At home, teriyaki is one of our “default” dishes. Even when we run out of basics like fresh onion and garlic, there are always bottles of soy sauce, sake and mirin in the pantry. I’d make teriyaki sauce and use it on whatever there is in the freezer. It’s just so versatile. And it transforms whatever it touches.
If you want to shorten the cooking time and you have no use for excess teriyaki sauce, pour 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sake and 1/4 cup mirin directly over the seared chicken and cook until the liquids have been absorbed. The flavor won’t be as strong (some people prefer it that way) but the chicken teriyaki will still be delicious.
Chicken is still our favorite but if you want examples of how teriyaki sauce can go with seafood, meat and noodles, try these:
Chicken Teriyaki With Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
For the teriyaki sauce
To cook chicken teriyaki
- 6 to 10 chicken thigh fillets preferably skin on, about 700 grams total weight
- ½ teaspoon cooking oil (only if using skinless chicken fillets)
Instructions
Make the teriyaki sauce
- In a small sauce pan, mix together all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce. Heat and bring to a gentle boil.
- Boil the mixture over medium-low heat, uncovered, until reduced by half.
- Set the teriyaki sauce aside. You will need only 1/4 cup. Save the rest in a bottle or jar and keep in the fridge. It will stay good for two weeks or so.
Cook the chicken teriyaki
- Wipe the chicken thigh fillets dry with paper towels.
- Heat a heavy thick-bottomed frying pan.
- If your chicken thigh fillets are skinless, spray or brush the bottom of the pan with oil.
- Lay the chicken thigh fillets in a single layer, skin side down (or smooth side down if using skinless) in the pan. Cook over high heat until lightly browned, about three minutes.
- Flip the chicken fillets over to brown the opposite side, about three minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium and pour 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce over the chicken.
- Cook for another four to six minutes, flipping the chicken fillets over occasionally, until the sauce has caramelized and coats the chicken fillets evenly.
To serve the chicken teriyaki
- Move the chicken fillets to a chopping board and cut into strips.
- Pile the chicken teriyaki strips over rice in a bowl or serve the rice on the side.
