Even though St. Augustine, FL wasn’t part of my Top 10 U.S. Cities post, it sure could have been. I love that city. It is close enough for us that we can make it a day trip, but we don’t take full advantage of this beautiful old city and all it has to offer. We have been there several times since we’ve had kids and always swear we’re going to make it a point to go more often. Well, we went this past weekend for the day and really lucked out weather-wise- it was a perfect Florida fall day. We wore light sweaters and were good to go.
Usually when we go, we park our car and stick pretty close to downtown St. Augustine. But this time, when we got hungry for dinner, every restaurant we checked within walking distance was packed. After a little research on Cesar’s phone, though, we found an adorable little restaurant off the beaten path that had wonderful reviews. The Back 40 Urban Cafe is an old house converted into the cutest restaurant you’ve ever seen. And the food…oh, the food. We thought about ordering one of everything on the menu, but our rational selves cautioned us against it. We settled on the Wet Burrito with Jerk Chicken (for Cesar), Cheese Quesadillas (for the girls), and Chicken Teriyaki (for me). I fell in love with the chicken teriyaki and am already planning our next trip to St. Augustine just to get another taste of it (ok, that’s not the only reason, but it is a big one!). Until then, though, I decided to make my own version.
I am a firm follower of the “semi-homemade” cooking style a lot of the time. I like to take shortcuts if they are available and reasonable, and this recipe is the perfect example!
Chicken Teriyaki with Sauteed Cabbage
Original Recipe (inspired by The Back 40 Cafe’s Chicken Teriyaki)
Ingredients:
olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
8 oz. bag of coleslaw mix (green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots)
1/2 c. bottled teriyaki sauce (I like Lawry’s)
Cut chicken breasts into thin pieces (about 1/4″ thick). Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until it’s not quite cooked through. Add cabbage and sautee until it starts to brown, or about 3 minutes.
Add teriyaki sauce and turn stove down to medium-low. Allow chicken and cabbage to cook for about 5 minutes. Serve over rice (I used basmati).