Easy Japanese Teriyaki Chicken

Ready for juicy grilled chicken with a luscious sweet soy glaze? Packed with flavour, teriyaki chicken is an easy weeknight meal for the whole family. Transport yourself back to Japan with this iconic dish, complete with homemade teriyaki sauce!

Why We Love This

Teriyaki chicken pairs perfectly with fluffy white rice and steamed veggies for an easy weeknight meal. 

Cook in a pan to catch all the delicious teriyaki sauce, let it reduce as the chicken cooks. The dish looks magic on the plate, with the shiny sweet-soy coating sticking to the chicken perfectly.

The actual cooking time takes only around 10 minutes, so marinate the chicken in advance to make it even easier on the night!

Related: Shogayaki (Ginger Pork) / Chicken Yakitori

What is Teriyaki Chicken? 

Teriyaki chicken is one of the most popular dishes from Japan. It’s right up there alongside sushi and takoyaki!

Succulent chicken (usually thighs) are marinated and cooked in a glossy teriyaki sauce that reduces down as it cooks. The end result is a juicy, tender chicken in a sticky soy glaze.

The words teri (照= glazed/shiny) and yaki (焼 = grilled/fried) traditionally refer to the cooking method of grilling or frying something with a shiny, glossy sauce or glaze, rather than the dish itself.

This one isn’t to be confused with yakitori chicken, which also uses teriyaki sauce, but is on skewers with spring onion. If you love marinated chicken, you can also try Japanese fried chicken next.

Where We Learned This Recipe

Taught to us by our Osaka-Mum Yoshiko years ago, this has become a staple in our household. We usually have it with rice, but sometimes we’ll keep the chicken piece whole and make it into a teriyaki chicken burger!

What You’ll Need

With just a few Japanese pantry items, you’ll have this dish whipped up in no time.

• Chicken – Thighs are extra juicy, soak up all the flavour and cook perfectly. We don’t usually worry about cutting off all the skin or fat but you can do this if you want. Otherwise, swap for chicken breasts. Slice into small pieces, or cut each breast in half lengthways to create flat steaks. This will help the cut soak up more of the marinade. 
• Teriyaki Sauce – Make your own or use a store bought brand such as Kikkoman. It uses similar ingredients to what we’ve used in the marinade today, just in different ratios to balance out the flavour. If making your own, feel free to experiment with the quantity of each ingredient until you’ve got it just how you like it. You can also sub with yakitori sauce if you have some on hand.
• Soy Sauce – For the best flavour and quality, use a Japanese soy sauce such as Kikkoman brand which has the perfect balance of flavour and salt. Chinese or Korean soy sauces may be too salty or bitter for this recipe, however Japanese tamari works great as a gluten-free option. If you only have dark soy sauce on hand you can still use it, you just may need to balance out the intensity with a little extra sugar. 
• Cooking Sake – This is a type of rice wine made for cooking. It’s lighter and more delicate in flavour than Chinese cooking wine, but you can use either in this recipe. Look for it at Asian grocers or online. You can substitute with sherry or a blend of 50:50 vodka and water in a pinch, or just use water only and leave out the alcohol completely. If you’re unsure about the alcohol in this recipe, remember that it will evaporate during the cooking process, leaving you with the beautiful flavour and shine only. Otherwise, feel free to use our Korean bulgogi sauce which is completely alcohol free.
• Mirin – This is a sweet rice wine for cooking. You can sometimes find it in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online. If you don’t have it, just leave it out and add in an extra 1 tsp of sugar instead. 
• Oyster Sauce – This is a sweet and salty sauce that gives teriyaki chicken a little extra kick of flavour. Regular oyster sauce is, of course, made from oysters, but it’s possible to get vegetarian “oyster sauce” made from mushroom extract if you prefer. 
• Garlic – This is an extra ingredient in Yoshiko’s recipe that isn’t always found in other Japanese recipes for teriyaki sauce. We LOVE using it for the extra flavour, and will sometimes add ginger as well. You can use finely chopped/minced, or swap for the powdered versions depending on your preference. 
• Pepper – This adds a touch of spice to the marinade sauce, another of Yoshiko’s unique tweaks to the recipe that we love. Keep it in or leave it out as you wish.

How to make Teriyaki Chicken:

1. In a medium bowl, pop in your chicken thighs and add in the soy sauce, sake, mirin, oyster sauce, garlic and pepper. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
2. Add the vegetable oil to a large frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add your chicken thighs and cook for 3-4 minutes before flipping over to the other side.
3. Add your teriyaki sauce and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken every couple of minutes or so as the sauce thickens for a nice and even glaze.
4. Continue to cook until the sauce sticks to the chicken and thickens (around 5 – 10 minutes).
5. Remove from the pan and allow to sit for a couple of minutes before slicing to serve. Coat or drizzle with any leftover sauce in the pan.
6. Serve hot with rice and a side of miso soup or kinpira gobo (braised burdock and carrot).

Wandercook’s Tips

• Don’t Skip the Marinade Time – This makes it juicier and more flavourful – especially if you prep it the day before. This will allow all the flavours to soak into the meat and help tenderise it too, so while you could skip it, we definitely don’t recommend missing out!
• Hot Oil – For a delicious sear, make sure the oil and pan are heated up and ready to go.
• Don’t Overcrowd the Pan – Only cook two chicken thighs at a time to avoid losing too much heat. If cooking a big batch, keep the cooked thighs wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven on the lowest temperature to keep warm.
• Double the Recipe – This recipe is perfect for two people, so double it for a family of four.
• To Thicken The Sauce – Turn the heat up high so it looks like the sauce is boiling. Keep stirring and wait for it to thicken. When it starts thickening, turn the heat low. If you’re afraid of overcooking the chicken, you can take the chicken out once cooked and continue to cook the sauce in the pan until it reduces further, then pour over the cooked chicken once you’ve plated up.
• If Cooking with Skin On – Skin side down first for extra char, flavour and to crisp it up. 
• Keep Basting as You Go – This will ensure the chicken is coated evenly all over.

FAQs

Variations

• Instead of Chicken – Try it with pork, beef, salmon or as meatballs!
• Alternative Sauce – Swap the teriyaki sauce for homemade Korean BBQ sauce (alcohol free) instead.
• Optional Garnish – Shichimi togarashi, sesame seeds, spring onion, chopped cashews or nuts
• Add ginger – Add 1 tsp of ginger for an extra kick of flavour.
• Skin On Chicken – Prick all over with a fork to help the oils reduce while cooking, and always start cooking skin side down for extra char and flavour. 

Serve alongside these tasty Japanese creations:

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