Chicken teriyaki
06-10-07 · Chicken, duck & turkey Tags: Asian, rice wine, sake, wine
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When you discover what’s in a bottle of teriyaki sauce, you will wonder why you have been buying bottles and bottles of the stuff when it’s so easy to prepare it at home. Mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. Some ginger, if you like, but not really necessary. In fact, the traditional Japanese teriyaki recipe does not include ginger at all. You mix the ingredients for the sauce, marinate the boneless chicken in it and fry the chicken in a little hot oil afterwards. That’s it, in a nutshell. Of course, if you want to make sure that your chicken teriyaki is not so-so, you will have to pay attention to the small details that make all the difference.

1) Try to use chicken thigh or leg fillets rather than chicken breast fillets. Skin on.
2) Use light soy sauce. I use Kikkoman but if you have access to more brands, you can always try something else. There might be something better than Kikkoman. The local soy sauce brands like Silver Swan and Datu Puti fall under dark soy sauce. They are too salty and, after marinating, will give the chicken a dark rather than a reddish-gold color.
3) You can’t with dispense the marinating part. You have to give the chicken enough time to absorb the flavors in the marinade.
This recipe is good for 2-3 persons.
Ingredients :
300 grams of chicken fillets, preferably thighs or legs, skin on
1/4 c. of light soy sauce
1/4 c. of mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/4 c. of sake
2 tbsps. of sugar
1 tsp. of grated fresh ginger, optional
1 tbsp. of finely sliced onion leaves
3 tbsps. of cooking oil
Cooking procedure :
Place the uncut chicken fillets in a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over them. Pour in the soy sauce, mirin and sake. Mix well. Cover and let sit in the fridge for several hours or, preferably, overnight.
Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan. Drain the chicken fillets, reserving the marinade. Over high heat, fry the chicken fillets, skin side down, until the skins are brown and start to turn crisp.
Flip them over, lower the heat to medium and continue frying for a few minutes or until the opposite side starts to brown.
Pour in the reserved marinade, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened.
Turn off the heat, lift the chicken and transfer to a chopping board. Chop into strips about half an inch wide. Arrange over a plate or bowl of hot rice. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with grated ginger and onion leaves before serving.














Hi,
thank goodness for your chix teriyake recipe. I have been looking for one in a long time. perfect for school lunch for kids. will definitely try this one.
1 question, though. is sake also available in most supermarkets or in japanese stores only? where did you get yours?
thanks very much!
Cherry Supermarket, if I remember correctly…
ms connie,
i don’t remember making a terriyaki dish as yet? Oh my, where have i been? hehhe..I do chicken and beef stir fries, but i haven’t tried terriyaki yet. i’ll let u know the outcome..
oh by the way, my parents wedding anniv is this suday and im making a few dish, one of them is “baked macaroni”, we’ll see what they’ll say about it! as far as the one’s who tried it already, they loved it, let’s see what will the other guests say.. i hope they will not dissappoint me and you!
is mirin also available in most supermarkets? i’ll try to find one. i would love to try this dish, perfect for baon not only for my kids but also for me.
go for it, dhay!
amymd, yes, try the imported section where all those jars and bottles with inscrutable labels are.
this is a must try recipe! salamat po!
buhay pa ba ang cherry? eto ba yung sa may shaw blvd?
well yun lang alam kong cherry foodarama kasi.
yah, joey, cherry along shaw is still there. there is a branch along congressional road in QC and another one along marcos hiway in antipolo.
Hi Connie,
I have been visiting your site for a week now and i want you to know that I enjoy your recipes, reviews, and cooking “advices”. I think they’re very practical, straightforward, and helpful to starters like me. The chicken, fish, and vegetable dishes are a winner because I make it a point to serve healthy dishes and minimize deep frying as much as possible. I’m glad I discovered your site. Keep them coming!
hi ms connie, i love your website. a lot of recipes here are unique and mas nae-enganyo ako becoz of the pictures attached with the recipe, sana lahat ng recipes ganito. anyway, i have always wanted to try this recipe kso lagi kulang ingredients. There’s no cherry fooderama near our place here in Las Pinas, where can i buy sake? I checked out SM’s japanese section in their supermarket, all they have is mirin (which is kindda pricey for me). Any substitute for sake? Or pwede na wala nito sa recipe? Also, i hope you include japanese recipes dito besides teriyaki. I’ve been searching the net for a fried tofu recipe. Actually hinahanap ko yung sauce recipe that goes with the tofu furai I had at sukiyaki resto. Any suggestions? Hope you also do your version of tempura sauce and tonkatsu. thanks, more power.
eiram, try the inexpensive RICE cooking wines. Check the older archives at homecookingrocks.com for tofu recipes. Madami-dami din dun.
my bosses just love chicken teriyaki! i always ordered chicken teriyaki from tokyo, tokyo everytime we have a meeting. my bosses are all justices kaya ang hirap hanapan ng healthy na makakain. i will definetly try this one and papatikim ko sa kanila. i know they will love it also. mukhang sa tokyo, tokyo din naman eh. hehehe!
hi connie. i tried this recipe. masarap! kasama na siya sa mga everyday menu namin… although my chicken teriyaki is kindda oily. talaga bang ganun? and also the sauce does not thicken. siguro nga becoz of too much oil? pero masarap pa din. i would like to have a thicker sauce so i can serve it on top of rice rather than serving it as a separate ulam. thanks, more power!
eiram, use as little cooking oil as possible (non-stick pans are recommended). if the sauce didn’t thicken, it means cook the chicken longer. you turn off the stove just before the sugar starts to burn.
thanks!
Hi! I would love to try your teriyaki recipe since my kids love to have it every time we eat out.
Since I need to feed a lot of people at home, I don’t 300 grams of chicken fillet would be enough. If I need to up the chicken, how much more of the other ingredients should i add? Is it correct to double the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar if i would be marinating 600 grams of chicken fillet?
Thanks very much!
sharon, yes.
Hi, how can i make mine like those in Sushiya, they are crispy and the sauce is thick. I did try to this recipe and it didn’t crisp, I tried to fry it longer kaya lang umitim. I still couldn’t perfrct it but the tase is okay na.
“how can i make mine like those in Sushiya”
Don’t you think that’s something you should ask the chefs at Sushiya?
Hi Connie,
I had tried every Chicken Teriyaki recipe there is available on the internet but this is the BEST RECIPE!!! Not to sweet, just perfect blend of every ingredients. I have to emphasize na gumamit lang talaga ng light soy sauce coz it does really matter when it comes to flavoring and colour- light brown which is what Teriyaki colour should be. Dito sa Chicago, we make it a point na magluto ng Chicken Teriyaki at least once a week and we don’t order this anymore sa Japanese restaurant!!! Thanks for sharing this!!!!
You’re very welcome, Gilbert. And regards to the Filipinos in the area. Actually… I have a brother-in-law there.
Dear Ms. Connie, hi, i’m sharon, a new fan of your wonderful site! Been reading it for about a month now and I’m so excited to finally try the recipes… anyway, I attended a cousin’s party last night and she made chicken teriyaki which was so delicious! I’m too shy to ask for the recipe that’s why I’m so grateful there are generous-hearted people like you who share what they know… anyway, 1 of your readers said the chix she made wasn’t crispy…I saw my cousin use flour to dredge the chix fillets before frying. Just thought it might help. anyway, thanks so much for this great site again! looking forward to ur Tastebook! =)
Hi Connie!
Can I do without the sake?
Can I use the rice wine instead of sweet rice wine? What can I use as a substitute of sake? Can’t find sake in our local supermarkets.
Hi connie, i also cannot find sake in the asian grocery stores. Can the recipe do without? Is there a substitute?
Westerners say sherry is an okay substitute for most oriental cooking wines.
Hi Connie,
Doe 1/4 c. mean a quarter of a cup?
Asa
Yes.
Hi Ms Connie,
Good Day!
I am very eager to try this recipe you posted but I am having problems with Mirin. I saw some Mirin’s in a Supermarket but they are labeled as “hon mirin”. Is that okay? I didn’t buy it yet because according to some sites, hon mirin has a higher alcohol content than shin.
Thank You in advance!
That’s okay.
Hello connie. thanks for sharing. I, too, am an avid cook and fortunately, i can indulge my hobby of cooking & baking. i already tried your baked mac recipe. Of course, it was a hit. I could already tell from the picture. Im going to try this chix teriyaki recipe though I dont have sake. will sub it white wine maybe. its close to impossible to find sake here bec i live in a very small town in Bicol. the closest decent supermarket is abt. 35 km away. anyway, thanks so much again for your wonderful sharing. expect to hear again from me. God Bless you & your family
Hi Ms. Connie,
May I know what is sake? I’ll cook chicken teriyaki this wknd? Thanks!
It’s a Japanese wine.
hi connie,
ask ko lang is there substitute sa sake? wala kasi ako nyan eh.. hirap maghanap dito layo ng bilihan hehe…
thanks
Try any sweet white wine.
Hi Ms Connie! Just want to share that i cooked chicken teritaki today for lunch and it was delicious
actually this is my second time to try it. the first time was’nt so successful because nasunog ata the chicken. i think i put too much oil and i put the chicken in the pan straight from the marinade (i didnt let it drain kasi muna as you have advised)and yun, nasunog na agad the sugar. This time, i used less oil and removed the chicken from the marinade and let it it sit for a while para ma drain the sauce and voila, perfect chicken teriyaki na siya! Im so happy
Thanks so much for all your recipes. My hubby said gumagaling na talga ako magluto. hahaha
either he just wants to please me by saying that or gumagaling na nga talga ako
have a good weekend! addicted na ako sa site mo sobra! and i save money pa because instead of eating out, we just eat at home since i serve good food naman na
i looked at the chicken teriyaki picture again. hay sana i can take pictures as good as yours too. i have a good camera but i dont have the skill pa kasi and have not mastered the manual settings pa
soon soon soon
Hi Miss. Sassy,
I already have a bottled teriyaki,how many tablespoons should i put in a 300 grams of chicken? Thanks!
Can’t say. I’ve never used bottled teriyaki sauce.
Ms. Connie,
I cooked for the second time this menu last saturday, but it seems I cannot perfect the color of the chicken skin same as yours..medyo nasusunog ang ibang part ng chicken skin..I cut the measurement of cooking oil and sugar..I used white wine instead of sake…My kids love this menu and I want to cook it again..please help..
Control the heat and turn the chicken over often.
Thanks Ms. Connie..will try again because my kids love this menu..
Hi Connie,
Thanks for your recipe. What can i substitute for sake? Can i use Asuka rice wine? Is Asuka the same as Mirin?
I’m not familiar with Asuka rice wine.
Thanks for you quick response. I got it from Cherry too.
Before I found your recipe, I saw another which lists ingredients as Mirin and Rice wine but didnt indicate sake.
Mirin and sake are both rice wines.
hi connie!
you really are a blessing! you know what? i was looking for the recipe of lumpiang shanghia the other day and i found yours the best compared to all that i’ve found online! i made it yesterday for thanksgiving and my in-laws who are white americans love it so much! i couldn’t believe my father-in-law kept picking one after another and even took the dipping sauce and poured some on his plate hahaha. my sister-in-law was happy when i told her that she can take all the left-overs and her daughter said i make good food hehehe (glory to God!). thank you so much for sharing your gift to everybody especially to filipino housewives like me who wants to please their foreign husbands and trying to make a statement that our food is just as good as their steaks and potato dishes if not even better sometimes hehehe. i always make filipino dishes when we have a family gathering here and i am just so grateful i found your site which i had a link on my toolbar now… chicken teriyake? i’m sure my husband will love me more once he tried this, i’m sure this is another big hit!
God bless you, your family and all the food you make for them!:)
Hi Ms Connie!!
any substitute for mirin? can’t find it here
I’m so eager to try this recipe
Thanks!
Try doubling the amount of sake. Am not sure it if it’ll yield equally good results however.
hi Atty. Connie,
Thanks for sharing us your recipe. It would be of great help for me in preparing my “baon” for my kids.
God Bless!
RCC