How to make teriyaki chicken, the world’s favourite Japanese dish
- Dark, sticky and delicious chicken teriyaki is easy to cook at home and ideal if you’re looking to make a speedy dinner
- A staple on menus at Japanese restaurants everywhere, in the country itself, it is found at humble, homestyle eateries
Chicken teriyaki is one of Japan’s most famous dishes, appearing on the menu of almost every inexpensive to mid-range Japanese restaurant outside the country. In Japan itself, however, you’ll most likely find it at humble places that serve homestyle cuisine. It’s an easy dish to cook.
Chicken teriyaki
Despite its name, in most teriyaki recipes the chicken doesn’t go anywhere near the yaki (grill). Many recipes call for the meat to marinate for several hours, or overnight, but I wanted a dish I could have on the table within an hour.
I use a mixture of cooking techniques, none of which are difficult. I pan-fry the meat, skin-side down, to crisp up the skin, then cook it briefly on the stovetop, basting often, which softens the skin but gives it flavour. It goes into the oven to be cooked under the grill, which re-crisps the skin and turns it almost black so it looks burned, but isn’t. While the chicken is resting briefly on a cutting board, I reduce the sauce to a nice, shiny glaze, which is delicious drizzled over the meat and steamed rice.
8 bone-in chicken thighs, about 200 grams each
200ml (3/4 cup and 1 tbsp) light soy sauce
200ml (3/4 cup and 1 tbsp) sake
80 grams (1/4 cup and 1 ½ tbsp) granulated sugar
50-gram (1 ¾ oz) chunk of peeled ginger
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
Cooking oil, as necessary
For serving:
Toasted sesame seeds
Chilli flakes, or dried, shredded chilli
1 Lay the chicken thighs skin-side down on the cutting board. Put the tip of a very sharp paring knife into the meat on the bone. Cut the meat from one end of the bone to the other. Scrape the meat away from the bone to detach it, taking care not to cut into the skin. Put the bones in a medium-size saucepan.