I’m the kind of guy who likes to grill in the winter. Well, let me rephrase that – so long as there isn’t a ton of snow on the ground, I like to grill in the winter. Living in Florida has its perks; we still have surprisingly cold weather here in the panhandle, but it rarely snows, and so I get to fire up my grill year-round.
One of my favorite reasons to grill in the cold is that it creates contrasting experiences. Winter in the air, summer in your bowl. This idea is best exemplified in these Chicken Teriyaki Bowls, accented with apple slices and white rice seasoned with furikake (I like Urashima furikake, which is made without additives).
Teriyaki sauce can be traced back to the Edo age in Japan, which started in the 17th century. An increase in urbanization and exposure to outside cultures resulted in an influx of new ingredients, which converged to make this tangy, sweet sauce that is perfect for grilling. Japanese restaurants gained prominence in the United States in the 1960s, and teriyaki sauce became the household name that it is today.
Chicken Teriyaki Bowls (Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Perfect Health Diet)
For the chicken:
3-4 lbs chicken wings, drummettes, drumsticks, or thighs
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp Nanami Togarashi (or 2 dashes cayenne + 1 dash paprika)
1 splash apple cider vinegar
For the bowls:
cooked white rice
furikake rice seasoning
apple slices
lemon or lime juice
1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Mix together the marinade ingredients and then combine the marinade with the chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Marinate for at least four hours, overnight preferred, but up to 24 hours.
2. Grilling instructions: Prepare your grill for indirect grilling by igniting the burners on only one side (gas grill) or by banking the coals to one side (charcoal grill). Place the chicken pieces on the cool side of the grill, reserving the marinade. Cover and grill over indirect medium-high heat (375F) until just cooked through, 25-45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces (25 mins for wings, 45 mins for thighs). Transfer the chicken to the hot side of the grill, then brush with the reserved marinade. Grill over direct heat for a couple minutes, then rotate the chicken and brush again with the marinade. Remove from the heat when starting to char, about 2 more minutes; garnish with sesame seeds and rest for 5 minutes before eating.
3. Oven instructions: Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the chicken wings on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a cooling rack (you can place some tin foil between the baking sheet and cooling rack to make cleanup easier). Place the chicken on the racks, reserving the marinade, then bake in the center of your oven for 20 minutes. Brush the chicken with the reserved marinade, then set the oven to “broil” and broil for a couple minutes, then rotate the chicken and brush again with the marinade. Remove from the oven when starting to char, about 2 more minutes; garnish with sesame seeds and rest for 5 minutes before eating.
4. Serve in a bowl with apple slices and white rice topped with furikake. Squeeze a bit of lemon or lime juice on top of everything for an added bit of zing.
** Our standard medium-grain rice (also referred to as Calrose and sushi rice) is Nishiki brand rice. If you’re avoiding rice, cauliflower rice will definitely do in a pinch; I have recipes in both of my books, and I also like Melissa Joulwan’s roasted cauliflower rice recipe.
The Domestic Man 
Hey! Awesome read! I’m about to start Paleo! Would love to chat!
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Who doesn’t love barbecue? ;)
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I’m not a fan of sweet teriyaki, so looking forward to checking this out!!
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Looks and sounds delicious. Long list of ingredients falsely make this dish sound difficult. Use what you can get and understand. Gonna try this one soon.
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Yum, they look awesome :) very appetising! Love teriyaki :)
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Looks delicious and perfect for an Australian summer! It’s 34 C here today where I live and these would go beautifully with the salad I am planning for tomorrow night. Thanks for sharing. margaret
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This looks very good – hungry now!
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Totally my kind of meal. Thanks Russ!
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This is lovely, i will give this a try ;)
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Wow, this looks delicious! We are totally going to try this one too ! :D ty for the recipe !
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Looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait to try!
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Will be trying this tonight, have you ever tried smoking the wings?
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These were fantastic. Makes a lot of wings and the flavor is over the top. Had to go to our local Asian supermarket to find the Nanami Togarashi and the Furikake. Actually shared your recipe with a friend who will try very soon.
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is rice on the Paleo diet?
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Hi Cathie, rice is a bit of a “gray area food” in that it’s generally maligned since it’s a grain, but has a much lower toxicity profile than other grains. It doesn’t fall under strict “paleo/not paleo” contexts, in my opinion. I wrote a bit more about it in this post: https://thedomesticman.com/2014/05/06/sabzi-polo-ba-mahi-persian-herbed-rice-with-fish/
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