Chicken Teriyaki (鳥照り焼き) is a lunchtime staple in Japan, filling bento boxes being carted off to offices and schools alike. Teri refers to the lacquered sheen that teriyaki sauce develops on the surface of the chicken, while yaki means grilled. Almost any cut of chicken can be used, but chicken teriyaki is most commonly prepared with the leg meat (thighs or drumsticks) which is deboned to ensure it cooks evenly. The skin is left on the chicken to keep the meat moist, and it takes on a wonderful caramelized hue while getting slightly crispy as it grills.
Long before sushi became the ambassador of Japanese cuisine to the rest of the world, teriyaki invaded the West, and for better or worse it came to represent the whole of the Japanese culinary repertoire. Perhaps it was the short list of approachable ingredients or the allure of food from the far east. Whatever the reason, it's become so ingrained in American food culture that even Paula Deen has a teriyaki recipe.
So what makes for an authentic teriyaki sauce?
It's simple... equal parts soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.
It's not that I have anything against those fancy sweet soy marinades with ginger, garlic, chili, green onions, sesame seeds, and or fruit puree in them, but sauces with these ingredients aren't teriyaki sauce, since they cloud the teri. Ginger, sesame seeds, green onions, and chili are garnishes that are occasionally added after the chicken has been cooked.
Traditionally, the unseasoned chicken is grilled over coals, then basted with teriyaki sauce. To tenderize and season the chicken all the way through, I brine it first in soy sauce and sugar, grill it, then shellac a few coats of teriyaki sauce on to finish. This seems to get the best balance of color, texture and flavor. I've written the directions for a broiler, but just reverse the cooking order (skin up, then down) if you are using a grill.
By using maltose or honey in the teriyaki sauce, the sauce gets thick without having to add any cornstarch. If you do use honey, make sure you use one without a strong flavor of its own. By the way, if you prefer making this in a pan, I have a stovetop teriyaki chicken recipe you can check out for the details.
Serve this chicken teriyaki whole, or chopped up on a bowl of steaming hot rice with some extra sauce.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
for brine
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 4 - 6 boneless skin-on chicken thighs
for teriyaki sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey mild flavored
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons sake
Instructions
- Combine the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, and mirin in large zipper bag and add the chicken thighs. Press out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
- To make the teriyaki sauce, add the honey, soy sauce, mirin and sake to a small sauce pan and boil over medium heat until the sauce is glossy and slightly viscous (it won't get quite as thick as the jarred types). It should take on a caramelized taste but be careful not to burn it.
- When you're ready to grill the chicken, turn the broiler on and move the oven rack up to the upper position. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet (I use the rack out of my toaster oven), and put the chicken thighs skin side down onto the rack (the idea is to keep the meat elevated off the pan).
- Grill until brown, then flip so the skin side faces up. Baste the skin side with teriyaki sauce and continue to broil until the skin is golden brown, with just a few charred spots. Give the chicken one final baste with the teriyaki sauce and serve.
chiara.u says
I simply adore chicken teriyaki! I don't know if here in Italy I eat the real chicken teriyaki... but now I can thanks to your recipe :)) I've even found mirin in that heavenly market in Annecy!!! thanks a lot Marc 🙂
Elaine - The Gourmet Girl says
I especially enjoyed the little history lesson in the beginning. Nice and simple. Thanks for posting!
Vibi says
The pics are amazing and the dish is jus as equally tempting! I'm keeping that one in my "to do" list, for sure.
Thanks for sharing.
Marc Matsumoto says
You could put some fresh grated ginger on top after it's grilled, that should really bring out the ginger flavor without effecting the shine of the sauce.
That said, my goal here wasn't to be a teriyaki dictator. Food is always evolving as it moves from place to place and it's this evolution that makes food interesting. Otherwise we'd all be eating the same thing.
I just find that sometimes a dish has gone through so many permutations that people loose sight of the original. It's not a bad thing, but I'm always curious about where the food we eat comes from. I just thought I'd share a more traditional teriyaki as a reminder of this dishes origins.
Please don't let this post stop you from making chicken teriyaki your way:-)
FlaNBoyant Eats says
thanks for the quick and simple history and equation to teriyaki! love it.
noobcook says
Your teriyaki chicken looks amazing. Certainly much better than most of the teriyaki I had outside =)
The Little Teochew says
Yum, I love Teriyaki anything. Love your pics!
Shari says
I love how easy this sounds, but so flavorful!
Hélène says
Marc I love that you take simple ingredients and make stunning dishes. Looks delicious.
Piercival says
Marc,
The more I cook the more I find greatness in simplicity and using quality ingredients. This dish looks visually stunning and I've cooked enough of your dishes to feel very confident that it will be amazing.
Do you think it would be possible to add a bit of ginger juice without compromising the teri too much? Or do you have a recommendation for how to infuse the taste of ginger in a better way, without destroying the harmony?
I will prepare next without ginger but it's really one of my favorite flavors in the world.
veggiebelly says
thanks so much for the sauce recipe! this looks both delicious and easy!
Marc Matsumoto says
Not my most creative post, but I'm glad you found it useful:-)
As for the substitution, sugar + sake would be ideal as that's essentially what mirin is, but sherry (or maybe even port) would do in a pinch.
Tony says
your Japanese tweet is what led me here - umami!
I also liked your clarification on different types of teriyaki sauce. great shots!
We Are Never Full says
i love this post. it's one of the most familiar Asian meals to americans yet it gets f-ed up so often. and why? it's salty and sweet and only contains a few ingredients! realistically, there's absolutely no reason on earth why people should not make their own teriyaki sauce every time. just buy the ingredients, none of them really spoil, and just make it in a bowl! i'm definitely using this - i haven't had it in so long. great post, marc!
also, what do you think about using sake or sherry w/ some sugar as a mirin substitute. i know it's not legit, but i think the only thing people may not have to make teriyaki is the mirin. just askin'!
Elaine - The Gourmet Girl says
I especially enjoyed the little history lesson in the beginning. Nice and simple. Thanks for posting!
Vibi says
The pics are amazing and the dish is jus as equally tempting! I'm keeping that one in my "to do" list, for sure.
Thanks for sharing.
Jackie at PhamFatale.com says
Amazing food photography. Nice contrast of color with the green onions. I love making teriyaki chicken using chicken drumsticks 😛
FlaNBoyant Eats says
thanks for the quick and simple history and equation to teriyaki! love it.
The Duo Dishes says
Guess we've been doing too much with our teriyaki marinades. 🙂 We'll have to simplify it next time.
noobcook says
Your teriyaki chicken looks amazing. Certainly much better than most of the teriyaki I had outside =)
The Little Teochew says
Yum, I love Teriyaki anything. Love your pics!
Shari says
I love how easy this sounds, but so flavorful!
Hélène says
Marc I love that you take simple ingredients and make stunning dishes. Looks delicious.
Piercival says
Marc,
The more I cook the more I find greatness in simplicity and using quality ingredients. This dish looks visually stunning and I've cooked enough of your dishes to feel very confident that it will be amazing.
Do you think it would be possible to add a bit of ginger juice without compromising the teri too much? Or do you have a recommendation for how to infuse the taste of ginger in a better way, without destroying the harmony?
I will prepare next without ginger but it's really one of my favorite flavors in the world.
Marc Matsumoto says
Yep, it's found on beef and fish there as well. With fish it's generally used with fattier fish like yellowtail or mackerel. It also changes names sometimes. For instance yaki tori (grilled bird) is essentially chicken teriyaki on skewers. Kabayaki is another name for teriyaki sauce when it's used on seafood like eel. Confused yet?
Michael says
Thanks for this recipe Mark. I love chicken teriyaki but haven't made it or had it in a very very very long time. I always used the Sushi Chef brand sauce, which I think is pretty authentic, but it so easy to make, looks like now I can just do it myself.
In Japan is it also common to use proteins other than chicken, like beef, fish, etc with teriyaki sauce?
katiek says
souful. I love how you brined the meat. I LOVE brining. does a poultry splendiforous!
We Are Never Full says
i love this post. it's one of the most familiar Asian meals to americans yet it gets f-ed up so often. and why? it's salty and sweet and only contains a few ingredients! realistically, there's absolutely no reason on earth why people should not make their own teriyaki sauce every time. just buy the ingredients, none of them really spoil, and just make it in a bowl! i'm definitely using this - i haven't had it in so long. great post, marc!
also, what do you think about using sake or sherry w/ some sugar as a mirin substitute. i know it's not legit, but i think the only thing people may not have to make teriyaki is the mirin. just askin'!
Jackie at PhamFatale.com says
Amazing food photography. Nice contrast of color with the green onions. I love making teriyaki chicken using chicken drumsticks 😛
Holly says
Whats the difference between yakitori and teriyaki? Do you have a favorite brand of soy? For teriyaki I like the brand with the swan on it.
Gera says
Marc excellent information about a real chicken teriyaki… the golden result is pure bliss, love all the vast culinary world of the Japanese cuisine 🙂
Cheers,
Gera
The Duo Dishes says
Guess we've been doing too much with our teriyaki marinades. 🙂 We'll have to simplify it next time.
Christie @ fig&cherry says
Oooh I miss Japan! I always wondered what that brown sugary love-juice was made of. Yummy! 🙂
Jessie says
that looks amazing, I truly find Japanese cuisine to be very interesting. It's actually one of my favorite cuisines to taste and explore!
Peter G says
Thanks for providing an authentic recipe for teriyaki Marc...it's good to know I have all those ingredients in my cupboard.
Michael says
Thanks for this recipe Mark. I love chicken teriyaki but haven't made it or had it in a very very very long time. I always used the Sushi Chef brand sauce, which I think is pretty authentic, but it so easy to make, looks like now I can just do it myself.
In Japan is it also common to use proteins other than chicken, like beef, fish, etc with teriyaki sauce?
katiek says
souful. I love how you brined the meat. I LOVE brining. does a poultry splendiforous!
Christelle says
Beautiful!! i am so hungru now!!
Kristin says
I love it when you can make something so delicious from something as inexpensive as chicken thighs. This is going on my list of meals to make for next week. Thanks!
colloquial cook says
Teriyaki is the one Japanese dish I never got to try. (hm, maybe not the only one, on second thought, but quite likely the most ubiquitous). Oh, talking about strong tasting honeys I got myself a jar of buckwheat honey. The honey guy at the market was like "it's really strong, I mean, really strong" and he looked scared. That's promising.
Anyway, this dish looks really tasty.
🙂
Ursula says
I prefer teriyaki very simple. Just like your recipe. And, havent really order teriyaki at restaurants lately, because it's just too random.
Holly says
Whats the difference between yakitori and teriyaki? Do you have a favorite brand of soy? For teriyaki I like the brand with the swan on it.
Gera says
Marc excellent information about a real chicken teriyaki… the golden result is pure bliss, love all the vast culinary world of the Japanese cuisine 🙂
Cheers,
Gera
Christie @ fig&cherry says
Oooh I miss Japan! I always wondered what that brown sugary love-juice was made of. Yummy! 🙂
Jessie says
that looks amazing, I truly find Japanese cuisine to be very interesting. It's actually one of my favorite cuisines to taste and explore!
Peter G says
Thanks for providing an authentic recipe for teriyaki Marc...it's good to know I have all those ingredients in my cupboard.
Christelle says
Beautiful!! i am so hungru now!!
Kristin says
I love it when you can make something so delicious from something as inexpensive as chicken thighs. This is going on my list of meals to make for next week. Thanks!
colloquial cook says
Teriyaki is the one Japanese dish I never got to try. (hm, maybe not the only one, on second thought, but quite likely the most ubiquitous). Oh, talking about strong tasting honeys I got myself a jar of buckwheat honey. The honey guy at the market was like "it's really strong, I mean, really strong" and he looked scared. That's promising.
Anyway, this dish looks really tasty.
🙂
Ursula says
I prefer teriyaki very simple. Just like your recipe. And, havent really order teriyaki at restaurants lately, because it's just too random.