Teriyaki Chicken

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Teriyaki chicken sears chicken thighs skin-side down and reduces a measured soy, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic, and ginger sauce directly around the meat.

Mix 3 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp sake. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and 5 g ginger and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pat 400 g chicken thighs dry and open out the thickest areas so the pieces have an even thickness. Keep the skin flat so all of it touches the pan. Preheat the pan over medium heat, place the chicken skin-side down, and press it with a spatula for 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking until the whole skin surface is deeply golden. Flip the chicken and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until the exterior is opaque. Pour the mixed sauce around the pan edge and lower the heat. Spoon the liquid over the chicken as it reduces for 4 to 5 minutes. Stop before the sugar scorches, when the sauce coats a spatula lightly and clings glossily to the meat. Check the thickest part and continue cooking until its internal temperature reaches at least 74C. Turn off the heat, rest the chicken for 2 minutes, slice it across the grain, and spoon the pan sauce over the slices.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

chicken thighs400 gg

soy sauce3 tsts

mirin3 tsts

sugar1 tsts

sake2 tsts

garlic2 cloveclove

ginger5 gg

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Mix 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 3 teaspoons mirin, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 teaspoons sake first.

Add minced garlic and 5 g ginger, then stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
2

Heat

Pat 400 g chicken thighs dry and open out any thick parts so the pieces cook evenly.

Keep the skin flat, because folded skin will not touch the pan and will soften instead of crisping.
3

Control

Preheat the pan over medium heat and place the chicken skin-side down.

Press with a spatula for 2 to 3 minutes to render the fat, then cook until the skin is deeply golden.
4

Season

When the skin is crisp enough, flip the chicken and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes.

It is ready for the sauce when the surface turns opaque and feels springy when pressed.
5

Season

Pour the mixed sauce around the edge of the pan and lower the heat to low.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes, reducing it until glossy before it scorches.
6

Season

When the sauce lightly coats the spatula and clings to the chicken, check the thickest part.

Continue cooking until it reaches at least 74C, turn off the heat, rest for 2 minutes, slice across the grain, and spoon over the pan sauce.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Chicken skin is spread flat against the pan and pressed for 2 to 3 minutes
Finish cue: When the sauce lightly coats the spatula and clings to the chicken, check the thickest part.