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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Teriyaki Chicken Marinade

    Author: Peter Kolesnichenko · Published: Aug 11, 2017 · Modified: May 15, 2021

    Jump to Recipe

    Teriyaki Chicken marinade is a favorite not only in Japan, but in homes and restaurants around the world. The Teriyaki sauce you buy in the store might taste a bit different from the original Japanese version. But it's so easy to make, you'll never buy Teriyaki sauce again.

    Easy Chicken Teriyaki
    • teriyaki marinade ingredients
    • chicken teriyaki sauce pouring over chicken pieces to marinate

    What's Teriyaki?

    According to Wikipedia, the word teriyaki derives from the noun teri (照り), which refers to a shine or luster given by the sugar content in the tare (タレ), and yaki (焼き), which refers to the cooking method of grilling or broiling. So Chicken Teriyaki basically means grilled shiny chicken. And I love eating grilled shiny chicken!

    You can find Teriyaki sauce for sale in any supermarket. It's most often used as a marinade or as a Teriyaki dip. We love making a Teriyaki Chicken marinade, before we grill our chicken, just like the name suggests!

    How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Marinade

    Teriyaki Chicken is popular in western countries, usually as a stir fry served with rice. This is an authentic Japanese Teriyaki Marinade recipe, without any strange additions like orange juice or other added sweetness. A real authentic Japanese recipe.

    The Teriyaki Chicken marinade only has 4 ingredients;

    • Soy Sauce
    • Sake
    • Mirin
    • Sugar

    Japanese Sake as the key ingredient that makes it taste authentic to me. Sake can be expensive, so people sometimes skip it from recipes. You can substitute Sake with Chinese Cooking Wine or Shaoxing, which is a rice wine made from fermented rice. Sake is a bit sweeter than Shaoxing, so you might want to add a pinch more sugar.

    The other essential ingredient is Mirin, which is another sweeter type of rice wine. The sweetness of Mirin contrasts perfectly with the saltiness of soy sauce and sake. To make the marinade, just mix all the ingredients together with and you're done. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the chicken to marinate before cooking.

    How to cook Teriyaki Chicken

    When I was in Japan, grilled Teriyaki was everywhere, usually with chicken or fish and cooked over hot coals or a grill. This was one of my favourite meals in Japan, but most of us don't have the luxury of grilling over coals, so a frying pan will do the trick.

    Chicken thighs are juicier and more flavorful, and traditionally made with Japanese Teriyaki, but you can use chicken breast (but it will be drier). The Japanese sometimes leave the chicken skin on the thighs, as the crispy skin adds more flavor and texture. I'm using boneless and skinless chicken thighs.

    I marinate them in a Ziploc bag for at least 2 hours before cooking, because I like the flavor right through. It's probably more authentic to crispy fry the chicken without marinade, and toss it through the sauce in the last few minutes of cooking. It's up to you, however, I love the marinate the chicken.

    You can bbq them on skewers, over a bbq grill, or pan fry on your kitchen stove. The bbq is pretty self explanatory, so this recipe prepares Teriyaki Chicken in a frying pan. This recipe also allows you to make it year round! When frying the Teriyaki Chicken, fry the chicken with a bit of oil, without the extra marinade. After the chicken is cooked and crisps up, add the remaining marinade and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

    How to Serve Chicken Teriyaki

    You can serve this recipe over noodles (less common) or usually over white rice with some steamed vegetables. It makes an easy Teriyaki Rice Bowl. Slice some Asian greens in half and steam them for 2 minutes to serve alongside the Chicken Teriyaki. The extra cooked Teriyaki sauce gets drizzled over the whole thing, and sprinkle with some Sesame Seeds. It's that easy to make a healthy dinner for your family.

    Chicken Teriyaki in a rice bowl with asian greens

    Teriyaki Recipe Tips

    • Grill, Skewer or Pan Fry the chicken thighs
    • If serving with rice, double the Teriyaki Sauce, as it will absorb into the rice
    • Marinate meat for at least 2 hours in advance, 20 minutes if in a hurry, or not at all!
    • Cut each chicken thigh into 4 to 6 pieces to keep size consistent
    • Mirin substitute, mix 1 tablespoon dry sherry with 1 tablespoon of sugar
    • Substitute honey for sugar in the marinade
    • Adjust Teriyaki to your own flavors, add more or less Soy, Mirin, or Sake
    • Not authentic, but add a bit of Pineapple Juice into the marinade - sweetens and also helps tenderize the chicken, make it Hawaiian Teriyaki!
    • Substitute Chicken with Fish

    Bring home a bit of Japan for dinner tonight. This easy Chicken Teriyaki recipe is an authentic Japanese classic, quick to make and sure to be a family favorite. Ready to grill, bbq, pan fry, or add to a stir fry. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

    Teriyaki Chicken is an authentic Japanese classic, healthy and easy to make with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Ready to grill, bbq, pan fry or add to a stir fry - Easy Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

    Teriyaki Chicken Marinade

    Teriyaki Chicken marinade is an authentic Japanese recipe, a heathy recipe made with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Ready to grill, pan fry or add to a stir fry. Healthy and low fat with maximum flavor.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Course: Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
    Keyword: Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl, teriyaki chicken, Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
    Servings: 4 people
    Author: Peter Kolesnichenko

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb /500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs chopped into pieces
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

    Teriyaki Marinade

    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons sake
    • 1 tablespoon mirin
    • 1 tablespoon sugar

    Instructions

    • Place all the ingredients in a bowl or a Ziploc bag and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.
    • In a frying pan, heat oil and fry the chicken thigh pieces until they are golden brown. DON'T FRY THE CHICKEN IN THE MARINADE! The chicken thighs should be fried without the sauce, allowing them to crisp up, especially important if there is skin on the chicken thigh pieces.
    • When the chicken is cooked, add the Teriyaki marinade and cook until the sauce thickens, usually a few minutes.
    • Serve with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @petersfoodadventures or tag #petersfoodadventures!

    ©PetersFoodAdventures.com

    • Teriyaki Chicken is an authentic Japanese classic, healthy and easy to make with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Ready to grill, bbq, pan fry or add to a stir fry - Easy Chicken Teriyaki Recipe
    • Teriyaki Chicken over rice with vegetables
    • Teriyaki Chicken is an authentic Japanese classic, healthy and easy to make with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Ready to grill, bbq, pan fry or add to a stir fry - Easy Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Penny

      January 25, 2018 at 10:07 pm

      5 stars
      I had most of these ingredients already in the pantry, just needed Mirin, easily found. So tasty and simple, better than the food court! Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Rotwein

      August 14, 2017 at 10:47 pm

      Love it!!

      Reply
      • PetersFoodAdventures

        August 14, 2017 at 10:48 pm

        Thanks Rotwein! We will switch our cooking cultures for a few recipes! ????

        Reply
    3. NIna

      August 12, 2017 at 9:53 pm

      Looks great, will give it a try.

      Reply
      • PetersFoodAdventures

        August 12, 2017 at 9:54 pm

        Thanks Nina, and really easy to make too! ????

        Reply
    4. Susan

      August 12, 2017 at 2:29 pm

      This is doable. Dinner tonight. Thanks Peter.

      Reply
      • PetersFoodAdventures

        August 12, 2017 at 2:46 pm

        Thanks for checking it out Susan! Hope you love it as much as we do! ????

        Reply

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    Peter's Food Adventures - where you'll find Russian recipes, Slavic and International favorites with some fun travel and cooking videos. A Russian Food Blogger.

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