EASY TERIYAKI CHICKEN – ANYONE CAN MAKE

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EASY TERIYAKI CHICKEN

I was craving Asian food the other day and remembered our frequent trips to a ‘Yoshinoya’ restaurant which was across the street from our apartment. It was one of the few places that we could afford to eat regularly as students. I still remember the taste of the ‘Chicken Bowl’ though I haven’t been to a ‘Yoshinoya’ in years. 

I looked up recipes for Teriyaki Chicken and made a quick trip to the local Whole Foods as we had run out of Mirin and to get some good organic chicken.

I opted to use boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts, as my wife refuses to eat chicken with skin and bone as well as chicken thighs. From a health perspective, she is right on.

Feel free to use chicken thighs as they will taste better. 

Teriyaki sauce is basically made of only 3 ingredients: Mirin, Soy Sauce and Sake. I decided to give it a little spice kick and added garlic, ginger and chili sauce – you may want to leave these out. Either way, it is quick, easy and tasty.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (or thighs) cut in to 2-3” pieces

1 cup soy sauce (preferably low salt)

1 cup Mirin

1 cup Sake

1 tsp shredded ginger (optional)

1 tsp chopped garlic (optional

1 tbsp chili sauce (optional)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp cornstarch

Kosher salt (1 tsp or to taste)

Ground Pepper (½ tsp or to taste)

Toasted sesame seeds, sliced jalapeno and sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Method:

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and when hot, pan fry the chicken pieces 3-4 minutes per side until lightly browned and cooked.

Set the chicken aside.

Reduce heat to low and add ginger and garlic to the same pan (add a little oil if needed).

Fry the ginger and garlic for 2-3 minutes until aromatic (make sure they don’t burn).

Now add the soy sauce, mirin, sake and chili sauce and stir well.

Increase the heat and bring to a boil and let simmer.

In a small bowl add 1 tbsp. of water to the cornstarch and mix well.

Add this to the pan and stir well to thicken the sauce.

When the sauce is thickened to your liking, add back the chicken in a single layer.

Cook the chicken for a few minutes, pouring sauce over the chicken as it cooks.

Once done, take the chicken out and slice into ½” thick pieces.

Place on a plate with rice.

Ladle more sauce over the chicken.

Top with sesame seeds, sliced jalapeno and sliced green onions.