Teriyaki Chicken

4.48 from 23 votes
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Teriyaki Chicken is the most popular Japanese chicken dish. Learn how to make this easy and the best chicken in teriyaki sauce with only four ingredients.

Teriyaki chicken bowl with chicken thighs and teriyaki chicken sauce, ready to serve.
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How To Make Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken is the most popular chicken recipes in Japanese cuisine. Even though it originated from Japan, it has become an American staple that everyone loves!

Imagine tender and juicy chicken thighs doused in sweet and savory teriyaki chicken sauce, served with steamed white rice in a bowl…yummy.

You can make this delicious dish using pantry ingredients that you already have at home.

There are many Japanese teriyaki chicken recipes. What I am sharing with you is a super easy and quick homemade recipe with simple steps.

  • First, marinate the chicken with the marinade: soy sauce, sugar and Japanese cooking sake.
  • Transfer the marinated chicken and the teriyaki sauce to a skillet and let cook slowly.
  • Transfer the chicken out and serve with rice.

My recipe calls for only four (4) simple ingredients: chicken thighs, soy sauce, sugar and Japanese cooking sake. I also have an authentic chicken teriyaki recipe with skin-on chicken thighs.

Chicken teriyaki in a rice bowl with a pair of Japanese chopsticks.

Japanese Cooking Sake Is The Secret Ingredient

Japanese cooking sake is the secret ingredient for teriyaki chicken.

Most Japanese recipes call for cooking sake, which is Japanese rice wine made for cooking. It’s a lower grade sake and not for drinking.

Sake rice wine infuses the sauce with the earthy aroma, making this dish absolutely tantalizing.

If you have an Asian store or Japanese store where you are, pick up a bottle of cooking sake. If not, you can always order it online. If you cant’ take alcohol, just skip this ingredient and use water instead.


Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl

Teriyaki chicken with steamed rice, teriyaki sauce, white sesame and chopped scallion in a Japanese bowl.

For a quick meal, make steamed rice or brown rice. Once the chicken is cooked through, serve it on top of a bowl of rice.

Spoon the teriyaki sauce on top of the chicken, sprinkles some white sesame and chopped scallion and you’ll have a complete meal, or just like the pictures here.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 324 calories per serving.

A pair of Japanese chopsticks picking up Teriyaki chicken.

What To Serve With Teriyaki Chicken

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.48 from 23 votes

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken is the most popular Japanese chicken dish. Learn how to make this easy and the best chicken in teriyaki sauce with only four ingredients.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 people
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Ingredients  

  • 12 oz (350g) skinless and boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce , or Tamari
  • 1 tablespoon sugar , or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Japanese cooking sake, optional
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
  • white sesame, for garnishing

Instructions 

  • Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, sugar, and cooking sake for 20 minutes. Heat a skillet with oil over low heat. Once the oil is hot, transfer the chicken and the marinade to the skillet and cook slowly.
  • Turn the chicken over after 5 minutes and continue cooking on low heat for another 5 minutes.
  • Dish out and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2people, Calories: 324kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 906mg, Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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18 Comments

  1. Andrea says:

    Is it ok to marinate this for longer than 20 minutes?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Sure you can.