Chicken Teriyaki

When I serve chicken, my family scrambles for each of their favorite pieces. The chicken breast and white meat are the least favorite. So I found a way to make everyone love this Chicken Teriyaki made with chicken breasts. In past blog posts, I mentioned the word teriyaki means a Japanese way of cooking to pan-fry or grill fish or meat in the sweet homemade sauce. Filipinos love sweetness in our dishes. The addictive syrupy flavor is a good contrast to the simplicity of boiled white rice we almost always serve with our meals. And if you travel to the Philippines, you will find a lot of homes and restaurants with teriyaki-inspired dishes.

Anyway, when I need a dependable recipe I turn to the experts — like for Japanese home cooking, I seek the help of my friend Namiko Chen from Just One Cookbook. Namiko’s recipe for Chicken Teriyaki was spot-on. I had most of her suggested ingredients and tried to cook it as she advised on her blog, with my own tweaks. To make my chicken breasts more tender and succulent, I pounded the pieces before cooking. It was a game-changer. But if you’re using boneless chicken thighs like I do, then there is no need for preparing the meat like this.

Later, after pan-frying in a large skillet, I poured the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce. The whole dish came together in one glorious entree with the sweet teriyaki seeping through the soft meat, the glaze shimmering brightly on all our plates. Nobody scrambled for any favorite chicken piece. It was all equally scrumptious. This Chicken Teriyaki had become everybody’s favorite at our table.

Print Recipe

Chicken Teriyaki

This Chicken Teriyaki dish has been a favorite at our family table whether I cook with chicken breasts or thighs. I prepare the meat by pounding the breast pieces before marinating and this helps make it tender. Teriyaki is a Japanese method of cooking by pan-frying or grilling. The word teri means luster and yaki means to grill or broil. I first pan fried the chicken pieces and later cooked the teriyaki sauce in the same skillet. This is an easy and delightfully sweet-savory entree that your family will enjoy on a weeknight or weekend. This recipe was adapted from Just One Cookbook by Namiko Chen. Serves 2 to 4.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino, Japanese

Keyword: Beef Teriyaki Stir Fry

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Asian in America

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast or thighs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 knob fresh ginger about 1-inch piece, grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 of a whole white onion, grated
• 1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce gluten-free or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon mirin Japanese sweet rice wine
• 1 Tablespoon sake
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for pan-frying chicken

Instructions

• On a large clean chopping board place the chicken breast pieces. Cover with a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet all around to tenderize. After pounding, prick the pieces all around with a fork. Marinate with salt and black pepper powder. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl: mix together the teriyaki sauce ingredients - ginger, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, mirin, sake. Whisk together. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, add vegetable oil. When oil is hot enough in about 1 to 2 minutes, pan-fry the chicken pieces, turning to brown evenly. Continue pan-frying till chicken is cooked completely about 20 to 25 minutes for this amount. When chicken is cooked, remove from the skillet and set aside.
• Using the same skillet, pour the teriyaki sauce. Simmer over medium heat and reduce sauce till it is slightly thick in about 5 to 6 minutes. Return the chicken pieces. Tilt the pan around so the sauce spreads on the meat. Use a cooking spoon to pour the teriyaki sauce over the meat. Continue simmering for 2 minutes more.
• To serve: slice the chicken teriyaki in bite-sized 2-inch pieces. Serve warm with boiled rice and steamed vegetables. Pour more teriyaki sauce over the chicken.
• Cook's Comments: Tamari which is gluten-free, is a low-sodium soy sauce. Sake (say "sah-keh") is the Japanese wine served with meals, made from rice in a double fermentation process that is similar to beer-making. Sake's alcoholic content is higher than most wines with an ABV of 15 to 20 % and has a clean, crisp, delicate flavor. Mirin is the Japanese cooking wine, with a lower alcohol and higher sugar content. Mirin's sweet flavor contrasts well with the slightly salty Tamari soy sauce.
• *Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and  recipe content I wrote, on your website,books, films, television shows or videos  without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website, video, news article,or media outlets mentioned above please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 2235mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.

Did you like this recipe? I have more classic recipes inspired by my late mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]