Discover ways to cook dinner traditional Hen Teriyaki at dwelling in lower than 20 minutes utilizing genuine Japanese cooking strategies. You‘ll love the seared and juicy rooster thighs glazed in a simple and flavorful home made sauce. No bottled teriyaki sauce wanted!


All people loves some good, juicy rooster in a candy sticky glaze. For this reason rooster teriyaki, a humble Japanese dish, is so fashionable in every single place on the earth! On this recipe, I’ll present you easy methods to make genuine Hen Teriyaki at dwelling—how it’s achieved in Japan.
This foolproof Japanese technique offers you essentially the most flavorful meat and the crispest pores and skin. It’s so good, simple, and a certain win for a weeknight dinner.


What’s Hen Teriyaki?
Teriyaki (照り焼き) generally refers to a method of cooking, however it additionally refers back to the title of a cooked dish or the sauce that’s used to brush over the meals.
That can assist you perceive higher, teri (照り) means “luster,” given by the candy soy sauce marinade, whereas yaki (焼き) has a broader definition that may denote “cook dinner or pan-fry or grill.” When translated actually, the dish means “shiny or shiny grilled rooster,” because it describes the lustrous glaze on the rooster created by the teriyaki sauce.
There are a whole lot of home made teriyaki rooster recipes on-line, and to be sincere, a lot of them have been modified or deviated from the unique technique. Right here are some things you may wish to know:
- The Japanese don’t bake the rooster teriyaki within the oven, cook dinner it in an Immediate Pot, or cook dinner it in a sheet pan with greens.
- We don’t grill the rooster at dwelling both, as most Japanese houses are too small to personal a grill.
- There aren’t any bottled teriyaki sauces in Japan. We normally make our sauce with 4 easy pantry staples.
So, how will we cook dinner rooster teriyaki in Japan? We pan-fry the rooster over the range till we sear the pores and skin, then simmer it with the sauce till it thickens and caramelizes, leaving the meat with an irresistibly shiny end.


Substances for Hen Teriyaki
It’s superb that you simply solely want a number of pantry staples to make this traditional Japanese recipe!
- Hen thighs – For the standard genuine model, select boneless, skin-on rooster thighs, however you can even use skinless rooster thighs. How about rooster breasts? I’ll talk about about it within the subsequent part.
- Salt and pepper – Just a bit bit of those. Most flavors come from the teriyaki sauce.
- Home made teriyaki sauce – 4 easy elements: Soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar.
Skinless or Pores and skin-on Hen


In Japan, boneless, skin-on chicken thighs are all the time most popular for rooster teriyaki as a result of they don’t dry out rapidly. The pores and skin additionally gives a protecting layer between the rooster flesh and the recent pan. Hen pores and skin yields a scrumptious taste and acts like a magnet for the sticky sauce. Consequently, you get moist, flavorful, and juicy meat each time. American grocery shops usually carry bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs. You possibly can ask the butcher to take away the bone for you, or you may debone the thighs with a pointy knife.
Right here within the U.S., nonetheless, most individuals want boneless, skinless rooster thighs. So my teriyaki recipe under focuses on the recipe with skinless thighs. You possibly can see my skin-on model on the finish of the recipe directions.
Hen Thighs vs. Breast
When cooking rooster, thighs are extra forgiving than breasts. Thighs can face up to increased temperatures and longer cooking instances. Which is why thighs are perfect for this Hen Teriyaki recipe.
The fats from rooster thighs retains the meat moist and tender all through cooking, leading to a juicier and extra flavorful dish.
You should use rooster breasts if that’s what you like. Simply do not forget that rooster breasts have extra fiber and have a tendency to show rubbery prior to thighs.


Genuine Teriyaki Sauce
The fundamental teriyaki sauce is made from solely 4 easy elements:
- Soy sauce is essentially the most essential and outstanding ingredient, giving teriyaki sauce a wealthy, darkish coloration. It imparts umami and saltiness. You wish to use Japanese soy sauce, not different Asian soy sauce.
- Sake is Japanese rice wine, a necessary ingredient in Japanese cooking. Along with tenderizing the meat, the amino acids in sake take away any odor of the rooster. Different key causes to make use of sake? It provides refined sweetness and umami to the dish. See my advisable sake model and substitution here.
- Mirin is Japanese candy rice wine. This syrupy condiment provides a pleasant shine and pure sweetness to the sauce, serving to to mood its saltiness. It additionally helps the flavour sink in and absolutely develop. Learn extra about mirin here.
- Sugar performs a significant function in balancing out the saltiness of soy sauce, lending teriyaki sauce its signature candy and savory taste. We additionally want the sugar to thicken the sauce so it can caramelize fantastically and create a shiny sheen that coats the rooster.
My fundamental teriyaki sauce consists of two components soy sauce, two components sake, two components mirin, and one half sugar (2:2:2:1). You possibly can regulate the ratio to fit your style.
You possibly can even make a massive batch of Homemade Teriyaki Sauce forward of time and retailer it in a bottle within the fridge.


Elective Sauce Substances:
Generally, you may add non-compulsory elements akin to grated ginger, grated onion, and minced garlic for added depth and zing. You possibly can change issues barely primarily based on the elements (meat, poultry, seafood, greens, and tofu).
Many teriyaki sauce recipes I’ve seen on-line name for rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, or apple cider vinegar within the sauce combination. I’d not suggest them should you want to observe the genuine Japanese cooking technique.
Some folks even use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, however it’s pointless. Because the alcohol from sake and mirin evaporates, the sauce will naturally cut back and thicken with the sugar caramelizing in the course of the simmering course of.
Ought to we marinate the rooster within the teriyaki sauce?
In Japan, we don’t usually marinate rooster to make rooster teriyaki as a result of we use a pan-frying technique. Whenever you cook dinner the marinated rooster within the frying pan, it steams in a pool of the remaining marinade, making it tougher to get a pleasant searing mark.
In the event you plan to cook dinner the rooster in your BBQ grill, you may marinate it. Because you cook dinner it over an open body, the rooster won’t keep in a pool of marinade and may get a pleasant char on it.


How you can Make Hen Teriyaki
Hen teriyaki is really easy and fast to make. You will want a pointy knife, a chopping board, a big frying pan, and a small mixing bowl. In lower than 20 minutes, you may be having fun with scrumptious rooster teriyaki!
- Combine the home made teriyaki sauce. Warmth it within the microwave and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Put together the rooster. Rating and flatten the thighs to create an excellent thickness. This step is absolutely vital, so please don‘t skip it!
- Pan-fry the rooster. Cook dinner the rooster for five minutes, urgent down exhausting with a spatula to present the presentation facet a pleasant sear. Flip over, sear the opposite facet, and canopy and steam it for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the teriyaki sauce to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the thighs till effectively coated. When the rooster is cooked via, take away from the pan. Slice and drizzle with the sauce.


Hen Teriyaki Cooking Ideas
- Rating and flatten the thighs for an even thickness. Reduce slits throughout the meat each ½ inch (1.3 cm) with out slicing during. Make deeper slits on the rooster‘s thick components and skip scoring the skinny components. After every reduce, press open and flatten the meat together with your fingers. Scoring and flattening the meat will assist distribute the warmth evenly and stop overcooking for dramatically juicier rooster! It’s an additional step, however it finally makes a distinction.
- Pan-fry and sear the rooster (5 minutes): You solely want a dependable frying pan or massive skillet to pan-fry the rooster. The pan and oil have to be sizzling earlier than including the rooster so it will get a pleasant brown sear rapidly. Whenever you cook dinner the rooster, bear in mind to put the smoother facet (or the pores and skin facet) down first. Press the rooster down with a spatula and let it sear undisturbed till the pores and skin crisps up and browned.
- Steam the rooster (3 minutes): Flip and cook dinner lined on low warmth as soon as the rooster is browned. Steaming helps cook dinner totally till not pink inside. It’s greatest to not overcook the rooster as it can proceed to cook dinner with the sauce.
- Patiently spoon over the teriyaki sauce: As soon as the teriyaki sauce is poured over the rooster, tilt the frying pan to pour the sauce over the rooster. Repeat this course of till the rooster absorbs the scrumptious glaze and begins to shine. Take away the rooster and cut back the sauce within the pan if the sauce is simply too skinny.
What to Serve With Hen Teriyaki




Easy and bursting with candy but savory taste, I imagine anybody can cook dinner this traditional Japanese dish at dwelling. Serve the Hen Teriyaki with rice with a salad or steamed greens like broccoli. Listed below are some facet dish concepts that pair effectively with rooster teriyaki:
Different Teriyaki Recipes You’ll Get pleasure from
Love teriyaki dishes? Discover salmon, tofu, rooster meatballs, and beef in 17 Best Authentic Teriyaki Recipes to Make At Home!


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Hen Teriyaki
Discover ways to cook dinner traditional Hen Teriyaki at dwelling in lower than 20 minutes utilizing genuine Japanese cooking strategies. You‘ll love the seared and juicy rooster thighs glazed in a simple and flavorful home made sauce. No bottled teriyaki sauce wanted!
Substances
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Directions
To Combine the Teriyaki Sauce
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In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix the sauce elements: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp sake, and 1 Tbsp sugar.
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Microwave the sauce till sizzling. Combine effectively to dissolve the sugar and put aside.
To Add the Teriyaki Sauce
To Cook dinner Pores and skin-on Hen Thighs
Diet
Diet Information
Hen Teriyaki
Quantity per Serving
% Each day Worth*
* % Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.
Editor’s Be aware: The publish was initially printed on March 22, 2012. It was up to date with a revised recipe, new photographs, and extra useful data on April 14, 2024. It was republished with a brand new video on Might 31, 2024.