Teriyaki Chicken (Tori no Teriyaki)
鶏の照り焼き（テリヤキチキン)
Probably like many of you, there was a teriyaki joint in my local neighborhood strip mall growing up. In all likelihood, it was just another average to below-average joint, but I remember it fondly -- cracking open that styrofoam container to unveil perfectly grilled chicken slices piled on top of a mound of rice. What could be better or simpler? And indeed, it's so simple, it's pretty much impossible to mess up. So we set out to create an ideal teriyaki experience -- slightly sweet (not cloyingly so), savory, simple and best of all, easy enough for a weeknight meal.
Now, for a little fooducation: teriyaki is a cooking technique, where something (chicken, beef, fish) is glazed or marinated with teriyaki sauce, then grilled or broiled ("teri" means shiny, and "yaki" means to grill). Some recipes call for glazing, but I prefer marinating the chicken first. So to start out, choose your protein and follow the same steps below. We make our own teriyaki sauce, which is a must. It's very easy, and store bought teriyaki sauce tends to have all sorts of junk in it. It's really just three simple ingredients, which if you cook Japanese food, you probably have on hand. If you don't, they are generally easy to find.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 4 chicken thighs -- deboned, skin on
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (shoyu)
- 1/2 cup rice cooking wine (mirin)
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp sugar
- a pinch of chili pepper (my addition)
Recipe Steps:
- Mix the soy sauce, mirin and sake together. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and pour enough of the mixture (say half of it) to coat the chicken well. Massage the ginger into the chicken as well. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
- With the reserved teriyaki sauce, add the sugar and chili pepper. Pour into a small saucepan and bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat for a minute or so, until it reduces slightly. Set aside.
- PAN-FRIED: Bring a pan to high heat with a little oil. Place chicken, skin side down, and brown for a few minutes. Lower the heat. Flip the chicken over, place a cover on it and let cook for another 8-10 minutes. Add some of the reserved teriyaki sauce and stir to coat the chicken. Keep flipping and coating. Let the sauce thicken for a few minutes.
- GRILLING: A grilling net works well for this, but if you don't have it, just place on top your grill or grill plate, coat with the reserved sauce, then cook for 8-10 minutes on each side. Glaze with additional sauce as it cooks.
- If you like, you can slice the chicken into thin pieces, then serve atop rice or plate separately.
Serving Size: 2-3
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Average:
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