What is teriyaki chicken?

Teriyaki is a cooking technique used in Japanese food – foods are brushed with a glaze of sake, marin, soy sauce, and sugar, then either grilled or broiled. Teriyaki means glazed and grilled – teri meaning shiny/glazed and yaki meaning grilled. In Japan, traditional teriyaki chicken isn’t as saucy as we know it in North America – it’s simply glazed chicken.

What is teriyaki sauce?

Teriyaki sauce is a simple Japanese sauce made from just 4 ingredients: sake, mirin, soy, and sugar. Traditionally it’s on the thinner side, but still thick enough to glaze. Classic teriyaki sauce thickens naturally because the sugars caramelize. Teriyaki sauce is incredibly easy to make at home and once you make it once, you’ll never get store bough teriyaki sauce again. You can use it with stir fries and for chicken teriyaki, of course.

How to make teriyaki chicken

1. Cook the chicken. Lightly pat the chicken dry and cook in a dry pan over medium heat. Medium heat will slowly render out the chicken fat from the skin and confit the chicken, making it incredibly juicy and moist. When the skin is crispy and brown and the chicken is mostly cooked through, flip it over to cook the other side.

2. Make the sauce. While the chicken is crisping up, make the sauce by combining sake, mirin, soy, and sugar in a small pot. Simmer to slightly reduce then whisk in a cornstarch slurry to thicken. Set aside.

3. Serve. After the chicken is cooked, slice it up and make it rain teriyaki sauce. Enjoy with fluffy white rice, cucumbers, and toasted sesame seeds!