In this special online addition of HILuxury’s Cooking with Love, Kaui Philpotts shares one of her favorite recipes, Roasted Teriyaki Chicken, just in time for Christmas! Always a crowd-pleaser, the secret truly is in the sauce! Try this at local-style roast chicken at home, and dinner guests will certainly smell the comforting aroma of sugar and shoyu wafting through the house the moment they walk through your door. Happy holidays to you and yours!

Kaui Philpotts’ Roasted Teriyaki Chicken

Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup shoyu
1 cup sugar*
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons bourbon
1, 3-1/2-pound fresh chicken**

To make the sauce: In a small saucepan, cook the shoyu and sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the ginger, garlic and bourbon and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Remove the ginger and garlic. Set the shoyu mixture aside and allow it to cool. It will thicken as it cools. Pour approximately ¼ cup of the sauce into a separate bowl to baste the chicken. The rest can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and used in stir-fry dishes.

To roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Rinse the chicken under running water and pat dry with towels. Using a brush, coat the chicken inside and out with the freshly made teriyaki sauce. Place the chicken in a baking pan and roast for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes. The chicken is done when you pierce between the leg and thigh and the juices run clear. Cover the chicken with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

* The equal parts shoyu/sugar is common in old, local teriyaki recipes. If you don’t want it as sweet, feel free to reduce the amount.

** Philpotts prefers to use local island chicken, or a fresh Mary’s brand chicken from Whole Foods.