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Juicy and tender chicken glazed in a flavorful homemade sauce, this classic Chicken Teriyaki prepared in the authentic Japanese cooking method will be on your dinner routine. No bottled teriyaki sauce needed!
Here’s a fun fact: Teriyaki (照り焼き) is the name of a cooking method, not the name of a sauce. This Japanese cooking method is to pan fry or grill the fish or meat, and cooked in the sauce or brushed with the glaze until it has a nice and delicious luster. The two most popular dishes in Japan using this cooking technique are Chicken Teriyaki and Buri no Teriyaki (Hamachi/Yellowtail Teriyaki).
Watch How To Make Chicken Teriyaki
3 Tips to make authentic Chicken Teriyaki – Japanese method
1. Prick the chicken: In Japan, bone-less, skin-on chicken thighs are a preferred choice because they don’t dry out quickly. We almost always use skin-on because the skin provides a safety layer between chicken flesh and a hot pan, and as a result, you get moist and juicy meat every time. It’s important to prick the chicken’s skin with a fork so that oil will come out easily while cooking and flavors will be absorbed quickly. It’s an extra step, but it makes the difference in the end.
2. Pan-fry the chicken: Although you may find a lot of baked or grilled chicken teriyaki recipes online, Japanese home cooks prepare this dish by pan-frying the chicken. It’s quick, easy, and all you need is a reliable frying pan. When you cook the chicken, remember to start with the skin-side down and let it crisp up and adds nice char flavor.
3. Patiently spoon over the teriyaki sauce: Once the teriyaki sauce is poured over the chicken, tilt the frying pan to spoon the sauce and pour over the chicken. Repeat this process until the chicken absorbs delicious glaze and starts to shine.
What’s in the sauce for Chicken Teriyaki?
Teriyaki actually refers to a cooking technique in Japanese: Teri means “luster” given by the sweet soy sauce marinade and yaki means “cooking/grilling”.
The basic teriyaki sauce is made of 4 simple ingredients: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Sometimes aromatics like grated ginger can be added for extra flavors. The ratio of my basic homemade teriyaki sauce is 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar. Super easy to remember, right?
Each time I make teriyaki recipes, I would change things up slightly based on the ingredients. In today’s recipe, I added grated onion and ginger to the sauce for additional depth and zing.
The homemade sauce is about adjusting the ratio of the four ingredients to suit your tastebud and the main ingredients that you’re cooking with. That is why we don’t have a bottled teriyaki sauce in Japan.
The teriyaki sauce in the bottle and dishes served in restaurants outside of Japan is often quite thick. In Japan, we usually do not thicken the sauce with corn/potato starch. When alcohol from sake and mirin evaporates, the sauce gets naturally reduced and thicken as the sugar caramelizes during the simmering process.
Simple and bursting with flavor, I believe anyone can cook up this classic Japanese dish at home. Serve the Chicken Teriyaki with steamed rice with a salad or steamed vegetables on the side. You will have a delicious weeknight meal for the whole family.
Other Teriyaki Recipes You May Enjoy
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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- 1 inch ginger (2.5 cm)
- ¼ onion
- 1 lb boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (454 g)
- kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for Step 7)
- 2 Tbsp sake (for cooking)
- 1 tsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for Step 10)
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Gather all the ingredients.
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Grate ginger (I use this grater) and transfer the grated ginger with juice in a large bowl. Grate the onion in the bowl.
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Add all the ingredients for teriyaki sauce in the bowl.
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Prick both sides of the chicken with a fork so it absorbs more flavor.
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Cut the excess skin and fat and lightly season with salt and pepper.
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Optionally, you can marinate the chicken for 30 minutes. In Japan, we don’t usually marinate the chicken prior to pan-frying as it can easily burn. I normally go straight to cook the chicken without marinating, yet chicken teriyaki has wonderful flavor. Today I’ll show you this optional method because I want to point out key points in case you decide to marinade.
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Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat (I used a cast iron pan today). Remove marinade from the chicken as much as possible. This is important so the chicken gets a nice sear mark and won't end up cooking in the sauce. Place the chicken skin side down, RESERVING the sauce. Use a splatter screen if you have one – it’s a pretty neat tool to prevent from splatter especially you cook bacon and oily foods.
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When fat renders and skin is golden brown, flip the chicken and add sake. Quickly cover with the lid and steam cook the chicken over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes.
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Open the lid and transfer the chicken to a plate. Wipe off excess grease from the pan.
- Heat 1 tsp oil and put the chicken back in the pan, skin side down.
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Flip the chicken and now the skin side is up. Pour the reserved sauce. Cook until the sauce is reduced about half, frequently spooning the sauce over the chicken. Once alcohol from sake and mirin evaporates, sugar crystallizes and the sauce gets thicken. Turn off the heat.
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Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice into bite-size pieces.
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Serve on a plate and drizzle the remaining sauce on top.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on Mar 22, 2012. The new images and video are added and content is updated in September 2017.
Nami, I love all the recipes here. I never though Japanese cooking can be so easy. One thing I learnt, there are 4 essential ingredients that can do up many beautiful and easy Jap dishes. Soya, Dashi, Mirin and Sake. Once I equip myself with these 4, I can whip up anything I want.
I got a question in mind. I don’t like to pan fry chicken as the oil splatters everywhere. Can I just dump this marinated teriyaki chicken into the oven to grill it?
Hi junelb! Thank you for following my blog. 🙂 You will be using those 4 items a lot, so don’t worry about wasting them – it won’t happen. 😉
As for the oven bake, sure you can use the oven, but I am not sure if you can create the same luster as you make in a frying pan. In Japan, most of the dishes are made in a frying pan instead of oven, so I have never used oven to make chicken teriyaki before.
The chicken may not be as shiny and glaze may not appear when you use oven. Maybe you can try and let me know. When you use pan fry, you reduce the sauce so the sauce becomes more syrupy, but with oven, I assume it’s very hard to do it. If you don’t care about details, I think it’s okay.
Another option is to bake the chicken only, and reduce the sauce in a saucepan to make it syrupy and pour over the grilled chicken. What do you think?
This is how I remember my mother (who is Japanese) making her teriyaki chicken and it’s the way she passed it on to me. The dish is definitely a process and not just about the sauce. I’ve never used jarred teriyaki sauce only because it never tasted right to me. Going through the steps you’ve outlined guarantees great color, great taste and great aroma in your kitchen!
I forgot to mention that cooking chicken teriyaki this way is oishii!!
Arigato! ^_^
Hi Tina! Thank you for your comment. 🙂 It’s different from a jarred sauce and I’m glad you have been making your own chicken teriyaki. Thanks for your compliment.
Love your blog! Could you tell me please what you put on top of the rice as shown in the picture? Thanks so much.
Thank you Alyson! It’s called Furikake – bonito flakes, nori, and other seasonings. You can buy all kinds of (MSG-free) Furikake in Asian/Japanese stores. 🙂
Made your Chicken Teriyaki with skin. Awesome! As soon as I read chicken thigh with skin, I just had to make it. My daughter said she was in Heaven when she tasted it. The skin was crispy and the chicken meat was so juice and tender. The Teriyaki sauce was fantastic. I did add 2 cloves of garlic, grated. This will be my go to Teriyaki sauce.
Thanks,
Fung
Hi Fung! Yay! I’m so glad you and your daughter loved this recipe. It’s my go-to Teriyaki recipe too. I also like to play with the recipe sometimes, adding more ginger, or garlic like you did. No matter how I change, it still tastes really delicious. 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback Fung!
hey Nami thanks so much for the recipe!
I just cooked this tonight and my 2 year old loved it!
Hi Barenziah! Yay! I’m so happy your 2 year old enjoyed this dish! Thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂
Hi Nami, you’re recipes are fabulous! I just want to ask what’s the difference of this recipe to a previous teriyaki chicken you posted almost a year ago? Is this one the perfected one?
Thank you
Hi Rhea! Thank you for writing and I’m happy to hear you enjoy my blog! We call the dish “Teriyaki Chicken” so my original post was how we say in Japanese. However, I noticed that people in the world search “Chicken Teriyaki” so I created another recipe. Taste wise, it’s pretty similar. The first one has butter in it so it’s more mild (love the combination of soy sauce and butter!). To be honest with you, I like them both. I made the second one with skin on, so the purpose was to make it nice and crispy. In Japan, each family makes the seasonings slightly different and I also change the seasonings every time for fun. So you can play around and find your favorite sauce. As I mentioned in the post, “teriyaki” is the cooking technique and not the sauce name. I hope you try both and adjust to your liking!
Hi Nami
I have tried this recipe once already and my husband love.
If i have double the qty of meat, does that mean that I increase the seasoning by 2 times?
Thanks and best Regards
Esther
Hi Esther! If you double the amount of meat, you can get by by the same amount of seasoning, however, it doesn’t hurt to double or maybe just add 1/2 of seasonings for extra sauce, especially if you need to pan fry twice. Hope this helps. I’m happy to hear your husband likes it! 🙂
Hi,
I would like to make your chicken teriyaki. I am just wondering when you use the sake for steaming? Because I already read through the instruction and I can not find the steaming step. Thanks a lot
Hi Tania! It’s step #5. You add sake and close the lid. I hope you enjoy this dish! 🙂
I was wondering if I could substitue Chicken Wings for chicken thighs for this recipe
Yes you can, however, wings take a longer time to cook over pan fried (and need to cover and cook for a longer time) so I would probably bake the wings instead of cook in the fry pan. I would marinate for a longer time. While baking the wings, I may reduce the marinade in a frying pan till the sauce gets thicker and then brush it on the wings when they are being baked. I hope this helps. 🙂
Well, when I think of Japanese food, the 1st things that come to mind are chicken teriyaki (hehe), Japanese style creeps, and okonamiyaki.
I can’t wait to make this tonight! I am making real teriyaki for the 1st time and not using the mixture that I’d use with the store bought stuff. I’m so excited! I hope there’s leftovers so I can put it in tomorrow’s bento!
Well, time to put on some Nico-nico and cook! （＾ω＾）
Hi Alexa! I hope your Chicken Teriyaki turned out well. 🙂
In case you don’t know, I have the crepe and okonomiyaki recipes on my blog:
Crepe:https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/simple-crepes/
Okonomiyaki: https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/okonomiyaki/
Hope you enjoy them!
this looks a-mazing!!!! about to head to the asian store to get me some sake and mirin. my mom would be so ashamed to know i don’t have soy in the house… anyway, got rice cooking away. gonna serve with a side of bok choy. can’t wait to try this!!!! thank you so much for your blog ;o) happy holidays!!!
I’m happy you decided to try this recipe, and thank you so much for stopping by to leave your feedback. I hope your Chicken Teriyaki turned out well. 🙂
Made your chicken teriyaki recipe tonight. I normally broil my chicken in the oven and tried your method of using the fry pan and must say that it was very good. It was my first time that I grated onion and it brought a different flavor to the dish. Grating the onion was a bit of a challenge since it is quite slippery(not like daikon). Any feedback to make the grating process easier?
Thank you.
Hi Mae! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I hope you enjoyed it. Adding grated onion gives nice texture to the sauce and when it’s cooked it gives sweet flavor.
Agree, it’s a bit challenging to grate onion. Some brand of grater works better than others, as well. I have one grater that has a handle for vegetable so I can grate without worrying about my finger. To avoid onion getting separated, you can also keep the core (don’t chop off) when you grate, so it won’t be separated… I hope you understand what I mean… 🙂
Hope this helps!
If Sake it not available in my region , by which ingredient I may replace it? Thanks
Hi Marie! You can omit sake if you cannot find it. We only need small portion, and it is not worth buying a new bottle if you only make this dish. 🙂 You can use dry shelly as a substitute. If you plan to cook other Japanese food, sake is in many of recipes so you might want to get one. You can find it in Japanese or Asian grocery stores. Hope this helps. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/sake/
Hi Nami,
This is the first time I visit your blog, thanks for your Japanese food recipe and full detail preparation procedure. I loved Japanese food very much, and now I can try myself. Can we use the teriyaki sauce again to cook the chicken? Thanks.
Hi Lf! Welcome to my blog! I’m happy to hear you like Japanese food, and hope my recipes are useful. 🙂 About re-using the sauce, I don’t recommend re-using the marinade/sauce from cooking the meat. Plus, most of the liquid/marinade should be evaporated while cooking. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi, Nami,
Today I tried teriyaki chicken and apple salad, it work. My family all liked it. Thanks again. I will try the other fish recipe.
Hi Lf! Thank you for trying the teriyaki chicken recipe. I’m so happy to hear you liked it! 😀 Hope you like the fish recipe too. Thank you for your feedback!
I loved this recipe! I could not believe how tasty it was. The chicken came out so juicy and tender on the inside yet crispy on the outside. The flavors and smell of this dish, as well as the visual appearance are wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing! My husband loved it so much! It tastes very good paired with yaki ongiri 🙂 Thanks again! We will be making it often!
Hi Mary! Yay! So happy to hear you liked this recipe. Steaming with sake makes it really juicy inside. Glad to hear you and your husband liked it! Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
Thanks for another great recipe and super quick! I made this with both lean chicken breast and once using the chicken thighs. Definitely like the thighs best but the breast was good too. For some reason when I used the excess marinade at the end it formed a brown scum in the pan that was kind of gross so I started just mixing up another batch of the marinade separately to use at the end and I just toss marinade I used with my chicken. The family loved it!
Hi Pete! It’s probably fat and protein from the meat. Great to hear that extra new batch will make good sauce! So happy to hear your family enjoyed it. Thanks so much for your feedback. 🙂
I am so glad I found your site. I love Japanese cooking! I spent 17 days in and around Saga Prefect in 2006 – LOVED IT! Loved the people I met and the whole experience it was a highlight of my life. I was use to the American style Japanese Stake House in the U.S.A. and not terribly impressed, you can imagine how I was truly delighted by the food I had in Japan. I will be using your JUST ONE COOKBOOK over and over again. Thank you for sharing your recipes and cooking tips.
Hi Cate! Welcome to my blog and I’m happy to hear you like my site. Hope you find some recipes that you enjoyed during your visit in Japan. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
I cooked this chicken teriyaki last night and it was a big success. I used regular chicken thighs because the skin gives added flavor and texture to the dish. My family enjoyed it tremendously. I used real sake wine bought from the liquor store. Will the
cooking wine bought at an Asian grocery store be as good? Thanks!
Hi Angie! Yay! So happy to hear you liked the recipe. Cooking wine will work just fine too, especially if it’s small amount. My sake is from Asian market (I use those $5-8 big bottle). It’s for “drinking” but I think it’s lower end sake and I would just use for cooking only. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, Nami!
This teriyaki chicken was excellent! 🙂
This is the first time I try your recipes because I just discovered your amazing site!
I hope to try out other amazing recipes.
Greets from Italy!
Ciao Alessia! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy you liked it. Yay! Hope you enjoy other recipes, and thank you very much for following my blog! 🙂
Hello, I was wondering if you thought this would last very long frozen or refrigerated. I’m thinking specifically of cooking it the evening before for bento, or cooking to go in the freezer for a week or so. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
-Lotti.
Hi Lotti! You can cook this dish for dinner, and bring this for bento next day. I also freeze it for later use too. Make sure to re-heat before putting in bento. Hope I answered to your question. 🙂
This looks really delicious!
Just a question though, would it be possible to substitute the sake and mirin with something that’s non-alcoholic?
Hi Fati! You can omit sake and mirin but use sugar (and water if necessary) instead. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Since i’m a moslem. Can you suggest me other ingredients to substitute SAKE?
Ps: my English wasn’t good enough. Please excuse my language
Thanks mam
Hi Mamil! You can omit sake AND mirin (which contains alcohol). Since mirin is sweetened sake, you may want to add more sugar/honey instead. If you want to dilute, simply add water to adjust. Thank you very much for your question! Your English is great! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made this tonight and I didn’t have time to marinade for 2 hrs, just only 45 mins and yet the chicken is so flavorful. I also ran out of ginger and onion. Regardless, it’s so yummy. Tastes exactly what I had in Japanese restaurant
Hi Min! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you for trying this recipe and writing your feedback. 🙂 xo
thanks so much,i’m retired and i try to keep it interesting for all the family by having new recipes.:)
i’ll let you know how i get on .
Hi Mick! I hope your family enjoy this dish. Thank you so much for writing!
Hello. You have another chicken teriyaki recipe that calls for the chicken to be marinated for a few hours. What’s the difference in flavor between the two? This would be my 1st attempt so pls help me out here. Thanks!
Oops. I posted on the wrong page. But the question’s still the same. What’s the diff between the one marinated and the one that isn’t? Thanks.
Hi Sarah! Don’t worry, I know you are comparing with my two recipes “Teriyaki Chicken” and “Chicken Teriyaki” (both names are used in Japanese cooking, and it means the same thing).
When the meat is marinated, it has more flavor for sure. If you don’t have time however, you can skip the marinating. If you want the chicken to get more flavor, you can use a fork to pluck the chicken fillet so that the flavor will go inside the chicken more, even without marinating.
Both recipes are slightly different in flavor. There is not set “teriyaki sauce” recipe in Japan, and it’s really up to each family/restaurant. Most ingredients are same, but different ratios. So I cook “teriyaki chicken” differently at home. Hope I answered your question. 🙂 Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I just made this recipe and it turned out ahh-mazing. So much better than the stuff you get from restaurants. Thank you for sharing this with us. I look forward to trying more of your recipes 🙂
Hi Lady Renacorn! Aww I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, once you make teriyaki dishes at home, you probably don’t want to pay for the teriyaki dishes in the restaurant. It tastes better and healthier when you make it. 🙂 Hope you enjoy other recipes from my blog. Thanks very much for your kind feedback!
Simply delicious!
Thank you Lyn! 🙂
I used your recipe for my first attempt at teriyaki chicken and it worked fantastic! And of course, tasted delicious! Thank you very much, I’ll be sure to share with friends and family. I can’t wait to try my hand at some of your other dishes!!
Hi Darryl! I’m sorry for my late response. I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed my Chicken Teriyaki recipe! Thank you for sharing my site with your friends and family. 🙂 xo
Looks so mouth-watering! Thanks for sharing 🙂 If I use skinless chicken, can I skip step 6 & 7? Arigatou!
Hi Ritsuko! Thank you so much for your kind words! Sure, you can. Or if you see excess oil, use a paper towel to wipe off without transferring the chicken. 🙂 Arigato for checking my recipe and hope you enjoy!
Thanks for awesome recipe. I uploaded it on my Pinterest, Twitter and timeline facebook
Thank you so much for sharing, Zouhair!
Hi,
Very interested in making this dish your way. Thanks for your step by step recipe. I have seen several recipes that include pineapple or any fruit. Unfortunately, I tried mine with pineapple, garlic, ginger,sugar, honey, soy sauce and water. Really didn’t quite like it.
Hi Amaka! Japanese “teriyaki” style does not include pineapple, but now some places in Japan have American style teriyaki with pineapples too. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Well I already have the teriyaki sauce so I just need to marinate it and cook it?
Hi Stacy! This recipe works great with this marinade and the way it’s cooked. Since I’m not sure what type and flavor of teriyaki sauce you have, so it’s hard for me to say if this is the best approach. For example, if your sauce is thick like American teriyaki sauce, you will need to adjust cooking time as you don’t need to wait for the sauce to thicken. Plus thick sauce can burn easily, so you might want to marinade in a thin sauce and use that teriyaki sauce to pour toward the end. I wish I can help you but without knowing or using the product I’m not sure what’s the best way. Hope this helps. 🙂
Im using kikkoman teriyaki sauce and it looks very watery
I have never used “teriyaki sauce” so it’s hard to say… You are planning to marinade in this sauce and cook, right? I don’t know if you need to follow this recipe at all. As the ingredients for this recipe is for making chicken teriyaki from scratch. You can just marinade and cook/grill. The sauce is thin so after you marinade, it shouldn’t burn too quickly, at least. 🙂
I’ve noticed a lot of your recipes include alcohol such as sake and mirin. I live in the dorms at a school where being caught with alcohol on campus, even if just for cooking, could get me in trouble. Do you have any alternatives?
Hi Rebecca! Ah I see! There’s two ways…
For sake,
1) Use “cooking sake” – this is more like condiments as the alcohol content is very low that it’s sold as condiment at a regular Asian store (even stores that don’t have liquor license). So you can purchase it. It has small amount of sake + other seasonings, but you can use it as sake.
2) Just substitute with water. Now it depends on the recipe. As you can totally skip sake or need to replace with water. Please read my FAQ page for sake.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/faqs/
For mirin,
You can replace with water + sugar.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/
Hope that helps!
Hi Nami, I made the chicken teriyaki tonight and it was good, but not really what I expected. I am wondering if I used the proper soy sauce. I went to the Japanese market and I bought the light colored lower sodium Kikomon made in Japan. I am wondering if I should have used the dark soy sauce instead and maybe not the lower sodium. If you say I should use the dark, do you recommend the brand Koikuchi Shoya as mentioned somewhere else on your blog.
I am also doing your Yakisoba noodles with pork tenderloin and not pork belly. I will have to do it the night before. I hope it will be ok and taste good the next day heated. The morning of the shower, I will be making the rice for the CharashiZushi and have everything else ready the night before to add to it. One last question. If you had to recommend a good cookbook just for making sushi, sashimi, etc. what one would you recommend. I am also making your baked korokke and bought the sauce you suggested for it. The people at the Japanese market were very helpful. Thank you for all your help and I will let you know how it all turns out.
Hi Shirley! If you’re used to Americanized teriyaki version, Japanese teriyaki sauce may not be a familiar taste. I use Koikuchi soy sauce, and this is same as Kikkoman Organic soy sauce (I’ve asked the Kikkoman about this, and it’s exactly same content as the one I use shown in the Soy Suace Pantry page. We don’t really say “dark” or “light” soy sauce in Japan.
Pork tenderloin is fine as long as it’s thinly sliced. Pork tends to be tougher than other type of meat, so thinly slice would help a lot to keep it tender, as it doesn’t have much fat compared to pork belly. Taste should be okay. Of course the noodles are the best when it’s just cooked (like imagine al dente pasta vs. cold pasta). But at this circumstance, I guess it’s the best you can do. 🙂
Chirashizuki should work okay as long as you mix up in the morning.
I don’t have a cookbook recommendation for sashimi and sushi… I don’t read English cookbooks so I’m not too familiar with Japanese cookbooks written in English. Sorry….
And yes, tonkatsu sauce is great! Hope your party will be successful. Your guests are so lucky you’re cooking all these foods! 🙂 Best of luck!
Hi Nami,
Thanks so much for the info on the soy sauce. I bought the low sodium Kikkoman, but the one made in Japan. I actually had never had Americanized chicken teriyaki. My husband loved it. I found I really didn’t have much sauce and I think that is what I am looking for. Maybe I will just add more sauce. I marinated the meat overnight I won’t have time to go back to the Japanese market for the other soy sauce. I will get it another time.
I feel very overwhelmed because I can’t fix all of this the morning of. Maybe I should do one or the other charishizushi or Yakisoba the morning of. Maybe I could get everything ready for the yakisoba the night before and then do the noodles the next day. So many decisions to make!!
Anyhow, thanks for all your help. I don’t like to try new things for a party without trying them ahead of time, but I just ran out of time, lol. I think maybe I took on too much!!
Shirley
Hi Jen
What would you suggest I do differently if I were to bake this?
Thanks
I assume this message is to me (I’m Nami)? If this question was meant for other blog, please ignore my response.
This method is traditional way to make chicken teriyaki and we don’t use oven.
If you were going to bake it, you can use the following recipes:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/teriyaki-chicken-quesadilla/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/honey-soy-sauce-chicken-recipe/
The dish that comes to my mind first, miso soup, of course. But teriyaki BEEF was the 2nd Japanese dish I ever cooked. I haven’t made it again in decades (mostly because of price considerations) but it was awesome. Incidentally, the recipe I followed called for shichimi togarashi, which I have observed to be relatively unpopular in Japan, but whose flavour together with that of sesame oil became deeply imprinted in my mind as representative of Japan.
Hi Steven! In Japan, we don’t really make a spicy food (with some exceptions, of course). So Shichimi Togarashi is usually located on the table (or pantry) and used for noodles or donburi. We just sprinkle a few (which you know it barely comes out). That’s the typical level of spiciness. 😉 I’m happy to hear you like teriyaki dishes!
I really enjoyed this recipe! I didn’t have chicken thighs or sake but it still came out wonderful with chicken breasts. Paired it with a vegetable stir-fry and a fried egg. Going to try your California roll recipe in a few days and then next week tackle gyoza.
Hi Cine! Wow, you are cooking lots of Japanese food! How wonderful! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so glad to hear yours came out well. Thank you for writing a kind review! 🙂
I have gotten a lot of use out of your recipes. The ginger pork is a favorite of mine but my wife prefers the honey chicken. I also appreciate how easy most of the recipes are to make.
That said, I was disappointed tonight because I was planning on making this chicken. I saw that the total cook time was 30 min and gathered my ingredients a few days ago. So about 45 min before I was planning on serving dinner, I sit down to transcribe the directions onto a word document (I have my own format that I like to use) and I notice that 30 minute cook time doesn’t include the three hours of marinating that you’re supposed to do. I guess it’s also my fault for not reading the full recipe, but why does it even say 30 minutes and not “2-3 hours?”
Hi Steven! Thank you for your kind words about my recipes and I’m happy to hear your wife also enjoys them.
I understand – I got feedback from both sides when this issue came. Some people prefer to see the “ACTIVE” time so they don’t want to see 2-3 hours of “prepping time” when you actually spend like 10 minutes. It is misguiding when you want a quick and easy recipe and don’t read the entire recipe and think that it takes 2-3 hours to prep.
Same goes to your side. You wanted to know ahead of time about “inactive time”. Therefore, most of my recipes for the past 2-3 years include “inactive time” information in my Note section. I always write “marinating time” is not included in Prep time, etc.
The current recipe card plugin that I use to write recipe does not support inactive time and “Total Time” is automatically calculated by adding prep and cook time. I wish I can change the total time, but it’s something I can’t change.
However, I have just started to convert all my recipes (close to 600) into a new recipe plugin. This allows me to manually write total time, so I could add extra marinating time into the total time. It’s really awesome. However, this work is going to take me months to complete. So for now I’m gong to write in Note section that marinate time is not included. Thanks for pointing that out, as this recipe is pretty old in my collection.
I truly appreciate your feedback!
Another fabulous recipe….. made this for dinner ealier and it taste amazing!! Thank you for sharing…. 🙂
Hi Wai! So happy to hear that. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
i love this web site i will visit again!!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Carol! Hope you enjoy cooking Japanese food at home. 🙂
I made the chicken teriyaki today and it’s excellent. Thanks for the recipe Nami.
I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Thank you John!!
Is it safe to add the teriyaki liquid even though the chicken has been marinating in it? Is it safe to add as long as you cook to boiling? Thank you. Love your recipes.
Hi Heidi! Correct, you HAVE TO cook the sauce before you use the marinades as raw chicken was in there. If you don’t want to cook, you have to reserve some teriyaki sauce before you add raw chicken. 🙂
I am in the UK, can u suggest which type of sake I should use for cooking? Is there a special cooking sake. The sake I’ve seen online seems expensive and doesnt keep once opened so it seems wasteful to use for cooking when only a tablespoon or two is usually required thanks.
Hi Stef! I use a very cheap bottle of real sake (not cooking sake with seasonings in it) for my cooking – usually between $5 to $10. I have been to London this past spring and I went to JapanCentre and I was relieved to see various condiments and foods they carry. However, I didn’t check sake….
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/sake/
I use one of 3 sake I listed here. They are cheap sake, so I wouldn’t drink (some may drink tho since it’s regular sake)
Cooking sake is another choice – it’s not considered alcohol so it could be cheaper. It has salt and other things so they can be stocked as “condiment” section of regular Asian/Japanese grocery store.
If you don’t want to buy, you can use dry sherry or Chinese rice wine (if this is easier to find). Hope this helps!
Sake is a very important ingredient in Japanese cooking, and you might see me using quite often as soy sauce. 🙂
Hi Nami
I’m a little confused because the ratio you give in the text is different to the recipe.
2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar vs 1 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp mirin 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 Tbsp soy sauce
Hi Bethia! Sorry about the confusion. My go-to teriyaki sauce is 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar and this is how I remember. But like I mentioned in the blog post, I change up based on ingredients. Here I used 2 Tbsp soy sauce but I added 2 Tbsp water to dilute, so that I have enough liquid to marinate the chicken. I also added grated ginger and onion as well to dilute the soy sauce further but my regular teriyaki sauce doesn’t include ginger or onion.
Hope that makes sense. When you make teriyaki sauce at home, always remember equal parts of soy sauce, mirin, and sake. And half part sugar.
I finally bought sake, can’t wait to try this now!!
Hi Treena! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
One of my favorite recipes! I use the same ceramic grater, too, but the larger one. Best grater ever for ginger and onion! And daikon.
Hi Debbie! I’m debating if I should get the bigger one… but I haven’t bought yet as I don’t know where to store. LOL. Glad it works great for daikon too! I’m not too happy with grated daikon texture with the one I have…
I made this last week and it was soo delicious!!! Thanks
Hi Lyn! So happy to hear that. Thanks for trying this recipe! 🙂
My kids LOVED this recipe! They ate the chicken so quickly I wasn’t able to get a picture of the plated dish. Even my little one who claimed she didn’t like chicken ate a lot of it! Thank you for making your dishes simple and delicious!
Hi Therese! Awwww I’m so happy to hear that your children enjoyed this dish! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi babe I try this recipe and did the marination on the chicken for 3 hours. After I take out the chicken I try to dry the chicken skin with kitchen towel but after I pan fry skin side down the skin is still not crispy . Any way to help ?
Hi Jaz! You can somehow make it crispy by oil and higher heat. However, as you pour the sauce over, you can’t keep your skin crispy. While searing, you can cook the skin to nice brown and adds flavor to it, but not for you to enjoy the crispness in a way. If you want to keep completely crispy, your option is to brush the sauce and do not cook with the sauce in the same pan.
Hi Nami,
I only have chicken quarters for now, can I baked with the sauce? Or any method that u can recommend?
Hi Alice! As cooking method will be different, I’m not sure if you get the best result. If you want to use the sauce… I would roast the chicken first with seasonings (brine first – it will taste better), and brush the sauce later on… 🙂
First of all Thank You SO much for creating this wonderful resource for Japanese recipes! I tried the Teriyaki Chicken and it was wonderful! I am super excited to try many other recipes from your website!
Hi Leah! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it and hope you find more recipes that you’re interested in on my website. 🙂
I don’t usually leave reviews for recipes I try online, but this was by far the BEST recipe I have ever found EVER. I just made this tonight and it was the best chicken teriyaki I’ve ever had! You are truly talented, Namiko. Thank you so much for sharing your gift with the world. 🙂
Hi Alex! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. It means a lot to me! 🙂 Thanks again, Alex!
What’s the substitution for sake?
Hi Kristina! Dry sherry or Chinese rice wine is the best substitute. 🙂
I lived in Indonesia, is there any ingredients for the substitution that contain on alcohol?
Hi Kristina! You have to probably substitute with water for sake, water + sugar for mirin. Sorry there is no exact good substitute for sake and mirin.
This was a terrific teriyaki chicken! I had given up on making teri chicken like the restaurants, it was always a mystery to me. But now I know how to make it at home and I am thrilled because I love it and my whole family does too. Thanks so much.
Hi Jill! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m so happy you could make this dish at home because it’s really easy to make. Thank you for your kind feedback, Jill!
Here’s an oops experience. I should have known better but let me tell you and perhaps you can help as I am not sure about what to do.
So, I was craving teriyaki chix; so it made our dinner menu last nite, but I was puzzled as it wasn’t like previous successes, bcs of the grated onion in the sauce. It did not get meshed into the sauce. I was spooning pieces of (small) onions onto the chicken, and they stayed there. My son doesn’t care for onions and was grossed out, did not eat it. I don’t remember where the onions went last time I made it, but this time they were too visible and too much. Should I have removed (with a sieve) the onion before spooning over the sauce? It was difficult to get them off the chicken so I just left them and it was not a good result. There was no ‘luster’. Just a coating of graininess (onions).
What normally happens to the grated onions in the sauce after you pour it over the chicken?
Hi Jill! I would love to recommend this grater (https://amzn.to/2mrvenp) for grating onion, daikon, garlic, ginger, etc. It’s great to capture juices too. The grated vegetables are very fine, so there will be no big pieces. However, if your son doesn’t like onion, you can totally omit it. Onion adds complex sweet flavor after being cooked, so it’s often included in Japanese sauces (Yakiniku sauce, dressings etc). However, it’s subtle, so don’t worry about missing it out. 🙂
This recipe was fantastic! I will never buy teriyaki sauce again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Stacey! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
What kind brand of sake do you use?
Hi Kathleen! Here is what I use: https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
Thank you for getting back to me can’t wait to make them
Hi,
I can’t find boneless chicken thighs in Switzerland. I bought the thigh anyway. Would it turn not right if I don’t use boneless chicken?
Hi Ann! Do you know how to remove the bone? Check out this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BRC6tdJL_c) or maybe you can find other videos on YouTube. Usually, meat with the bone takes a bit longer time, so I recommend removing it yourself. I will try to make a video or tutorial one day… 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks! I managed to debone the chicken myself. It was a success!
Your recipe is just a success!
Hi Ann! I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂 xo
I’m the text you say it’s 2 part soy 2 part sake 2 part mirin, and 1 part sugar. But in the recipe the ratios are completely different. Can you explain which is right?
Hi Taylor! Thanks for asking! In the post, I mentioned as following:
“The ratio of my basic HOMEMADE TERIYAKI SAUCE (https://www.justonecookbook.com/teriyaki-sauce/ – the recipe is different from this recipe) is 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar. Each time I make teriyaki recipes, I would change things up slightly based on the ingredients. In today’s recipe (Chicken Teriyaki), I added grated onion and ginger to the sauce for additional depth and zing. The homemade sauce is about adjusting the ratio of the four ingredients to suit your tastebud and the main ingredients that you’re cooking with.” Hope that helps! 🙂
Truly authentic, anything replacing these ingredients makes me cringe in many “easy” recipes I see. This is the real deal and it makes a difference. Bravo!
Hi Dale! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi. Checking on ratios. Your opening says sauce is easy. 2 parts soy, sake, and mirin to 1 part sugar. Yet the actual recipe for the sauce is 2 parts soy and only 1 part sake, mirin and sugar. Please clarify. Thanks
Hi TJ! That’s my “basic” Teriyaki Sauce recipe (linked to https://www.justonecookbook.com/teriyaki-sauce). As I mentioned in the post, this recipe I’ve added grated onion and ginger to the sauce besides adjusting the ratios. You can use basic teriyaki ratio or follow this chicken teriyaki recipe. Either way works, with slight flavor difference. 🙂
Can I make this with skinless chicken breast or would it be too dry?
Hi Marie! You can use it, although skin-on chicken thighs are typically used in Japan. 🙂
Is it the best to use thigh and no chicken breast?
Hi El! In Japan, we use thighs as it has more flavors and tender while breasts tend to get dry and are bland than thighs. 🙂
As I got kids to eat this. Is 2 tablespoon sake too much that I need to reduce to 1 tablespoon? How do you cook this for your kids?
Hi El! The alcohol content is evaporated when you cook sake, so in Japan, we use sake in our daily recipes. Only when you use sake in recipes that do not require cooking, we should avoid using for kids. 🙂
Thanks Nami. And if I want to make 1kg roughly 6 chick thighs, do I double the sauce and sake marinate quantity?
Yes I would. 🙂
Thanks Nami!
Hi! I made this dish today. It was really good! May I know if the chicken skin is supposed to be crispy? If I want the sauce to be less salty, how much should I reduce the light sauce? Thanks
Hi Teo! You can keep your skin crispy but if it’s like to be coated, it won’t be “dry” crispy. You can control the amount of salt. Or decrease the soy sauce use. I am not a fan of keeping less-sodium soy sauce as it’s commonly known that you end up using more of it…
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Is the recipe 2 parts of soya sauce, mirin and sake and 1 part sugar and water? The printed recipe differs from the article. Thank you!
Hi Jo! I mentioned in the blog post that that ratio is for my “basic teriyaki sauce”. In Japan, we do not have teriyaki sauce, so we make changes for the teriyaki sauce based on ingredients etc. Hence, this Chicken Teriyaki recipe uses a variation of my basic sauce.
From the blog:
The basic teriyaki sauce is made of 4 simple ingredients: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Sometimes aromatics like grated ginger can be added for extra flavors. The ratio of my basic homemade teriyaki sauce is 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar. Super easy to remember, right?
Each time I make teriyaki recipes, I would change things up slightly based on the ingredients. In today’s recipe, I added grated onion and ginger to the sauce for additional depth and zing.
The homemade sauce is about adjusting the ratio of the four ingredients to suit your tastebud and the main ingredients that you’re cooking with. That is why we don’t have a bottled teriyaki sauce in Japan.
Your recipes call for sake. Is there a substitute for that?
Hi Claudia! Chinese rice wine or dry sherry would be the best substitute. For Japanese cooking, sake is as important as soy sauce. More about sake here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
Question- do you combine the sauce with the grated onion and ginger together? This seems to make it very chunky if so
Hi Brian! Yes, I think your grater is not fine enough if they become chunky pieces… it should be fine, soft, and watery. 🙂
I made this today, and, it was delicious. I was seeking a recipe and technique like a closed Japanese Restaurant I used to go to many years ago. Where I live now, there isn’t anything even close to what I crave. This tasted just like that restaurant! I did marinate the chicken overnight, and, I grilled the chicken without basting. Sliced it up and drizzled the teriyaki sauce I had made just before. It was juicy and really good. Thank you!
Hi Lana! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Can I follow the recipe ,but using tofu instead of chicken?
Hi Monica! You can, but my recommendation is to drain the medium-firm tofu well (at least 15 minutes pressed down), coat the tofu with potato starch (or cornstarch), and pan-fry. Then add teriyaki sauce. Tofu doesn’t have “skin” so to make it crispy, you will need thinly coated potato starch (or cornstarch). 🙂
Similar to this recipe, but with this teriyaki sauce: https://www.justonecookbook.com/teriyaki-tofu/
This was so good! I had to use Chinese cooking wine, so I can only imagine how much better it would be with sake! This might be sacrilegious to ask, but could I use skinless thighs next time? I’m weird and don’t like the texture of chicken skin. Such a good recipe! Thank you!
Hi Selena! Sure, you can use skinless chicken thigh. 🙂 Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi Nami, I just made this dish tonight without the marinating step and the chicken is tender, juicy and flavourful! This is my first try on teriyaki from scratch. This time saving recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Hi Violet! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
What type of Sake is best for this?
Hi Dan! I use inexpensive drinking sake like these: https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/ Cooking sake includes additional condiments like salt, etc. So I recommend using regular sake. 🙂
I have made this over 5 times and the flavours are spot on. Your recipe proportions are well measured and accurate and the Teriyaki flavours are far more superior than what we get in a bottle. Thank you for a such an awesome recipe. We can finally make good quality Japanese food at home without having to fork out a fortune in a Japanese Restuarant whenever we crave Teriyaki chicken.
Hi Cynthia! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami. Im abit confused here. To make teriyaki sauce, you mentioned 2 parts sake 2 parts mirin and 1 part sugar. While on the recipe note it says 1 tbsp sake 1 tbsp mirin and 2 tbsp sugar. Please clarify much appreciated thanks!
Hi Jesslyn!
The ratio of my basic homemade teriyaki sauce is 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar. This is kind of like the golden ratio to remember. BUT we never make all the dishes with this ratio. Otherwise, it is quite boring. Plus, if you look at most of the Japanese recipes, we use soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar for like 80% of recipes… same condiments! Therefore, we make changes. I made that Teriyaki Sauce with that golden ratio, but I made this chicken teriyaki and all the other “teriyaki” recipes with different ratios. Every household makes it slightly different so that each family has different variations.
I hope I answer to your question…
I tried to make it for dinner but my thighs didn’t have skin. I was hoping it still works. Somehow my marinade became very watery. My suspicions are with my onions. I believe in your recipe so I will try my best again soon, without onions next time! Wish me luck!!! Gan ba re!!
Hi Maggie! As we don’t put cornstarch/potato starch in the sauce, the sauce won’t thicken unless you reduce it. If you are talking about the finished sauce, that could be the reason. Or your onion may have more moisture… Onion has good flavor too, so use it even just a little. 🙂
Hi Nami.
I´ve decided to make this dish next weekend. My problem is that I´m making it for about 25 people. And my questions are therefore: Would it be possible to sear the thighs and then finish them in the oven? If so, for how long and at what temperature?
Best wishes
Trine
Hi Trine! Japanese “chicken teriyaki” is always made pan-fried/grilled at home, and not cooked in the oven because it will become dry and not optimal method of cooking… So if we cook for 25 people, we probably pan fry first and put in the oven safe container and cover to keep warm in the oven. We won’t be cooking in the oven…
I have made this several times, family loves it. Was wondering if I can make the teriyaki chick in the slow cooker?
Hi El!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Yes, you can make the Teriyaki Chicken in the slow cooker. However, we recommend lightly searing the chicken before you place it in a slow cooker.☺️
Thanks very much. I will cook it today. Thanks for your prompt reply as always so I can cook straight away.
Hi El,
It’s our pleasure! We hope you enjoyed the Chicken Teriyaki!
Hello Nami~
I wanted to make chicken teriyaki but the store only had skinless thighs! Any tips for how to succeed with your recipe with skinless thighs?
Thank you~
– Karen
Hi Karen!
Tips are carefully turned and transfer the chicken and not to overcook.
Since it doesn’t have skin, the meat will be easy to break up.
We hope this helps! Good Luck! 🙂
Hi Nami
Thank you for this wonderful recipes. Mine children love it.
If we do not marinade the chicken, do we still add in the grated ginger and onion into the sauce.
Thank you
Hi Elise!
Yes! Please add the grated ginger and onion into the sauce and use the sauce at Step 11.
Thank you for trying this recipe! We are so happy to hear your children love this.☺️
Love all your recipes I’ve tried so far by this one blew me away! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Hi Taylor!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed this Chicken Teriyaki! The balance of sweetness and saltiness is the key!😊