Just like most things that come out of our kitchen, this one was inspired by food we got from a local restaurant. One of the things we really like to get from our local Chinese takeout is their chicken and beef teriyaki on a stick. Normally I make this with my special fried rice on the side, but that is for another instructable *grin* and really, it doesn't get much better than charred meat on a stick!

The chicken (or beef) teriyaki is fairly easy to make. The most time consuming part is the marination process. The results are more than worth it!

Step 1: Ingredients

The ingredient list for this is fairly short. Note that beef can be substituted for the chicken for tasty beef teriyaki!

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs Chicken (I normally buy the boneless thighs or breast tenders when they go on sale)
--> Beef can also be used, though I am not sure which cut would be best
15 oz bottle of Teriyaki sauce*
1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice (optional)

Other things:

Skewers
Tongs
Big Bowl
Flat Pan

* Note this is NOT the glaze! If you like the shiny outside then you can add this later prior to grilling. I like the runnier kind for this purpose.

Step 2: Preparation

The Prep

Skewers

Add water to a shallow pan that is long enough to accommodate the skewers
Let the skewers soak while the meat marinades - at least 2 hours
This step is IMPORTANT if you are going to put these on a grill! (ask me how I know this)

Cut up the meat

For chicken thighs, I cut these in thirds to make them a good size to fit on a skewer
For the chick breast tenders (the thinner breast strips), I leave as-is and don't cut up
For normal chicken breasts, slice against the grain into thirds

Marinade

Place chicken into large bowl
Wash hands with soap (this -is- chicken after all...best to use good food safety here!)
Add the entire container of teriyaki sauce
Add the 1/4 tsp of chinese 5 spice
Stir well
Cover with plastic wrap
Put in refrigerator on the bottom shelf
Let marinade at least 2 hours
Do NOT marinade too long! Once I left this in over 15 hours and it was a too salty

Step 3: Impale That Chicken!

This next step is fun but a bit dangerous. If you hadn't noticed before, the pointy end of the skewers are sharp.

Now would also be a good time to start heating up the grill
Insert the skewer into the chicken carefully.
There are a couple of methods to this. If you are careful, you can insert it in the middle of the meaty bit so you don't see any of the wooden part. If that seems to be a challenge or the meat isn't cooperating, you can weave the skewer in and out.
Did I mention the caution part?
And a last note for washing of hands after this step

Step 4: Fire Up That Grill!

Make sure your grill is hot
Place the skewered chicken carefully on the grill
Because of the long sticks, you may not be able to close the lid
Since they were soaked while the meat was marinading, they should not immediately catch on fire. A bit of charring is normal
Grill thoroughly
Just like all poultry, be sure and check the temp (we have our thermometer set to 165 for chicken)

Enjoy!