Chicken Teriyaki

There is a restaurant in the mall by me called Sarku Japan and it has the most amazing Chicken Teriyaki. I absolutely love it, but no matter what I did, I could never seem to replicate it. Then I came across a recipe that claimed to be an almost exact copy and so I just had to try it. I have to say that they weren't lying. My only complaint is that the recipe called for "a piece of ginger, sliced" but with no hint to the size of the piece. I ended up using about an inch. The chicken is supposed to marinate in a mixture that contains baking soda overnight, but I would suggest cutting back on the time being that the chicken ended up being far too tender. Other than that, this recipe, though time consuming and messy, was spot on. I've noted my changes on the recipe below.

Original recipe here: https://snapguide.com/guides/make-sarkus-japan-chicken-teriyaki/

Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless chicken thighs
2 cups rice
Favorite veggies to stir fry (I used carrots, broccoli, and some thin sliced cabbage)
MARINADE
1 cup water
1/8 cup Shaoxing wine or cooking Sherry
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda (I'd recommend using only 1/2 teaspoon if resting overnight)
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Canola oil
BROWN SAUCE 
2 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic sliced
A piece of ginger , sliced (I used about an inch, maybe a little over)
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 1/2 Tablespoons cold water

Directions:

• Cut chicken into long strips and place into large bowl. Add all marinade ingredients to chicken and stir very well--about 5-6 minutes--cover and refrigerate, preferably overnight.
• Cook rice and set aside to keep warm.
• While rice cooks, place chicken in a stand up mixer with dough attachment and mix on low speed for about 20 minutes, or stir well by hand.
• Stir fry veggies and set aside in a warm place.
• Heat chicken stock in a pot over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and sliced ginger root. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Allow to cook until it reduces a bit. Remove garlic and ginger. Mix cornstarch with cold water, being sure to remove all lumps. Using a whisk, add cornstarch slurry slowly to broth mixture, being sure to quickly blend. Keep stirring until it thickens slightly. Set aside.
• Be sure to turn vent on over oven as this can set off sensitive smoke alarms. Heat up griddle to 500°F, or a pan on high till smoking hot. Add 2 Tablespoons oil to griddle/pan. Spread oil evenly across griddle/pan and add chicken, spreading evenly across the surface. Brown chicken nicely on the first side, flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add a bit of sauce over the chicken after flipping and cook an addition minute.
• Serve with rice, veggies, and a bit more of the sauce on top.