Easy Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

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Growing up, whenever I ate at a Japanese sushi restaurant, one of the most common items I would order aside from sushi on the menu is a Bento Box with Teriyaki Chicken. It’s like the signature dish at most Japanese restaurants in North America and a great alternative for those that do not like raw fish or seafood! Well we got good news for you because today, we’re going to share with you how to make this Easy Teriyaki Chicken recipe 🙂

Teriyaki Chicken

How to Cook Teriyaki Chicken

De-bone Chicken Thighs

Using a chef’s knife (or any sharp kitchen knife), carefully remove the bones from the chicken thigh. This ensures even cooking (as the thigh meat can lay flat to the pan), reduces cooking time, and makes it much easier to eat and cut later on. To remove the bone from the chicken thigh, turn the chicken thigh over so that the flesh side is facing up, and feel for where the bone is. Then, use your knife to trace along and under the bone to remove it. It should look something like the photo below after the bones have been removed.

Boneless Chicken Thighs

Season Chicken Thighs Generously

Once the bones have been removed, lightly pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. This will ensure the chicken will cook up extra crispy. Then, season the skins generously with salt and pepper – refer to photo below.

Seasoned Chicken Thighs

Cook Chicken Thigh Skin Side Down

On a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tsp of oil and when the pan is hot enough, add the chicken thighs, skin side down. What you’re doing during this process is rendering the fat from the chicken skin which will help fry/crisp up the chicken skin, giving it that dark golden brown color.

Skin Side Down

Cook Chicken Thighs

Take a peek occasionally at the bottom of the chicken thighs to see if the skin has developed that dark golden brown crust. Once it has, flip it over so that it is skin side up. Then, add your 2 tbsp of sake and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for approximately 8 minutes or until sake has evaporated. You are essentially steaming the chicken thighs during this process to help it cook thoroughly. After the 8 minute mark, take an instant read thermometer and check the thickest part of the thigh to see if it is fully cooked. It should be at least 165F.

Cooked Chicken Thigh

Thicken Teriyaki Glaze

When the chicken thighs are fully cooked, remove it from the pan onto a wired cooling rack. Take a paper towel and using a pair of tongs or chopsticks (so you don’t burn your hand!), remove the excess liquid/fat from the pan. Add your Teriyaki sauce mixture into the pan and cook over medium high heat. Add your chicken thighs back into the pan (skin side up) and spoon the sauce over the chicken thighs regularly to baste it. Once the sauce starts to boil, the sugar will cause the sauce to thicken into a glaze. Once the thighs are evenly coated in the thickened teriyaki sauce, you can remove it from the pan and cut it into smaller pieces on a cutting board for easy serving. Feel free to scoop any extra teriyaki sauce and pour it over your chicken or rice.

Teriyaki Chicken

Serve over a bed of rice with veggies

Once your teriyaki chicken is cooked, you can choose to serve it along with the sides of your choice. We recommend serving it over a bed of white rice (Japanese rice if you have it) along with some cooked veggies of your choice. This makes for a delicious and simple meal, and it was done in under 30 minutes!!

Teriyaki Chicken

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