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Home Collections 15 Minute Meals

Teriyaki Chicken (With Homemade Teriyaki Sauce)

By:Nagi
Published:12 Jul '14Updated:20 Mar '19
78 Comments
Recipe v

I am pretty sure Teriyaki Chicken is more popular outside Japan than in Japan itself! When made with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce which is super easy and fast to make, you’ll really notice the difference in the strength and depth of flavour because it infuses into the flesh better than bottled Teriyaki Sauce.

Only 4 ingredients, so easy and fast to make and the flavour infuses into the meat better than bottled sauce! #grill #Japanese #marinate

Teriyaki Chicken – homemade Teriyaki Sauce

As a kid, all I ever wanted in my lunchbox was a peanut butter sandwich and crisps so I could be like the other kids. Instead, my mother used to send me to school with bento boxes and sushi rolls.

As an adult, all I want is for my mother to pack me bento boxes. A step up from the peanut butter sandwiches I usually end up slapping together.

Back when I was a child, Japanese food was not that popular in Australia. In fact, other than Chinese food, ethnic food generally was not widely available. As an adult I think back to those days and just shake my head remembering how I would try to eat my bento box lunches as quickly and discreetly as possible while I looked on enviously at all the other kids with their sandwiches in brown paper bags.

A decade later, bento boxes and Japanese food generally became “all the rage”. One of the first Japanese dishes to catch on in the Western world was Teriyaki chicken. The sweet, salty, thick glossy sauces is a flavour that appeals to kids as well as adults, it’s easy to use and great for outdoor grilling as well as cooking on the stove top.

Over the years, bottled Teriyaki Sauce started to appear in grocery stores. The ironic thing is that they are not made in Japan – in fact, I have never seen a Teriyaki Sauce made in Japan, not ever. I read somewhere once that in Japan, bottled Teriyaki Sauce is manufactured overseas.

Having been brought up with home-made Teriyaki Sauce, I consider it a blasphemy to even think of using bottled Teriyaki sauce! And once you see how simple making your own Teriyaki sauce is, I bet you will never use store bought again.

Though not strictly a 15 minute meal because of the marinating time, the active preparation and cooking time is less than 15 minutes so I’ve included it in that category.

Store bought Teriyaki sauce simply doesn’t compare – and when you read the list of ingredients it’s frightening how many of them you probably don’t recognise!! For the minimal effort it takes to make your own Teriyaki Sauce, it’s truly worth it.

This is a variation of my mother’s recipe. Strictly speaking, Teriyaki Chicken as made the authentic way in Japan is not marinated. This recipe yields a stronger more intense flavour, akin to Western palettes.

If you would like a truly authentic Japanese Teriyaki Chicken recipe, you can find it here <- It is my mother’s recipe on her blog RecipeTin Japan.

Only 4 ingredients, so easy and fast to make and the flavour infuses into the meat better than bottled sauce! #grill #Japanese #marinate

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Teriyaki Chicken (With Homemade Teriyaki Sauce)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 13 mins
Total: 15 mins
BBQ, Grilling
Asian, Japanese
5 from 14 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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  • 59
Make your own Teriyaki Sauce at home - not only is it easy, fast and more tasty, the marinade infuses into the flesh better. Make a larger batch and store it in the fridge so you have it on hand for a quick meal! Also great to cook on the outdoor grill/BBQ. Though not strictly a 15 minute meal because of the marinating time, I have classified it in 15 minute meals because the cooking and active prep time is less than 15 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp Teriyaki Sauce Marinade
  • 4 chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless (about 5oz/150g each)
  • 1 tbsp oil

Teriyaki Sauce Marinade

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp Japanese cooking wine (sake)
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Teriyaki Sauce Marinade ("Marinade")

  • Combine the 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat.
  • Bring to boil, then turn heat down and simmer until it reduces by half - it should only take 5 minutes or so. The consistency should be like a light syrup. Keep your eye on it - it will start to thicken suddenly!
  • Bring to room temperature before using.

Chicken

  • Combine the Marinade with the chicken and marinate for at least 20 minutes, preferably overnight.
  • Remove chicken from Marinade but do not discard the Marinade liquid.
  • Heat oil in non stick pan over medium to medium-high heat. You don't want it too hot because otherwise the sugar in the Marinade will burn before the inside is cooked.
  • Place the chicken in the pan and cook the first side for around 3 minutes, checking to ensure the skin isn't cooking too quickly. If it is, remove pan from heat and turn the heat down, and add about 2 to 4 tbsp of water to the pan then return to the stovetop. The water slows down the searing process on the skin while still allowing the chicken to cook on the inside.
  • Turn chicken over and cook the other side. Just before the chicken is finished cooking, add 2 tbsp of water to the pan and and swirl around and mix with the marinade that has come off the chicken. This will make a dark glossy "sauce". Move the chicken around in the pan to coat with this sauce.
  • The Marinade is a strong flavour so you shouldn't need any extra sauce. But if you do want more, add equal parts of Teriyaki Sauce and water to the pan and allow to come to a simmer and let it cook until the desired consistency.
  • Serve with rice.

Recipe Notes:

1. To use the Marinade for other purposes, combine 3 to 4tbsp of Marinade per 1lb/500g of meat and marinate for at least 20 minutes, preferably overnight. However, if marinating fish, do not marinate for more than a few hours at most - 20 minutes is enough (otherwise the flavour will overpower the fish).
2. The Marinade will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 weeks. You can also freeze it - with or without meat.
3. Prep time excludes marinating time.
4. Nutrition per serving.
Teriyaki Chicken Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 161gCalories: 182cal (9%)Carbohydrates: 0.6gProtein: 27.3g (55%)Fat: 8.8g (14%)Saturated Fat: 1.8g (11%)Cholesterol: 114mg (38%)Sodium: 786mg (34%)Potassium: 17mgIron: 0.7mg (4%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 

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78 Comments

  1. Ryan says

    May 9, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    I enjoyed this – There is no sugar in the recipe – so I jumped over to recipe Japan eats as well

    Reply
  2. Julian says

    January 5, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    A generic question….do you define a tbs as 15 or 20 ml? not important (usually) but when you say 3 tbs the + / – difference is relevant, ie a tbs (45 or 60ml)! In Aus i think it’s fair to say that a tbs is 20 ml (presumably because we have bigger tables than most).

    Reply
  3. Connor Barlow says

    January 3, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing stuff Nagi! Can you point me in the right direction in regards to the leftover marinade sauce?

    Any dishes I can use it with this week? 🙂

    Reply
  4. Janis Williams says

    September 22, 2021 at 11:06 am

    Thinking this over… why did we add water to liquids and then try to boil off the water to reduce it? Why not start with the other liquids only where it would reduce more quickly?

    Reply
  5. Janis Williams says

    September 22, 2021 at 11:05 am

    Well… just lost 30mins trying to get the marinade to thicken. Reduced from about 1cm down to 2mm in my saucepan and it has still not thickened.

    Reply
    • Ryan says

      May 9, 2022 at 6:23 pm

      Maybe needs sugar in the ingredients?

      Reply
  6. Janis says

    September 16, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    Can you clarify if the chicken fillets are skinless or skin on please? Ingredients say skinless but instruction mention skin “checking to ensure the skin isn’t cooking too quickly.”

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 10, 2022 at 3:48 pm

      They are skinless – apologies – that was a typo from an earlier version of the recipe! N x

      Reply
  7. Zoe says

    August 21, 2021 at 10:19 am

    5 stars
    Made this & it tastes AMAZING.
    Boyfriend thinks it tastes better than some restaurants we’ve been to. So simple to make too! So so yummy! One of my top fav Nagi recipes 😀

    Reply
  8. Janis Williams says

    May 12, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    Nagi I’ve just put it to marinade and found dad got skinless BONE IN – can you tell me how long to cook them???

    Reply
    • Spelt says

      November 21, 2021 at 12:22 am

      On med heat you can cook average sized bone-in thighs or drumsticks for 8-9 minutes *each side*. After that you need to add a little water and put the lid on for 12-15. Depending on your stove cook time will vary, but this method usually takes me around 30-35 minutes.

      Reply
  9. Kathryn says

    January 25, 2021 at 1:11 am

    Hi Nagi! I was wondering if the chicken could be baked instead of cooked on the stove?

    Reply
  10. Miranda says

    April 11, 2020 at 5:55 pm

    5 stars
    You hit the mark again Nagi! Tonight for dinner I cooked plain ol’ crispy chicken legs for the fam. I made this teriyaki sauce and poured it over the plain boiled rice we had. It is super delicious and I felt so clever. I never need to buy teriyaki sauce EVER again!!

    Reply
  11. Kyra T says

    February 19, 2020 at 9:49 am

    You know I’m in love with ALL your recipes but I have what I feel is a silly question, is Japanese cooking wine Mirin? If so am I putting 4 tbsp in?
    If you mean sake- what do you recommend as I’ve not bought Or had Sake before..

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 19, 2020 at 10:00 am

      Hi Kyra, Japanese cooking wine is Sake – you’ll need 2 tablespoons of it as well as 2 tablespoons of mirin. For cooking you should be able to purchase it in your local Asian grocer – major supermarkets stock it here in Australia. N x

      Reply
      • Kyra T says

        February 19, 2020 at 10:57 am

        Thankyou for clarifying.. 😊 I’ll let you know how I go. 😊

        Reply
  12. Michelle says

    October 26, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    5 stars
    As like all of your recipes…This was delicious and so easy to prepare.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 27, 2019 at 4:40 pm

      I’m so glad you loved it Michelle!

      Reply
  13. K. D Lunner says

    September 30, 2019 at 6:27 am

    I’m going to try this, it looks delicious. Confused about skinless (ingredients) and skin on (cooking instructions). Does it make a difference?

    Reply
  14. Liv Swenson says

    May 15, 2019 at 1:44 am

    what oil do you use for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 15, 2019 at 9:03 pm

      Hi Liv, Any neutral flavoured oil would be fine – canola/vegetable – N x

      Reply
  15. chris says

    January 8, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    It’s okay to add the used marinade to the pan, to quickly coat the chicken? I thought there was some dire rule about not using the marinade, unless you boiled it for 20 minutes … or, something like that.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 9, 2019 at 9:34 am

      Hi Chris – Step 6 in the directions is how you should cook the marinade if you want extra sauce – I hope you love it ☺️

      Reply
  16. Mariam says

    September 6, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi ! I accidentally stumbled across your blog and I’m so glad that I did . My husband and I both love anything teriyaki and we have had to keep it out of our lives for a while now as he is diabetic and the store bought sauces are loaded with sugar . I made this recipe yesterday and the homemade sauce with no added sugars is not only delicious but has helped bring back teriyaki chicken onto our menu . Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 7, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know Mariam! N x

      Reply
    • Kim says

      September 12, 2018 at 3:21 pm

      Beware Mariam that the most commonly available Mirin is Australia – Majo Mirin (see https://fruitezy.com.au/product/kikkoman-manjo-mirin/ for a pic of the bottle) contains both glucose syrup and corn syrup. Try to find the Daiwa brand. It is available online at Ichiba Junction here: http://www.ichibajunction.com.au/products/detail.php?product_id=42547535

      Bonne chance !

      Reply
  17. Jeannie says

    June 6, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    Hi. I don’t see how much sugar is needed.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 6, 2018 at 7:02 pm

      No sugar in this! 🙂

      Reply
      • Kim says

        May 20, 2019 at 6:20 pm

        I think you should point out there is no added sugar as it is confusing when you mention sugar in the method section. Adam Liew published a teriyaki sauce recipe in The Age this weekend (so SMH as well?) and his recipe had caster sugar. Also he suggests bottling and keeping it in the pantry as it has a long shelf life. So I am now quite confused and ended up just buying a packet one today.

        Reply
  18. Rachel says

    May 28, 2018 at 5:38 am

    Do you think that this recipe would hold up on an outdoor grill, as long as the temperature wasn’t hotter than 400 degrees? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 28, 2018 at 8:44 pm

      Hi Rachel! Cook on medium low to ensure it doesn’t burn. It’s great on the grill!

      Reply
      • Regine wong says

        August 23, 2018 at 4:06 am

        Hi what is the Merin please?

        Reply
  19. Diana says

    February 19, 2018 at 4:35 pm

    Hello, what can i substitute Japanese sake with? I cannot find it anywhere including asian stores.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 21, 2018 at 1:29 pm

      Hi Diana! Dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine will be a fine sub 🙂 N x

      Reply
  20. Laurie says

    January 18, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    I know this is an old post, but I’m browsing recipes and it’s new to me. Nagi, when you mentioned bringing homemade, mom-crafted-with-love bento boxes to school (when everyone else brought peanut butter sandwiches)
    it made me remember a children’s book character: Yoko, by Rosemary Wells. If I knew your address I’d send you the book!! The Yoko books are SO sweet! I’m curious to know if these books are available in Australian libraries and bookstores (kids’ section). If you find it I think you’d enjoy 😉 Thanks as always for your amazing recipes!!

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1423119835/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 19, 2018 at 9:20 am

      I’ll have to have a look! Thanks so much for the tip! N xx

      Reply
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