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Chicken Teriyaki

5.0(5831)

Teriyaki is derived from the Japanese root words teri, which means “to shine,” and yaki, which means “to broil or grill.” That’s the way traditional teriyaki looks: shiny and incised with grill marks. In Japan, teriyaki is a mix of soy sauce, sake and the rice wine mirin, which imparts a subtle sweetness. The teriyaki found throughout Seattle, of which this is an adaptation, is a bit more showy. Cooks sweeten with white sugar and pineapple juice. They thicken with cornstarch. Ginger and garlic go into the mix because of the Korean ancestry of many cooks. It is not at all traditional, but it is simple to prepare and a pleasure to eat. Be sure to plan ahead as you do need to marinate the chicken before cooking. An overnight stay in the fridge is ideal, but many readers have been happy with a quick marinade of an hour or so.

by John T. Edge·published 2010-01-06

Open original recipe

Asian, JapaneseDinner, Easy, Weeknight, Poultry, Main Course

Servings

8 servings

Total time

30 min

Calories / serving

557 kcal

Ingredients (10)

serves

1 cup soy saucesoy-sauce
1 cup granulated sugarsugar
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugarbrown-sugar
6 garlic cloves, crushed in a pressgarlic
2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepperpepper
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon pineapple juicepineapple-juice
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons cornstarchcornstarch

Instructions (4 steps)

01In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except cornstarch and chicken. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Discard cinnamon stick and mix in 1/2 cup water.
02Place chicken in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Add soy sauce mixture, seal bag, and turn to coat chicken. Refrigerate for at least an hour, ideally overnight.
03Remove chicken and set aside. Pour mixture into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and add to pan. Stir until mixture begins to thicken, and gradually stir in enough water (about 1/2 cup) until sauce is the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and set aside.