Chicken Teriyaki (照烧鸡)
Teriyaki is a technique before it is a sauce: teri means gloss, yaki means grill, and in Japan the glaze is built in the pan, not poured from a bottle. Sake and mirin burn off as their sugar reduces, leaving a lacquer that clings to the chicken. Skin-on thighs are worth seeking out, and the dish takes about twenty minutes.
Prep time10 min
Cook time15 min
Total time25 min
Servings2 servings
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (about 450 g total)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (like canola or vegetable)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons sake or dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- 1Pat the thighs very dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Surface water steams the skin instead of crisping it.
- 2Stir the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and ginger until the sugar dissolves. Mix it before the heat goes on, because the sauce reduces fast.
- 3Heat the oil over medium-high and lay the chicken skin-side down, pressing flat for 20 seconds. Cook 5-6 minutes without moving it, until the skin is deep golden and releases on its own.
- 4Flip and cook 3-4 minutes more, until the thickest part reaches 74C / 165F. If the skin darkens too fast, drop the heat.
- 5Pour off the excess fat, add the sauce, and lower to medium. Reduce 2-3 minutes, spooning it over the chicken, until it coats the back of a spoon.
- 6Watch closely at the end: the gap between a glossy glaze and burnt caramel is about 20 seconds. If it smells acrid, pull the pan off the heat and splash in sake.
- 7Rest the chicken for 2 minutes, then slice across the grain into 1 cm strips so the juice stays in the meat.
- 8Fan the slices over hot rice, spoon the pan glaze on top, and finish with sesame seeds. Serve while the glaze is still sticky.
Tips
- Thighs stay juicier. With breast, pound it to an even 2 cm and cut the pan time by a third, or it dries out.
- Don't crowd the pan. Two pieces side by side, or cook in batches; steamed chicken never browns.
- For a shinier glaze, add 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup. For a lighter one, cut the sugar to 2 teaspoons.
- Leftover sauce keeps a week in the fridge and makes a fast glaze for stir-fries or roasted salmon.
- No sake? Dry white wine, or water with a teaspoon of rice vinegar. For mirin, use sugar and water.
