Teriyaki Chicken is a sweet, savory, and juicy flavor-bursting Japanese dish. It is usually made with chicken, soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, and other aromatics. The chicken is usually fried, broiled, or grilled using a sticky and glowing Teriyaki Sauce which makes this dish unique and flavorful.
This Homemade Chicken Teriyaki is one of the best and easy-to-make stir-fry dishes that makes a perfect meal for your lunch and dinner. And it tastes great with white rice, brown rice, or jasmine rice, similar to our Teriyaki Salmon.
The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make Teriyaki Chicken with easy step-by-step instructions for you to try and enjoy at home. I have also shared a detailed video below to make the process visually clear.
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What is Teriyaki Chicken?
Teriyaki Chicken is a sweet, and savory flavor-loaded Japanese delicacy. The term "Teriyaki Chicken" refers to a chicken dish that is usually coated with a sticky and glowing Teriyaki Sauce. And it is usually made with chicken, soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, and other aromatics.
The word Teriyaki actually refers to the popular Japanese cooking technique, in which the food is either broiled or grilled. So the Teriyaki Chicken can be either grilled, baked, pan-fried, or stir-fried using the Teriyaki marinade or sauce based on individual preferences.
This Homemade Teriyaki Chicken is one of the easy and best-tasting dishes that makes a perfect dinner for your busy weeknight meal. Especially if you have our homemade Teriyaki Sauce handy.
Not only for dinner, but you can also create your bento box-inspired lunch meal with your favorite rice dishes, tamagoyaki, and this chicken teriyaki. And I hope your family and kids will love it. So without further delay let's jump into the process.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this Teriyaki Chicken are basic Asian pantry elements and aromatics. You could easily find these ingredients in most Asian grocery stores or even in gourmet grocery stores in the Asian aisle. So let's see what are they below.
- Boneless Chicken - Boneless and skinless chicken breast or thighs both works great for this recipe
- Sauces - Tamari Sauce and mirin (sweetened rice wine) for authentic Japanese flavors. Usually, traditional recipes also have sake, a Japanese rice wine but here I haven't used it since it was not handy to me. But if that's handy for you, feel free to use 1 tbsp while making your sauce
- Brown Sugar and Honey - Usually authentic Japanese recipes do not call for honey but I have added it for a glazed sticky look along with its natural sweetness
- Aromatics -basic aromatics like ginger and garlic add so much flavor to your dish. I have also added garlic powder to marinate the chicken thighs
- Cornstarch - Acts as a thickening agent and is also used for marinating chicken
- Spices - To achieve some heat I have used chili flakes and black pepper powder here. These are the only two ingredients used for heat
For a detailed ingredients list, please check out the recipe card below
How to make Teriyaki Chicken?
The recipe I have shared here is a Teriyaki Chicken, a sweet and savory Japanese dish. Here I have fried the chicken thighs, then again stir-fried them in flavorful Teriyaki Sauce. This Teriyaki chicken stir fry is one of the easy-to-customize dishes that you can even grill, bake, or air fry according to your preferences. Please check out the tips sections for more ideas.
Following are the high-level instructions to make this recipe but for detailed step-by-step instructions with photos and video, please check out the recipe card below.
- Marinate Chicken - In a bowl, add the chicken thigh pieces and other ingredients mentioned under the marination section. Mix everything well and rest it for at least 10 minutes
- Fry - In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add the marinated chicken without overcrowding the pan. Fry the chicken pieces for 3 to 5 minutes or until it turns golden brown in color on both sides
- Remove and Reserve - Remove the fried chicken and reserve it for later use
- Saute the Aromatics - Now in the same pan with the remaining oil, add ginger, garlic, and dry red chili and saute until it turns aromatic
- Add the Seasonings - Now add the soy sauce, rice wine, chili flakes, ground black pepper, brown sugar, honey, salt, and water, Mix everything well
- Boil and Thicken - Allow the mixture to boil for 2 minutes and then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix and cook until the sauce turns glowy and thick
- Mix the Chicken - Now add the fried chicken thighs into the sauce and give it a good toss
- Garnish and Remove - Garnish the Teriyaki Chicken with sesame seeds and remove it from the heat
Tips
- Chicken breasts or thighs - The recipe for this Teriyaki Chicken is made with bite-size chicken thighs but you can also use bite-size breasts.
- Grill - Here I have stir-fried the fried chicken in the sauce but you can also grill the chicken thighs or breast by basting the sauce. You can also fry the chicken thighs or breast in oil and finally glaze them with Teriyaki sauce before serving
- Bake - If you are looking for a little healthier version, then you can also make baked chicken breasts, oven-baked drumsticks, or thighs. To do that coat the chicken with Teriyaki marinade and cook them until it is done. I would also suggest basting the chicken with the sauce on and off during the baking process
- Chicken Wings - If you are looking for a Japanese-inspired party, then you could also glaze the fried chicken wings or oven-baked chicken wings in the sticky Teriyaki Sauce
Storage Suggestions
Teriyaki Chicken tastes fresh and loaded with flavors when served warm immediately. But you can also store the leftovers for up to 2 days in a closed air-tight container.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Teriyaki Chicken over a bowl of white rice, brown rice, Jasmine rice, or Basmati rice. You can also serve it as a side dish with fried rice, or as a part of most Asian recipes platter.
Related Recipes
You could find similar recipes below and more at stir fry recipes, Japanese recipes, and chicken recipes.
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Vegetable Stir Fry
- Orange Chicken
- Lemon Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- General Tso's Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Szechuan Chicken
Some popular Japanese dishes.
Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Teriyaki Chicken Recipe below that I hope will help you to make a delicious Japanese meal at home. You could also find this recipe in a story format.
📖 Recipe
Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
To Marinate
- 1½ lb Boneless Chicken Thighs, small bite size pieces
- 1 tbsp Tamari Sauce
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
To make Teriyaki Chicken
- 1 tbsp Ginger , chopped
- 2 tbsp Garlic, chopped
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- 3 tbsp Tamari Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin, nothing but sweetened rice wine
- 1 tsp Chili Flakes
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Honey
- ½ cup Water
- Cornstarch Slurry, 1 tbsp starch diluted in 3 tbsp water
- Sesame Seeds, to garnish
- 2 tbsp Oil
- Salt, as needed
Instructions
To Marinate Chicken
- In a bowl, add the chicken thigh pieces and other ingredients mentioned under the marination section
- Mix everything well and rest it for at least 10 minutes
To make Teriyaki Chicken
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add the marinated chicken without overcrowding the pan
- Fry the chicken pieces for 3 to 5 minutes or until it turns golden brown in color on both sides
- Remove the fried chicken and reserve it for later use
- Now in the same pan with the remaining oil, add ginger, garlic, and dry red chili and saute until it turns aromatic
- Now add the soy sauce, rice wine, chili flakes, ground black pepper, brown sugar, honey, salt, and water. Mix everything well
- Allow the mixture to boil for 2 minutes and then add the cornstarch slurry
- Mix and cook until the sauce turns glowy and thick
- Now add the fried chicken thighs into the sauce and give it a good mix. Allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes
- Garnish the Teriyaki Chicken with sesame seeds and remove it from the heat
To Serve
- Serve this Teriyaki Chicken with white rice, brown rice, Jasmine rice, or Basmati rice
Video
Notes
- Chicken breasts or thighs - The recipe for this Teriyaki Chicken is made with bite-size chicken thighs but you can also use bite-size breasts.
- Grill - Here I have stir-fried the fried chicken in the sauce but you can also grill the chicken thighs or breast by basting the sauce. You can also fry the chicken thighs or breast in oil and finally glaze them with Teriyaki sauce before serving
- Bake - If you are looking for a little healthier version, then you can also make baked chicken breasts, oven-baked drumsticks, or thighs. To do that coat the chicken with Teriyaki marinade and cook them until it is done. I would also suggest basting the chicken with the sauce on and off during the baking process
- Chicken Wings - If you are looking for a Japanese-inspired party, then you could also glaze the fried chicken wings or oven-baked chicken wings in the sticky Teriyaki Sauce
Nutrition
FAQ
Teriyaki Chicken is a sweet, and savory flavor-loaded Japanese delicacy. The term "Teriyaki Chicken" refers to a chicken dish that is usually coated with a sticky and glowing Teriyaki Sauce. And it is usually made with chicken, soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, and other aromatics.
It is usually made with chicken, soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, and other aromatics.
No, it is not a healthy dish, as it contains high sodium and sugar content ingredients. But to make it a little healthier, you can also always look for low-sodium soy sauce, swapping sugar with maple syrup or honey.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe I shared here and I would love to hear from you about how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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