Teriyaki Chicken. Tender chicken thighs cooked in a sweet, sticky, savoury teriyaki glaze. A popular Japanese dish that is simple to make at home. Ready in under 30 minutes. A great main for dinner, lunch or as leftovers.
This is one of my husband’s favourite ways to have chicken and after 6 years of running this blog, I’ve finally developed a recipe for it. It took so long because I wanted it to be a great Japanese recipe, not mediocre.
Simple to make!
I also wanted it to be simple enough to make at home without any fuss especially for any beginner cooks. Step by step I will show you how to make chicken teriyaki. Our favourite way to serve chicken and teriyaki sauce is with some hot steamed rice and cabbage.
What does chicken teriyaki taste like?
Imagine tender chicken thighs cooked in a sweet, salty, sticky glaze thanks to the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake with hints of garlic and ginger.
What goes best with teriyaki chicken?
Teriyaki chicken pairs well with many other foods but it is commonly served over steamed rice with cabbage and onion.
But you can also try serving it with the following ideas:
- Udon noodles
- Noodle stir fry
- Inside a rice ball like onigiri
- With a simple fried rice
- Inside a sandwich
- Leafy greens or in a salad
- Steamed broccoli
The list goes on!
Easy to make!
This easy chicken teriyaki is ready in under 30 minutes! Most of the ingredients are accessible whether that’s at your Asian grocer or online. Many western grocers also carry many of these ingredients.
What You’ll Need
For this recipe, you’ll need the following chicken teriyaki ingredients:
- chicken thighs, boneless skinless or skin-on (whatever you can get your hands on)
- cornstarch
- cooking oil
Chicken Teriyaki Sauce:
- sake
- regular soy sauce
- sugar
- mirin
- garlic
- ginger
How to Make Chicken Teriyaki
First you'll slice your boneless chicken thighs into equal thirds.
Then mix your sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bringing that to a boil for 2 minutes.
Then lightly dust the sliced chicken thighs in cornstarch to fry in hot oil.
Once the chicken is fried, pour the sauce over top letting it bubble to thicken and reduce, about 1-3 minutes. Flipping the chicken over to glaze in the sauce.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions (both optional) and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
Below are tips on making chicken teriyaki stir fry:
Use chicken thighs for best taste
Traditionally this cut of meat is used for this dish as it’s very tender thanks to fat running through it. Chicken breast may be used but I would recommend checking the internal temperature every now as you cook it. Then when you reach 155 F, pour the sauce overtop and cook for another couple minutest to reach 165 F.
Cornstarch helps the sauce stick
You may be wondering why cornstarch is used? Well, it’s to help the chicken to get a little crispy and creates an outer “shell” to soak up that delicious sauce.
Boil the sauce
We are only bringing the sauce to a boil for 2 minutes to allow the alcohol in the sake evaporate.
Once it has evaporated, then we need to remove off heat. Don’t forget we will be pouring this sauce into a hot pan with the chicken, so we don’t want to burn the sauce.
Brown the chicken until it’s golden on each side
This gives the chicken more flavour and creates more texture as the exterior is slightest bit crispy.
Do not overcook the sauce in the chicken
Remember we’ve already boiled the sauce, so allow it to simmer in the chicken until it’s reduced and thickened.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this Japanese chicken teriyaki recipe:
Is chicken teriyaki healthy?
I wouldn’t personally call it a health food as it’s high in sugar and sodium. But hey you only live once, and life is also about indulgence too along with healthy eating.
What is teriyaki chicken made of?
Teriyaki chicken is simply made of chicken cooked in a teriyaki sauce made of regular soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin. My recipe contains a couple of aromatics to accent the dish.
What is the origin of teriyaki chicken?
Teriyaki chicken originates from Japan. The cooking method of teriyaki goes back to as early as the 17th century!
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed my teriyaki chicken thighs, you may enjoy these other Japanese recipes:
KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)
CREAMY ROSE BACON UDON
JAPANESE EBI MAYO
KOROKKE JAPANESE POTATO CROQUETTES
SPICY TUNA ONIGIRI
CREAMY BLACK GARLIC MUSHROOM UDON
JAPANESE SPICY TUNA RICE BOWL
AIR FRYER JAPANESE KATSUDON
AIR FRYER CHICKEN KATSU
INARI TOBIKO SUSHI ROLL
Try it!
Well, I hope you give my recipe a try! It always excites me when you make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
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Christie
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Easy Teriyaki Chicken (Authentic)
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or with skin on
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or sub with potato starch or tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
- ½ stalk green onion finely sliced (optional garnish)
- ½ tsp sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Chicken Teriyaki Sauce:
- ¼ cup sake cooking kind
- 3 tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce!
- 1 tbsp white granulated sugar (or sub with honey)
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
Instructions
- Slice chicken thighs into equal thirds.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil so it's bubbling and let it bubble for 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Remove off heat and set aside.
- Using a brush, lightly dust sliced chicken with cornstarch on both sides with dabbing motion. Do not heavily coat in cornstarch.
- Over medium high heat, add cooking oil into hot pan. Fry chicken thighs on both sides until browned. About 3-5 minutes each side.
- Pour sauce over top. Let it bubble to thicken and reduce, about 1-3 minutes. Flip chicken over to simmer on the other side for 30 seconds. Optional: garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!
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