Island Teriyaki Chicken

1 cup soy sauce 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground ginger (more to taste), or a 1-inch piece of ginger root

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 3 pounds any type bone-in chicken

Combine sauce and chicken in a zip-top bag or airtight container. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

(For a quick-cook method, you can skip marinating, but the flavor of the meat won’t be as strong.)

To Bake: Arrange chicken breasts and marinade in 9x13 pan. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

To Grill: Discard marinade. Grill chicken on medium-high heat until cooked through. Use reserved sauce to enhance grilled chicken as desired.

Slow-Cooker Method: Combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours. If using ginger root, remove root after 5 hours.

Serve with white rice.Serves 6.

Note: To make shoyu chicken, a Hawaiian version of teriyaki chicken, add the following ingredients to the marinade, then follow the rest of the directions as stated:

1 teaspoon black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper