March 25, 2015
When I got home from work and looked at what to cook for dinner, I had some turkey breast defrosted. Now, I don’t really tend to cook with turkey breast, unless it’s at Christmas. It’s hard to know what to do with it, I mean there is the obvious baking, but I wanted to try something different. And after some hunting I found an interesting Pin for Teriyaki Turkey. I guess it is an unconventional combination; turkey doesn’t really come up in Asian cuisine after all. However, turkey is such a lean, healthy meat with surprising versatility, therefore it really should have use beyond roasts and slow cookers. So given that I managed to have all the ingredients on hand for once, I set out to give this unconventional pairing a go!
This recipe is quick, simple and yields a really tasty, healthy dinner. It is a great mid week meal when you need a quick recipe that is healthy without compromising on flavour! In fact, it really packed so much flavour punch that I think I need to back off on the sauce next time! So let that be a warning to you when cooking this recipe.
I pretty much followed the Pinterest recipe, however I served mine with steamed veggies and with the sauce. I was worried it would be too dry without the addition of the sauce, but completely up to you whether you use it or not!
- 500 grams of turkey breast about 2 breast fillets – you could use chicken if you wanted, I can imagine the result would be about the same
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger grated finely
- ½ Cup of Soy Sauce – I used original but you can use the salt reduced kind if you want
- ½ Cup of Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice – I did this as we had oranges and I think this is much better for you. However, if you do have bottled orange juice on hand it would be simpler
- ½ tablespoon of sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes – you could add more or less depending on your taste for spicy food. 1 tablespoon made gave the sauce a bit of a kick!
- 1 large capsicum
- ½ a bag of snow peas
- 2 Buk Choys or other leafy chinese vegetables
- Optional: 1 cup of rice pre cooked (this is if you have boys in the family that can’t possibly eat dinner without carbs)
- ½ cup of coriander chopped.
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In a large bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients bar the turkey. Whisk to combine well.
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Cut the turkey into small pieces, about 4 pieces per breast. I did this to ensure the turkey would cook quickly, and that more of the turkey would be marinated, as I had limited time to let it sit. If you do have the time, feel free to leave the breasts whole and cut later, as this will give you more tender meat. However, in the interest of time, I opted for smaller pieces, and still had a good result.
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Place the turkey in the bowl and cover with plastic. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, 30 minutes optimally, and overnight if you are really organised! I only had a bit of time so I marinated mine for 20 minutes.
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Turn the grill on in your oven to a medium – high heat. Grab a grill tray and place some foil underneath to catch the drips,
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While you wait for the turkey to marinade, cut your vegetables up into bite sized pieces, and cut the tails off the snow peas. Place in a steamer. You could do these in the microwave, however I opted to steam them over the stovetop. If you decide to do this, heat the water until boiling, but wait until you place the turkey in to add the vegetables to avoid overcooking.
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When your turkey has finished marinading, lay the pieces out on the grill tray. Put the tray in the oven and give the turkey 7-9 minutes each side. Ensure you constantly check the turkey, and turn over when its looking quite brown on top. When ready, I noticed that the sauce caramelised and went crispy so keep an eye out for this.
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While you are waiting for the turkey, put the veggies in to steam. Leave them in the steamer for a maximum of 10 minutes, or until cooked through. I placed the leafy tops of the Buk Choy in at the end as they really only need a minute to cook.
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With a few minutes to spare, place the remaining marinade in a saucepan on a medium heat. Cook until the mixture boils, and then simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn off after this, otherwise the sauce will be too strong.
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When you think the turkey is ready, get it out of the oven. I sliced through the thickest slice to check, as I didn’t have a meat thermomotor on hand. Once it’s cooked through, let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes.
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For serving, place rice, if desired, in the bottom of a bowl, and layering the vegetables on top. Next, finely slice the turkey and place slices on top of the vegetables. Spoon a tablespoon or two of the sauce over the bowl, depending on how strong you want the flavour to be. Finally, garnish with coriander.
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How much sauce you put on at the end is really up to you. I found it needed a little bit of sauce otherwise it would have been too dry, plus its always nice to have a nice sauce with rice. If you like strong flavours, feel free to add more. You can also use whatever vegetables you have on hand, as most vegetables would go quite well with this dish. As I said, it’s meant to be a simple, easy weeknight dinner recipe, so feel free to add or omit whatever you want. I had it without rice and it was really yummy. Plus I had some extra for my lunch the next day!
Let me know if you try this recipe, and whether you like this interesting take on turkey! I loved how lean the meat was, and I think it’s a really good option for a healthy, quick meal!
