The Best Authentic Japanese Teriyaki Chicken
Authentic teriyaki chicken ready in 25 minutes with simple ingredients! Juicy, crispy chicken coated in a rich, sweet-savory sauce—perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs note1
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the teriyaki sauce
- ⅓ cup mirin 80ml
- ⅓ cup sake 80ml
- 1.5 teaspoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Pat dry the 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs with a paper towel. Make cuts on the side without the skins (shallow cuts on thin areas and deeper cuts on thicker areas—don’t cut through the chicken completely) at 2 cm intervals, cutting across the grain of the meat. If you’re using skinless chicken, make cuts on the uneven side.
- Season the chicken: Place the chicken, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a plastic bag. Shake until each piece is evenly coated. Remove the chicken from the bag and shake off any excess coating.
- Make the sauce: Whisk together ⅓ cup mirin, ⅓ cup sake, and 1.5 teaspoons soy sauce in a small bowl to make teriyaki sauce.
- Cook the chicken (note2):1. Heat a pan over medium heat. If using skinless chicken, add oil to the pan. Once hot, place the chicken skin-side down. If using skinless chicken, place it flat side down.2. Press down on the chicken with a spatula for about 10 seconds to ensure even contact with the pan. Fry for 5–7 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy.3. Flip the chicken over and press down with the spatula again for 10 seconds.4. Turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Steam the chicken for 2–3 minutes.5. Remove the lid and absorb excess oil with a paper towel. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the teriyaki sauce mix to the pan. Wait for the sauce to start boiling. Continuously spoon the sauce over the chicken to coat the top surface.6. Simmer the sauce until it thickens and becomes shiny. The bubbles will grow larger as it thickens. Continue simmering until most of the sauce is gone but leave a small amount.
- Serve: Remove the chicken from the pan, slice it into bite-sized pieces, and enjoy!
Notes
(1-1) The type of chicken: For the juiciest and crispiest teriyaki chicken, I recommend using boneless, skin-on thighs. If you can’t find them, boneless, skinless thighs work great too, though they won’t be quite as crispy. You can also use chicken breasts, but they might be a bit drier. If you’re using skinless chicken, add a tablespoon of neutral oil to make it crispy.
(1-2) The size of the chicken: I used thighs weighing about 160g each to test this recipe. Adjust the frying time based on the size of the chicken you use.
(2) Grilled vs. Baked vs. Pan-Fried: Japanese people usually make teriyaki chicken by pan-frying chicken, as the name says. However, you could grill or bake the chicken for a more Americanized version too! In that case, I’d marinate the chicken in the teriyaki sauce beforehand so the chicken absorbs the flavors.
🥢Serve with Japanese rice, miso soup, simmered daikon radish (kiriboshi daikon), and Japanese cucumber salad (sunomono) to complete the meal!
💡If you can't find specific ingredients, check out how to substitute Japanese ingredients in this post.