Teriyaki Chicken with Homemade Marinade (Japanese Family Recipe)
This is an authentic Japanese family recipe for teriyaki chicken using chicken thighs and a simple, 4-ingredient, homemade marinade from brown sugar, mirin, sake, and soy sauce. For best results, grill the chicken, but you can also cook over stovetop if needed.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sake
- 1 cup mirin
- 1 cup Japanese soy sauce
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- 1
The night before you want to cook your chicken, combine all the marinade ingredients in a large, deep sided skillet.
- 2
Bring the marinade to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes to boil off the alcohol.
- 3
Let the marinade cool to room temperature. Pour half of the mixture into a container with your chicken thighs to marinate. Let your chicken marinate in the fridge overnight.
- 4
The remaining half of the marinade is for teriyaki sauce. Whenever you are ready to make the sauce, bring the liquid to a simmer again in a skillet over stovetop.
- 5
Keep simmering for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to a shiny glaze, almost the consistency of maple syrup. Remember that this glaze will thicken slightly as it cools.
- 6
If making ahead of time, store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
- 7
After the chicken has marinated overnight, it's ready to grill. Preheat your grill and remove the chicken from the marinade.
- 8
Grill on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remember cook times will vary depending on the size of your chicken thigh.
- 9
Let the chicken thighs rest for 5 minutes, then slice and plate with rice. Spoon the teriyaki sauce you previously made on top of your grilled chicken and serve!