Teriyaki Chicken with Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy and Grain-Free Cauliflower Rice
Juicy chicken thighs marinated in a homemade coconut aminos teriyaki with ginger, garlic, and grated pear, then seared and glazed, served with ginger-sesame bok choy and fluffy cauliflower rice. Gluten-free, soy-free, and grain-free.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 35 min · Total: 50 min, plus at least 30 minutes marinating · Year-round, with bok choy at its sweetest in the cool months, from fall through spring · Best eaten: early evening
The Menu
Coconut Aminos Teriyaki Chicken
Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy
Cauliflower Rice
Optional toppings: toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions, fresh cilantro, pickled ginger, sliced avocado, nori strips, and lime wedges.
A note on grain-free teriyaki: Traditional teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce (which contains wheat), sugar, mirin (a sweet rice wine), and sake, and bottled versions often add corn syrup and preservatives. This grain-free version keeps all the flavor: coconut aminos replaces soy sauce, honey and grated pear replace sugar, and apple cider vinegar and fresh ginger stand in for the mirin and sake. The sauce is thicker and deeper than the glossy restaurant version, with all the savory-sweet flavor that makes teriyaki so loved.
Recipe 1: Coconut Aminos Teriyaki Chicken
Serves 4 · Active: 20 min · Total: 40 min, plus at least 30 minutes marinating
Chicken
2 lbs pasture-raised chicken thighs (boneless and skinless for teriyaki bowls, or bone-in and skin-on for more flavor)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
Coconut aminos teriyaki sauce
½ cup coconut aminos
3 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Asian pear or Bosc pear, finely grated
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional; it helps thicken the sauce)
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
To finish
1 tbsp toasted white or black sesame seeds
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Lime wedges
Make the teriyaki sauce. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients.
Set some aside. Pour ⅓ cup of the sauce into a separate jar for the glaze, and keep it away from the raw chicken.
Marinate. Pat the chicken dry, and toss it with the rest of the sauce in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 12 hours. (Any longer, and the vinegar and pear make the chicken mushy.)
Bring to room temperature. Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
Cook the chicken, letting the extra marinade drip off first.
In a skillet (best for weeknights): Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat; the honey in the marinade burns over high heat. Sear boneless thighs 5–6 minutes per side, until deep golden and they reach 175°F. For bone-in thighs, sear skin-side down for 5–6 minutes, flip, then finish in a 400°F oven for 15–18 minutes, to 175°F.
On the grill: Grill over medium heat. Boneless thighs take 5–6 minutes per side; bone-in thighs take 6–7 minutes skin-side down, then 8–10 minutes on the other side, to 175°F.
Rest the chicken on a warm plate for 5–7 minutes.
Make the glaze. Meanwhile, simmer the reserved ⅓ cup of sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat for 4–6 minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste, and add a splash of vinegar for brightness or a pinch of salt.
Glaze and serve. Slice the chicken against the grain into thick strips, and drizzle generously with the glaze. Garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Recipe 2: Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy
Serves 4 · 10 minutes
1½ lbs baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp grass-fed ghee or avocado oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp water
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Sear. Heat the sesame oil and ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the bok choy cut-side down, and sear 2–3 minutes, until golden.
Steam. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir 30 seconds. Add the coconut aminos and water, cover, and steam 2 minutes, until the stems are just tender.
Finish with the sesame seeds.
For a fuller version with shiitake mushrooms, see my Miso-Glazed Fish with Ginger Bok Choy and Shiitake.
Recipe 3: Cauliflower Rice
Serves 4 · 15 minutes
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp grass-fed ghee or coconut oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
2 scallions, thinly sliced
A squeeze of lime
Rice the cauliflower. Pulse the florets in a food processor until they look like rice; don’t over-process. For more sulforaphane, let it sit 30 minutes before cooking.
Cook. Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower and salt, and cook 5–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until tender but not mushy.
Finish with the scallions and a squeeze of lime.
For a coconut-lime version, see my Coconut Rice Two Ways.
To Serve
Use warm, shallow bowls. Spoon the cauliflower rice on one side, add the bok choy alongside, and top with the sliced teriyaki chicken. Drizzle any remaining glaze over everything, and finish with more sesame seeds, scallions, pickled ginger, and lime wedges. Serve right away, while the chicken is warm.
Storage
Cooked chicken: refrigerated with the glaze, up to 4 days. It’s delicious cold over greens, or warmed over cauliflower rice.
Teriyaki sauce (uncooked): refrigerated in a sealed jar, up to 5 days.
Teriyaki glaze (cooked): refrigerated in a sealed jar, up to 1 week. Brush it on any protein or roasted vegetables.
Bok choy and cauliflower rice: refrigerated, up to 3 days.
Leftover ideas:
Shred cold chicken over a red cabbage, carrot, and cilantro slaw with a sesame dressing.
Scramble it into pasture-raised eggs with scallions, for a savory breakfast.
Tuck it into butter lettuce cups with pickled ginger, for grain-free wraps.
Simmer it in bone broth with shredded cabbage, for a quick soup.
A note on honey: Honey is no longer raw once it’s cooked. Honey shouldn’t be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Pasture-raised chicken thighs — complete protein, B12, and choline. Dark meat has more iron, zinc, taurine, and B vitamins than breast meat.
Coconut aminos — a savory, soy-free, gluten-free seasoning made from coconut sap and sea salt, lower in sodium than soy sauce.
Honey — trace minerals and antioxidants, with a richer flavor than refined sugar.
Asian pear — pectin (a soluble fiber that feeds healthy gut bacteria), vitamin C, and potassium. Grated pear is a traditional Korean and Japanese way to tenderize meat in marinades.
Fresh ginger — gingerols and shogaols. Ginger is one of the best-studied natural remedies for menstrual cramps, with some studies finding it works about as well as over-the-counter pain relievers.
Garlic — allicin and other sulfur compounds, studied for supporting heart health and their antimicrobial effects.
Sesame seeds and sesame oil — calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, and the lignans sesamin and sesamolin, studied for their antioxidant effects and for supporting estrogen balance.
Bok choy and cauliflower — vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and glucosinolates, which your body turns into sulforaphane, supporting estrogen metabolism. Chopping cauliflower and letting it rest before cooking helps.
Apple cider vinegar — acetic acid, studied for supporting healthy blood sugar.
Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid and polyphenols, plus it helps you absorb the vegetables’ fat-soluble nutrients.
As a circadian food, this is a satisfying early dinner: protein, vegetables, and savory-sweet flavor, light enough to sit well in the evening.
For your cycle: This meal suits every phase, and especially the follicular and luteal phases. The bok choy and cauliflower support estrogen metabolism, the ginger helps ease cramps, and the sesame brings calcium and magnesium for the luteal phase.
Sourcing
Chicken thighs — pasture-raised and non-medicated, from a local farm or White Oak Pastures
Bok choy, cauliflower, ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro, pears, and limes — organic, from a farmers’ market; Asian pears are ideal, and Bosc pears are an easy substitute
Coconut aminos — organic and soy-free, like Coconut Secret
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Honey — organic, local, and unfiltered
Toasted sesame oil — organic and cold-pressed, in dark glass
Sesame seeds — organic (or toast raw seeds in a dry skillet for 3–4 minutes)
Dijon mustard (optional) — organic, like Delouis Fils or Maison Orphée
Grass-fed ghee — organic
Pickled ginger (optional) — just ginger, vinegar, and salt, with no dyes (skip the bright pink versions)
Nori (optional) — organic, just seaweed
Spices — organic and non-irradiated
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall