Teriyaki Chicken

When I first started making Teriyaki chicken, it was with a sauce from a bottle. There are several brands of teriyaki sauce in the market that are very different in taste. Although the taste of teriyaki from the mall’s food court was quite popular with my grandkids, I wanted to learn to do it myself with complete control on taste and appearance each time I made it. I also learned some of the techniques by watching teriyaki done online.

I think I eventually nailed it by trying different recipes. I found out that the Japanese-style teriyaki is the best with fewer ingredients and easy techniques. The most important part of making it with complete success is to know the technique.

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

1 pound chicken thighs
2 tablespoons oil

Marinade

2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake
3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Instructions

The first step is to select boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut them into bite-size pieces. The next step is to marinate the chicken pieces in soy sauce and sake and refrigerate for 20 minutes or more. When ready to cook, drain the chicken through a sieve to remove all the marinade. Stir it with a spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and sprinkle cornstarch and toss well. Cornstarch helps the sauce stick to the chicken.
To make the sauce stir together soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar well. And set it aside.
Heat a non-stick skillet, add oil until moderately hot. Hot skillet and hot oil will prevent the chicken from steaming and give it a good sear. Add chicken pieces to the skillet making sure not to crowd them. Let them sear without jiggling or moving with a spatula for 3 to 4 minutes or until they start to brown. When browning starts, pieces will be released from the skillet. At this stage, flip them over and cook on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a platter and clean the skillet well before using it again.
Stir the prepared sauce and add to the cleaned skillet. Continue to cook on medium heat while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in grated ginger and continue to cook on medium heat. Add the chicken and continue mixing on medium heat until the sauce is reduced to a glaze and the chicken is well coated with it.
Serve cooked sticky rice in a serving bowl, and top it with a generous portion of teriyaki chicken. Sprinkle thinly sliced green onion over each serving. Serve cabbage salad on the side.