There will be no leftovers left with this slapping, lip-smacking version of an easy teriyaki chicken recipe. Chicken is crisped, then glazed to perfection with pantry staples of soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. My husbands plate was so clean after the third helping. It’s that delicious.
This is an easy chicken thigh recipe that tastes like so much more. You can’t go wrong with low-key ingredients, low effort, and then guess what….everyone loves this dish!
It’s very tasty. It looks tasty. It seems like it took hours to make or tons of technique, when really it’s a quick and simple masterpiece. I love all of that and want you to try it out yourself.
Someone give me a side of rice.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes:
What I mean by tasty is that it hits all the marks. It’s sweet, savory, salty, has balanced tang and acid, and the chicken thighs make the best choice for rounding it all out as one satisfying dish.
Did I mention this easy teriyaki chicken recipe is fast? Also, it requires very little ingredients.
It’s a win for me, and I must add in that whenever I make this, there’s just nothing left to save because people will eat all of it.
Did I also mention that my husband literally wipes the plate clean of all existence of this chicken recipe? The soy glaze is not to be found! That is a good sign. I had to share this with you, so you can witness it yourself.
If you have had copious amounts of teriyaki chicken in your life, like myself, this inspired version of easy teriyaki chicken will be refreshing. The soy glaze has a lot of lip-smacking flavor.
It’s a lot better than most takeout places (I’m not naming names), but really, homemade sweet-savory glazed chicken is next level.
How to Make this Version of Teriyaki Sauce Glaze
I intentionally have a little slap in the sauce…because my Filipino flavor has to come in, and what I mean by that, is that tang…is where it’s at. A little extra dash of rice vinegar, and it’s gonna be a sauce addiction you never knew you had.
Regular teriyaki sauce usually has mirin and sake as part of the ingredients and is also quite simple to make, however, these are not always accessible or pantry staples for everyone.
I do believe that ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, and brown sugar are very common, easy to find ingredients that make the best sauce for chicken next to traditional teriyaki sauce.
This sauce is so super simple.
In replacement for mirin and sake, I use a touch more rice vinegar and extra brown sugar…then WOW! This sauce is so good!
You will love this version of inspired, easy teriyaki sauce because it’s easy enough to make whenever you want it, without having to hunt for these other Japanese ingredients.
Ingredients for easy Teriyaki Sauce recipe
Garlic -Minced and it’s a must have. While regular, authentic teriyaki sauce doesn’t have this, it is a game changer for me. Use it in the sauce instead of in the skillet when making the chicken. This way the garlic is very much infused in the sauce.
Ginger – Also minced, and it’s a must have. While regular, authentic teriyaki sauce doesn’t have this either, it is a must for me. Use it in the sauce instead of in the skillet when making the chicken. This way the ginger is very much infused in the sauce.
Low Sodium Soy Sauce – You can always add salt to taste. Low sodium keeps the salt balanced with the sweet.
Rice Vinegar – I used organic rice vinegar. It has a nice sweet and tangy zest to it. This cannot be substituted.
Dark Brown Sugar – Dark brown sugar has sweet and caramel notes. It adds thickness to the sauce for a perfect glaze. I highly recommend to not substitute this.
Where is the cornstarch? I eliminate cornstarch when I can, considering that as a recipe you make at home for yourself, you may not always want to add cornstarch to your meal. The chicken already has cornstarch so no need to add more to the sauce.
The sauce reduces and imparts the perfect sticky sauce when you follow the techniques below.
Tips and Steps for Making Easy Teriyaki Chicken
- You’ll need a thick bottomed sauce pan and a brasier pan or wok.
- Add your teriyaki sauce ingredients and heat in the sauce pan for 20 minutes. No simmer. Just hot enough below a simmering, and stir frequently.
- The chicken thighs should be lightly pounded with a tenderizer.
- Pat them dry.
- Then coat with cornstarch.
- Add several tablespoons of neutral oil that it will cover the bottom of the chicken, but do not submerge. This is not a deep fry.
- Check the oil temp with your high heat thermometer that it is around 375-380 F
- Lay the chicken down in one movement so they get a very crispy and browned sear. Once both sides are done, then remove the chicken and place on a wire rack.
- This creates airflow and additional crispiness to the exterior.
- Take a few paper towels and soak up excess oil in the pan or pour the oil out.
- While the chicken is on the wire rack, take the sauce and strain through a mesh strainer to remove the pieces of garlic and ginger. This creates a smooth sauce.
- Then add the sauce to the pan you were cooking the chicken in, and let it simmer for one minute, causing it to reduce more. Stir so it doesn’t burn.
- Add your chicken, turning several times, and coating the chicken several times.
- Remove from heat and let rest for three minutes.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
What I really love about this dish it that there is no fluff. Each element has pure intention to it. No need for sesame seeds, no added cilantro, or whatever else.
The crisp of the chicken and the sauce glaze is the highlight. This makes for a great meal prep recipe that serves as lunch a few times a week. The sauce is good on plain rice, no sides needed, and it’s a weekday meal that is satisfying without being too much.
What other sides will go well with this recipe, other than rice?
- Baby Bok choy is the perfect extra side because it’s clean, green, and the mustard notes contrast with the sweet-sticky of the soy glaze
- Chinese Chicken Salad is a nice addition because it is light and healthy
Yes, use a glass container for the best leftover storage. Usually, there are no leftovers of this in our home, but if you do have leftovers, the chicken will soak up most of the sauce so it won’t be the same the next day. However, reheat and it will still have great taste.
No. The method of preparation does not go well with freezing. I recommend eating this freshly made.
You can pre-make the teriyaki sauce. In fact, I would double or triple the sauce recipe so you have extra if you happen to like using this sauce for your other meals. Store in a glass mason jar.
Easy Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
- sauce pan
- thick bottomed braiser pan/cast iron pan
- mesh strainer
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs chicken thighs cut in halves
- 1 cup cornstarch or potato starch
- ¾ cup neutral oil add more if needed to cover the bottom of the pan
Easy Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2½ tbsp rice vinegar
Instructions
Preparing the Sauce
- Prep the sauce ingredients. Combine in a sauce pan over low-medium heat and mix.
- Stir often and do NOT simmer or boil the sauce. It should be hot, but not simmering. 20 minutes. During this you can prep the chicken.
- Remove from heat and strain through a mesh strainer so the sauce is smooth. This is now the sauce for the chicken.
Making the Chicken with Teriyaki Soy Glaze
- Lightly pound and tenderize the chicken thighs so they are more flattened. Be sure to have patted them dry.
- Dust them LIGHTLY with thin layer of cornstarch or potato starch.
- Add heat-tolerant oil to the braiser pan and set on med-high flame till the oil reaches 375-380F. As soon as the chicken goes in, the temp is going to drop, so have the oil very hot.Then set the chicken in, one by one, with single movements so they lay well in the pan and start to develop a nice brown searing. About 3-5 minutes per side, but you can see the searing and opaqueness coming to the center. Flip when the chicken side is golden brown.Flip, sear, and brown the other side.
- Remove the chicken and place them on an elevated wire cooling rack. Let them cool for 4-5 minutes.
- Use some paper towels to soak up any excessive oil in the pan or pour excess oil out from the pan.
- Now add the sauce to that same pan. Let it simmer, very high for few seconds.
- Add back the chicken, quickly coating and flipping the chicken in the sauce 2-3 times to get a nice glaze all over the chicken.
- Remove from the heat and let it rest for 2 minutes.
- Garnish with scallions. Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
- serve with rice
- garnish with chilis to make it spicy
- serve with sides of greens or a salad
- make extra sauce and save for other meals or just to put on rice
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