Teriyaki Chicken is juicy and tender, and it is well known for its amazing flavor. Making teriyaki flavor is very easy and once you know the trick you’ll use it in a lot of dishes!
People love teriyaki, and today I want to show you how to make Teriyaki chicken that is so easy and tasty for your dinner table!
What is Teriyaki? Is Teriyaki Good?
Do you like Teriyaki flavor? This flavor is loved not only by adults but also kids. In Japan, we use it for bento boxes or make it for meal prep.
A little tip about Teriyaki (照り焼き) is that it is not the name of a sauce, it is actually a cooking method. Teri means “luster” which means the sweet soy sauce marinade and yaki means “cooking/grilling”. This method is used for fish or meat by either frying in a pan or grilling, and it turns the dish a nice brown luster.
The classic and basic teriyaki sauce needs four ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. I will show you the ratio and the steps in the recipe below, but they are the only ingredients we need for teriyaki. Everyone in Japan changes the ratio slightly depending on their preferred taste.
Chicken Thigh or Chicken Breast for Teriyaki Chicken?
People often ask about whether to use chicken thighs or breasts for Teriyaki Chicken. I recommend chicken thighs with the skin on. The reason why we should use chicken thighs is they have more flavor and chicken breasts are too dry for chicken teriyaki.
How to Find Boneless and Skin-on Chicken Thighs?
It is extremely difficult to find boneless skin on chicken thighs in the states. In Japanese recipes, there are a lot of times that you have to use this kind of meat because the skin becomes the layer between the chicken meat and a hot pan so it keeps the meat so soft and juicy. To get you can of course ask your local butcher or you can do it by yourself. I attached a useful video for it!
Ingredients for Teriyaki Chicken
Similar Recipes to Teriyaki Chicken on Oishi Book
- Tsukune (つくね : Ground Chicken Skewers)
- Tori no Karaage ( 鶏の唐揚げ – Japanese Fried Chicken)
- Tonkatsu Recipe (とんかつ – Japanese Fried Pork Cutlet)
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Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients
- Cut the excess skin and fat and lightly season with salt and black pepper. Prick both sides of the chicken with a fork so it absorbs more flavor.
- Set a pan to medium heat with no oil. Put the chicken into the pan. Place the chicken skin side down.
- To cook the chicken evenly, I recommend that you press on the pieces with a spatula.
- While you are cooking, oil comes out. Use paper towels to occasionally remove excess oil. This process is important to make crispy chicken.
- Once the skin is browned, flip the chicken. After you flip, cook this side about 80% because the chicken will be completely cooked after you add the sauce.
- Add all the teriyaki sauce ingredients (soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar) into the pan.
- Right after you add the sauce, there should be tiny bubbles coming up.
- After you see there are big bubbles, use a spoon to baste the chicken with the sauce. After you see the sauce reduce, turn the heat to low. When you see there is no sauce or close to it, turn the heat off.
- Covered with teriyaki sauce and beautifully golden brown, cut into about 1 inch pieces.
- Serve on a plate and put some remaining sauce on top.
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