a lawyer who is generous with sharing her war stories, both in the kitchen and in the courtroom. Entertains me AND gives me good things to eat = Butterfly Award material.

And to Jessica at A Singleton in the Kitchen for a great blog, and for doing a fantastic job of feeding Dudley while he's visiting. My grandmother would be proud!

Shari at Whisk: A Food Blog shared the Lemonade Award. Award motto: When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade. Love that philosophy! It is intended for blogs that show "great gratitude and/or attitude."



This one goes to Steph at Obsessed with Baking. I have great gratitude for Steph's blog, because the girl knows how to bake -- I can always go there and know that I will come away with the perfect muffin/cookie/biscuit recipe.

And Katrina of Baking and Boys -- a fun mom with a really fun, really tasty blog!