Crock-Pot Sweet Chicken Teriyaki

A few weeks ago my stepfather came down to visit and help install a new garage door track thing.  I really wanted to cook him dinner, but I didn't have a day off of work.  He had offered to make shish kebabs with the chicken I had in the freezer, but I had too many horrific memories of being fed black pieces of meat and vegetables from his less than desirable grilling skills (even though he has gotten much better at the art of grilling, according to my mother at least).  Besides, I would have felt terrible making him cook after helping me out with repairs.  Being the somewhat crafty person that I am, I came up with a plan to make something in the crock-pot that I could start before work and finish when I got home.

I hadn't had chicken teriyaki in a long time, and I found a pretty good base recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff (the recipe has been taken down).  Of course, I modified the hell out of it because a meal with that much sugar and no vegetables didn't sit right with me.

I started off by following the original recipe, replacing the granulated sugar with brown sugar, regular soy sauce with low sodium, and garlic salt with fresh garlic and salt.  Okay, so I already deviated from the recipe quite a bit.  

By the time I actually left for work it was already starting to look and smell great.  I gave my mother strict instructions to keep an eye on it and left them to be tortured by the smell all day.

When I got home the chicken was falling apart nicely.  To make the dish seem a little healthy, I added a  large bag of stir fry vegetables and let them cook for a bit. 

It actually came out really good.  It was the first time I made a teriyaki sauce from scratch.  I had no idea it was so simple.  I served it over brown rice.  I have to warn you though, it makes a lot.  If you are not making this for a large group, you will be eating the leftovers all week.

Here is a link to the original recipe using the Way Back Machine.

Here is my modified recipe:

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts (frozen)

1 onion 

1 cup brown sugar 

2 large cloves of garlic

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large bag asian stir fry vegetables

Directions:

1. Mince garlic and slice onion

2. Add all the ingredients except the stir fry vegetables to the crock-pot

3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours

4. Add stir fry vegetables during the last hour of cooking

5. Serve over rice of your choice