My husband has always been a BIG fan of chicken teriyaki so I have tried lots of recipes over the years. I thought I had found the best one when I originally wrote this post, but after reading this New York Times article, I decided to try one more chicken teriyaki recipe. Now I can confidently say, THIS one is the BEST— our all time favorite! My favorite part is that this chicken teriyaki recipe comes together easily and is made with simple ingredients that I always have on hand.
According to The NY Times, Teriyaki is derived form the Japanese root words ‘Teri’, to shine and ‘yaki’ to broil or grill. That’s the way traditional teriyaki looks: shiny and marked with dark stripes from the grill. Traditional teriyaki in Japan is a mix of soy sauce, sake and the rice wine Miriam but this recipe is the adaption that is found throughout Seattle. It is sweetened with white sugar and pineapple juice and has ingredients that most people keep on hand or can easily get at any grocery store. There is ginger and garlic that come from the Korean ancestry of many cooks in that area. It is not at all traditional, but it is simple to make and turns out fabulously every time!
Be sure to plan ahead as you do need to marinate the chicken before cooking. It is best with an overnight soak, but a few hours will do just fine! We like this recipe so much that I like to double the marinade and freeze one set of chicken in the freezer for an easy dinner next time. It will defrost while it marinades. I keep frozen ginger cubes (Dorot brand) and pineapple juice concentrate in the freezer. Both are great for smoothies and recipes.
When I make this chicken my boys come running and there is never any leftovers! It is perfect on the grill but when it is cold outside, I use my grill pan on the stovetop with great results.
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Chicken Teriyaki
Description
This is such a great recipe for grilled chicken teriyaki. Perfect flavor!! So good!
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed in a press
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice concentrate
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except cornstarch and chicken. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Discard cinnamon stick and mix in 1/2 cup water.
- Place chicken in a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Add soy sauce mixture, seal bag, and turn to coat chicken. Refrigerate for at least an hour, ideally overnight.
- Remove chicken and set aside. Pour mixture into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Skim off any foam if there is any.
- Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and add to pan. Stir until mixture begins to thicken, and gradually stir in enough water (about 1/2 cup) until sauce is the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat a broiler or grill. Lightly brush chicken pieces on all sides with sauce, and broil or grill about 3 minutes per side. While chicken is cooking, place sauce over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a bare simmer, adding water a bit at a time to keep mixture at a pourable consistency.
- To serve, slice chicken into strips, arrange on plates over rice, and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Recipe Source: slightly adapted from the New York Times
karen I am so sorry! will fix that now! That Mirin was in the original recipe but this is a new and improved version and it does not call for Mirin.
I’m in the middle of making this and am just wondering about the reference you make to mirin and cooking wine at the top of the recipe page. Are those included in the recipe somewhere and I am not seeing them?
Thanks for providing your blog. I have made a lot of your recipes and really love them!
I used half low sodium soy sauce and made it exactly as described – LOVED this recipe! It tastes like the Teriyaki Rice bowls you buy at the take-out.
I used half low sodium soy sauce and made it exactly as described – LOVED this recipe! It tastes like the Teriyaki Rice bowls you buy at the take-out.
I used low sodium. It still tasted pretty salty to us and I love salt like crazy! The flavor is really good however it was pretty salty and a bit too much sugar for our taste. Maybe it’s because I didn’t marinate it, I just mixed it together and simmered the chicken in for about 20 min. I will definitely try this again!
I used low sodium. It still tasted pretty salty to us and I love salt like crazy! The flavor is really good however it was pretty salty and a bit too much sugar for our taste. Maybe it’s because I didn’t marinate it, I just mixed it together and simmered the chicken in for about 20 min. I will definitely try this again!
Sorry I have never tried it with low sodium. If you do–let me know!
Sorry I have never tried it with low sodium. If you do–let me know!
Teresa–I bet you are right but the orginal recipe had that note. I have always just used regular sodium but gluten free soy sauce with great results. I would interested to know if you use low sodium how it turns out. So let us know:)
Teresa–I bet you are right but the orginal recipe had that note. I have always just used regular sodium but gluten free soy sauce with great results. I would interested to know if you use low sodium how it turns out. So let us know:)
Oh good, i need this recipe! I am interested in the response about using low sodium soy sauce. Have you tried it that way?
Oh good, i need this recipe! I am interested in the response about using low sodium soy sauce. Have you tried it that way?
Melanie, why can’t we use low-sodium soy sauce? The regular is so salty and there is quite a bit in the recipe. Would it ruin the recipe to use low-sodium?
Melanie, why can’t we use low-sodium soy sauce? The regular is so salty and there is quite a bit in the recipe. Would it ruin the recipe to use low-sodium?