I bet you’ve already had teriyaki chicken at your local sushi joint. You know, the frozen, bland kind ?

Trust me, this recipe tops any takeaway you’ve had. Or if you’ve been lucky and have had teriyaki chicken from an authentic Japanese restaurant (I have, too), it at the very least matches your expectations.

The meat is juicy and moist, the picture of perfectly cooked chicken ; coated with the caramelized teriyaki sauce, slightly sweet yet savoury, you just can’t get enough of it.

As with most iconic recipes, it is as simple at it is great  :

• Make your 5-ingredients sauce : you only need soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar and water ;
• Season your chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and slightly coat with potato starch ;
• Cut into bite-sized pieces, then pan-fry !

This chicken is ready in less than 30 minutes. I chose to serve it on top of rice (hence the Teriyaki Don, meaning Teriyaki Bowl) along with blanched sesame broccoli with it. If you do too, you’ll be all set within 40 minutes.

Authentic Teriyaki Don – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

• Try to buy quality, skin-on deboned chicken thighs. It is important to use chicken thighs, which are juicy and tender ; the skin crisps up and caramelizes beautifully, and protects the meat from the high heat, allowing it to remain juicy. Simply ask your butcher to debone it for you.

You could use chicken breasts if you don’t mind your meat being drier, or if you watch out for your fat intake.

• You’ll find Soy Sauce, Mirin and Sake, which are basic Japanese pantry items, at any Asian store around you. The potato starch might be trickier to find ; if it is, replace it with cornstarch, that you’ll find at your grocery store.
  • If you’re in Paris :
    • you can go to Tang Frères in the 13th (they have other stores in Paris but be careful, some are small, this one is large) or Paris Store in the 10th ;
    • ever since I moved to the 18th, I’ve been going to XP 16 or Chen Market, but those shops are slightly smaller, especially XP16, and you might not find everything you need. 
  • If you’re in France :
    • Paris Store has several shops across the country ;
    • you can also order online ! There are several online Asian websites you can order from.
  • For my foreign friends : I bet you can easily find some Asian shops around you or online, but if you can’t, message me with your location and I will try to find it for you !
• Be careful to use Toasted Sesame Oil, not plain sesame oil, which is much more intense.

How to eat your Chicken Teriyaki

• You can make a Teriyaki bowl like I did, with rice and sesame broccoli ;
• You could also simply serve the chicken on a plate, with the sides you want (I’d recommend other blanched/steamed vegetables or Asian salads).

This recipe works great as a Bento for lunch, like I did here ! Don’t hesitate to make a larger batch to serve the next day.

Let’s dig into it !

Print Recipe

Authentic Teriyaki Don (Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli)

Author: Multicarbs Cooking Method: Pan-frying Cuisine: Asian cuisines, Japanese cuisine Courses: Chicken, Main dish Recipe Keys: Sans maïs

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 25 min Total Time 40 mins

Servings: 2

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Description

A classic Japanese dish for a reason. Juicy, umami and saucy chicken on a bed of moist rice, pairing perfectly with crunchy, sesamey broccoli.

 

Ingredients

Servings

Teriyaki Sauce

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons water

Chicken

• 2 deboned, skin-on chicken thighs (400-500g)
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon potato starch (or cornstarch)
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons sake

Broccoli

• 1 broccoli head
• 2 garlic cloves (smashed)
• 1,2 liter water
• 1 small tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Prepare your veggies !

   To a medium pot, add your water. Place it on high heat ; bring it to a boil.

   Meanwhile, with a knife, separate your broccoli stems for your broccoli florets. 

   Slice your broccoli stems in smaller pieces. 

   Smash your garlic cloves. 

   Add your broccoli stems and your garlic to the water pot ; wait 2 minutes. Then add your broccoli florets and your sesame oil for 3 more minutes.

   Remove from heat. Strain and let it cool.  

2. Prep your chicken

   Put your chicken thighs on a cutting board. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly dust your potato starch over each chicken side.

   Prick your chicken with a fork (I forgot to, and it was still delicious !).

   Cut into bite-sized pieces (I usally cut ~5cm strips crosswise, then slice lenghtwise in 2 parts).

3. Sizzle that chicken !

   Now is the time to start your rice. 

   Heat up a pan to medium-high heat (ideally a cast-iron or stainless steel one), with your neutral oil.

   Put your chicken skin side down, and let it brown without moving it around for about 5 minutes. 

   When the chicken skin is golden brown, flip it, then add sake and cover. Lower the heat to medium-low, then cook for 8 minutes. 

   While it cooks, make your sauce by mixing together all the Teriyaki sauce ingredients.

   After 8 minutes, add your sauce. Let it simmer 5 minutes, spoonning the sauce regularly over the chicken. 

   The sauce will then start to caramelize and thicken ; when it does, remove from heat. 

   Assemble your Don if choosing to eat it this way. First, layer your rice, then add your chicken and a few broccoli pieces on top. 

   Et voilà !! You're done !

   You can use a splatter screen to prevent any mess with the chicken fat.

Keywords: home made, chicken, teriyaki, grilled, meat, rice, broccoli, comforting