Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Legs

Teriyaki Drumsticks

That’s right folks, you heard it here first. This is a Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Legs recipe and it can be baked or grilled to perfection. I put this together in a way that is absolutely fool proof so, it’s easy and delicious. You can make it from scratch, using my Teriyaki Sauce recipe or you can pick up the bottled marinade that I’m going to recommend down below. Either way, you’re going to love this recipe.

Chicken Legs

One thing I’d like to talk about in this post is the cost of chicken legs. They are ridiculously inexpensive. I purchased the 5 pounds that you see in these pics and video tutorial for just $6.49 and even that, for me, was more expensive than the usual price. Most of the time I can get the same amount of legs for less than $1 per pound, where I shop. That’s 4 Legs for a dollar. It’s the insanely priced chicken wings that have driven the legs price down and I’m thankful for it because the cost of wings are practically $1 each, these days. The first person to open a drumsticks restaurant that offers amazing wing sauce recipes is going to bank!

Mr. Yoshida’s sweet Teriyaki original gourmet sauce.

Teriyaki Chicken Sauce

If you’re a fan of Teriyaki sauce, you are going to love this bottled recipe. I’ve been using it for years because it’s thick and has so much flavor. I have a really good recipe that’s a little different but easily just as good if you’d like to try your hand at making it from scratch but I highly recommend this brand. I’m not affiliated with them in anyway but here’s a link for Yoshida’s on Amazon , if you’re interested in purchasing some for your self. It’s about $3 dollars per bottle. I’ve also seen it on the shelf at Walmart so, you might be able to find it at your local grocery store as well.

On a side note, if you wanted to marinate the wings over night in a puddle of this sauce you’ll achieve better results. You might even want to consider simmering them in the sauce on the stove for 20 minutes before grilling or baking. You’ll be surprised what an amazing difference it will make. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time until the sauce is caramelized.

Other than the obvious, this sauce is great with rice and noodles, too, not just just meats and stir fry’s.

Chopped green onion, Jalapeno and sweet peppers.

Topping

For a little more kick, color and flavor, I like to chop up some fresh green onion, jalapeno and sweet peppers. Half way through the baking I sprinkle them over the top. If I were grilling, I wouldn’t add them until I was completely done cooking the legs and got all of them added to a serving tray, first, before topping.

Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Legs Ingredients:

5 lbs Chicken Legs, 12 to 14 piece’s
1 lbs Bacon
1 1/2 cups Teriyaki Sauce Marinade, Mr. Yoshida’s
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped
1 Red Sweet Pepper, chopped
1 Green Onion, chopped

Be sure to watch and follow the directions in the Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Legs video tutorial and bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, flip and bake for another 20, then serve..

Yakitori Chicken

Easy Yakitori Chicken

One thing I’ve learned about Yakitori Chicken, it isn’t just Shish Kebabs you find at your local Chinese buffet. In fact, it isn’t Chinese at all, it’s Japanese. Much like Sushi, American Chinese restaurants are just adapting adding to their menu’s because of the popularity they’ve gained over the years. Truthfully, both the Sushi and Yakitori aren’t prepared very well and, are generally, “okay” at best. If you’ve decided you like or even hate these recipes from a buffet, understand that your opinion is most likely skewed and based on your lack of experience. The food hasn’t been prepared right. Therefore, most folks wouldn’t know an authentic recipe if it hit them in the face and wiggled. So, since that’s what you’re probably used to, I’m going to help you stomp out a buffet style recipe but with some more pep.

Raw Yakitori Chicken ingredients: liver, hearts and chicken thigh meat.

Traditional Yakitori Chicken

There truly is an art to Yakitori Chicken. One of my favorite things about the Japanese culture is their dedication to perfection. Even famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey are intimidated by sushi and noodle chefs and, I’d be willing to bet, Yakitori chefs are no different. Yakitori Chicken is barbecue that uses the entire bird and doesn’t leave anything to waste. Though I don’t use a whole chicken in this recipe, I’ve picked out a few things that are commonly used for it. Boneless chicken thigh meat, chicken liver and hearts. Each are prepared just a little differently.

Skewed Yakitori Chicken thighs, liver and hearts, ready for the oven.

Yakitori Chicken Skewers

I like to use disposable wooden skewers for the Yakitori Chicken, instead of metal, because they stay cool and make it easier to flip back and forth. The Chicken thighs are cut into bite size pieces and marinated. I like to use my Teriyaki Sauce recipe because it’s practically the same thing as basic Yakitori sauce. The main difference is just the quantities of each ingredient vary but this is a really great and simple alternative to make this recipes easy. I brush olive oil on the hearts and liver portions to keep them moist. There’s also a splash of liquid smoke but if you’re going to grill, you won’t need it but you should salt and pepper to taste.

Yakitori Chicken Ingredients:

4 Boneless Chicken Thighs
1 lbs Chicken Liver
1 lbs Chicken Hearts
1/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
Salt and Pepper to taste

I use Himalayan Salt and White Pepper. You’ll also need about a dozen Skewers to make this Yakitori Chicken on the Grill or baked in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Teriyaki Chicken

Restaurant Style Teriyaki chicken

If you love Teriyaki Chicken, this is the recipe for you. It’s as good as any restaurant recipe I have ever had. In fact, I think it’s even better than the recipe at my favorite Sushi House in town. My kids won’t usually eat anything but a California roll, so I usually order them a Bento Box that comes with a combination of things. One of which is Teriyaki Chicken. And their recipe is really good but this recipe is definitely better. The beautiful thing is that you get the wonderful flame flavor from the grill and then a nice thick syrupy sauce on the stove that can be spiced up if you’d like.

Teriyaki Chicken with Stir Fry

I like to have my Teriyaki Chicken with Stir Fry or even by itself served with white or brown steamed rice. After the chicken is cooked on the grill and cut into bite size pieces, I like to add the chicken to a hot pan on the stove with more Teriyaki Sauce. This is the best time to add vegetables if you plan to make a Stir Fry. It only takes a few minutes to cook as you thicken and caramelize the sauce. My original Teriyaki Sauce post can be found HERE so you can watch the video but I’ll add the ingredients down below.

Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients:

4-8 Boneless Chicken Thighs
1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce
1 cup Soy Sauce
1 cup Mirin
1/2 cup Sake
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder

Combine all of the Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and reduce for approximately 20 minutes until you’ve reached desired thickness. Then follow the directions in the video to make the Teriyaki Chicken.