Teriyaki

Name: Teriyaki
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 1 to 2 servings
Cuisine: Japanese Menu
Ingredients: Chicken Thigh — 1 large; Potato Starch/Cornflour — To coat; Salt — To taste; Pepper — To taste; Cooking Sake — 1 tbsp; Brown Sugar — 2 tsp; Soy Sauce — 1½ tbsp; Water — 1½ tbsp; Honey — To taste; Green Onions — 1

This authentic chicken teriyaki features a juicy, skin-on thigh perfectly seared until crispy and glazed in a glossy, sweet-savoury sauce enhanced with a touch of honey. Combining simple ingredients with a steaming technique to ensure tender meat, this classic Japanese dish offers a beautiful balance of textures and deep, rich umami flavours, making it a healthy, high-protein meal that is truly quick and easy to master at home.

Cuisines

Cooking Instructions

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 to 2

Notes:

For a crispier texture, coat the chicken in potato starch or cornflour before seasoning; this creates a beautiful crust that holds the sauce perfectly.

Drizzling a little honey into your teriyaki sauce provides a secret, 'kakushiaji' depth that balances the soy sauce and mirin flavours, creating a more professional, nuanced result.

After searing the skin-on chicken until golden, remove any excess rendered fat from the pan before adding the sauce; this ensures your final dish remains clean-tasting rather than overly greasy.

Steaming the chicken with a lid on after the initial sear is a crucial step; it ensures the thicker thigh meat cooks through evenly while keeping the interior juicy and moist.

This recipe is highly customisable; you can easily scale the ingredients to prepare larger portions, and if you prefer a different garnish, feel free to substitute the green onions with finely shredded spring onions or toasted sesame seeds.

Prepare Chicken
Trim any excess fat from the large skin-on chicken thigh, coat both sides with a light dusting of potato starch (or cornflour), and season generously with salt and pepper.

Sear Chicken
Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, place the chicken skin-side down alongside the sliced green onions, and cook until the skin is golden and crispy.

Steam
Remove the green onions temporarily to prevent burning, cover the pan with a lid, and cook on low heat for 3 minutes to steam the meat.

Glaze
Remove excess fat from the pan, combine the sake, brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and honey, pour over the chicken and onions, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, basting until the sauce is glossy.

Slice and Serve
Remove the chicken from the pan, slice it into attractive pieces, arrange on a plate with the glazed green onions, and pour the remaining sauce from the pan over the top.