Easy chicken teriyaki recipe

Updated at : 23 Oct, 2026

Chicken teriyaki is a beautiful dish. It is sweet, salty, sticky and shiny. The chicken is juicy. The sauce is glossy. It looks like restaurant food but it is easy to make at home. Many people think it needs special ingredients.

They think it needs a wok. They think it takes hours. That is not true. I make chicken teriyaki at home. It takes twenty minutes. It uses simple ingredients. My family loves it. My kids ask for it every week. I will share my chicken teriyaki recipe with you. Simple steps. Simple ingredients. Perfect for dinner. Let me tell you everything.

Chicken Teriyaki Ingredients

Let me list the ingredients properly. Like I have in my kitchen.

For the chicken:

Chicken thighs. 500 grams. Boneless. Skinless.
Oil. One spoon. For cooking.

For the sauce:

Soy sauce. Three spoons.
Mirin. Two spoons.
Sake. One spoon. Or water.
Sugar. One spoon.
Garlic. Three cloves. Minced.
Ginger. One inch. Grated.

For the slurry:

Cornflour. One spoon.
Water. Two spoons.

For garnish:

Sesame seeds. One spoon.
Green onions. Two. Chopped.

These are all the chicken teriyaki ingredients. Simple. Available everywhere. You do not need special things Just these.

Ingredients for homemade chicken teriyaki including chicken thighs, soy sauce, mirin, sake, garlic, and ginger

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

This is my basic recipe. It is simple. It is quick. It is delicious.

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs. 500 grams. Boneless. Skinless.
Soy sauce. Three spoons.
Mirin. Two spoons. Or honey.
Sake. One spoon. Or water.
Sugar. One spoon.
Garlic. Three cloves. Minced.
Ginger. One inch. Grated.
Cornflour. One spoon.
Water. Two spoons.
Oil. One spoon.
Sesame seeds. For garnish.
Green onions. For garnish.

Method:

First, prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Or keep it whole. I cut it into pieces. It cooks faster. It absorbs more sauce. Pat the chicken dry. With a paper towel. Wet chicken does not brown. It steams.
Second, make the sauce. Take a small bowl. Add soy sauce. Add mirin. Add sake. Add sugar. Add garlic. Add ginger. Mix well. Keep aside.
Third, make the slurry. Mix cornflour and water in a small bowl. This thickens the sauce. Keep aside.
Fourth, cook the chicken. Heat oil in a pan. Use a large pan. The chicken should be in a single layer. Do not overcrowd. Cook on medium-high heat. For four to five minutes. Till the bottom becomes golden. Flip. Cook the other side. For four to five minutes. Till cooked through.
Fifth, add the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken. It will sizzle. It will bubble. Toss the chicken. Coat it well. Cook for two minutes. The sauce will reduce. It will become sticky.
Sixth, add the slurry. Add the cornflour mixture. Stir well. The sauce will thicken. It will become glossy. It will coat the chicken. Cook for one minute. Do not overcook. The sauce can become too thick.
Seventh, garnish. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Add chopped green onions. Serve hot.

Your chicken teriyaki recipe is ready. It takes twenty minutes. It is sweet. It is salty. It is sticky. It is perfect.

Glazing chicken with glossy thick teriyaki sauce in a frying pan

Best Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

What makes the best chicken teriyaki recipe? Let me tell you.

Use chicken thighs. Not breast. Thighs are juicy. They have more fat. They stay moist. Breast becomes dry. It becomes rubbery. So use thighs. This is the most important thing.
Use fresh ginger and garlic. Not powder. Fresh ginger gives a bright taste. Fresh garlic gives a deep taste. They make the sauce amazing.
Use good soy sauce. Not cheap soy sauce. Good soy sauce has depth. It has flavour. It is not just salty. I use Kikkoman. It is Japanese. It is good. But any good brand works.
Use mirin. Mirin is sweet rice wine. It gives the authentic taste. It gives the shine. If you do not have mirin, use honey. But mirin is better.
Do not overcook the chicken. Cook it just till done. It should be juicy. It should be tender. Overcooked chicken is dry. It is not nice.
Reduce the sauce properly. The sauce should be thick. It should coat the chicken. It should be glossy. Cook it till it reduces. Do not leave it watery.
Add the slurry. Cornflour slurry thickens the sauce. It makes it glossy. It makes it stick to the chicken. Do not skip this. It makes a big difference.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. They add crunch. They add freshness. They look beautiful.

My best chicken teriyaki recipe has all these. It is simple. It is tasty. It is perfect. My family says it is better than the restaurant one. I agree.

Japanese Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This is the Japanese way. The authentic way. The way they make it in Japan.

The Japanese method:

Japanese teriyaki is simple. It uses four things. Soy sauce. Mirin. Sake. Sugar. That is it. No garlic. No ginger. No cornflour. Just these four.
The chicken is usually grilled. Or pan-fried. Then the sauce is added. It is reduced. It becomes glossy. It coats the chicken. It is served with rice.

My Japanese version:

Take chicken thighs, score the skin, this helps the fat render. Heat a pan, do not add oil, the chicken has fat, place the chicken skin side down, cook for five minutes, the skin becomes crispy, the fat renders out, flip, cook for three minutes.

Remove the excess fat add soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, cook for two minutes, the sauce reduces, it becomes sticky, it coats the chicken, remove, slice, serve with rice, garnish with green onions, no sesame seeds, that is the Japanese way.

Why it is different:

No garlic. No ginger. No cornflour. The sauce is just soy, mirin, sake, sugar. It is simpler. It is cleaner. It is authentic. The chicken is juicy. The skin is crispy. The sauce is glossy. It is perfect.

My friend from Tokyo taught me this. She said this is how her mother made it. Simple. No fuss. Just good ingredients. I tried it. It was amazing. Now I make it this way sometimes. When I want authentic. When I want simple.

Authentic Japanese teriyaki chicken with crisp skin served over rice with green onions

Chicken Teriyaki Sauce

The sauce is the most important part. Let me tell you about it.

What is teriyaki sauce?

Teriyaki sauce is a Japanese sauce. It is made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. It is sweet. It is salty. It is glossy. It is thick. It is used for grilling. For glazing. For dipping.

How to make it:

Mix soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. That is it. The ratio is important. Two parts soy sauce. One part mirin. One part sake. Half part sugar. This is the basic ratio. You can adjust. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. If you like it saltier, add more soy sauce.

How to thicken it:

Add cornflour slurry. One spoon cornflour. Two spoons water. Mix. Add to the sauce. Cook for one minute. It thickens. It becomes glossy.

How to store it:

Keep it in a jar. In the fridge. It lasts for two weeks. Make a big batch. Use it for chicken. For fish. For vegetables. It is versatile.

Store-bought vs homemade:

Store-bought is convenient. But it has preservatives. It has too much sugar. It has too much salt. Homemade is better. You control the ingredients. You control the taste. It takes five minutes. So make it at home. It is worth it.

You May Also Read: Simple Summer Slow-Cooker Recipes: Easy Meals for Warm Days

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe Authentic

What makes it authentic? Let me tell you.

Use Japanese ingredients.

Soy sauce. Kikkoman is good. Mirin. Hon mirin is best. Sake. Cooking sake is fine. Sugar. White sugar is traditional. These are the authentic ingredients. Do not substitute too much.

Use the right method.

Japanese teriyaki is not stir-fry. It is not a saucy dish. It is grilled or pan-fried chicken. With a glaze. The glaze is thick. It is shiny. It coats the chicken. It is not a sauce you pour over rice. It is a glaze on the chicken.

Do not add garlic and ginger.

This is the biggest difference. Authentic Japanese teriyaki does not have garlic or ginger. Those are additions. They are not traditional. They are tasty. But they are not authentic. So if you want authentic, skip them.

Use chicken thighs with skin.

The skin becomes crispy. It renders fat. It adds flavour. It is the traditional way. Boneless skinless thighs are easier. But skin-on is more authentic.

Serve with plain rice.

Not fried rice. Not noodles. Plain steamed rice. Short grain rice. Like Japanese rice. It is the authentic side.

Garnish simply.

Green onions. That is it. No sesame seeds. No extra sauce. Just green onions. Simple. Clean.

My authentic chicken teriyaki recipe is simple. It is clean. It is delicious. It is the real thing.

My Mistakes

I have made mistakes. I will share them. So you do not make them.

Mistake one. Using chicken breast. It became dry. It became rubbery. It was not nice. Now I always use chicken thighs. They stay juicy. They stay tender.
Mistake two. Not drying the chicken. It was wet. It steamed. It did not brown. Now I pat it dry. With a paper towel. It browns nicely.
Mistake three. Overcrowding the pan. The chicken steamed. It did not get crispy. Now I cook in batches. Or use a big pan. Single layer only.
Mistake four. Adding too much cornflour. The sauce became too thick. It became gluey. Now I use only one spoon. It is enough.
Mistake five. Not reducing the sauce. It was watery. It did not coat the chicken. Now I cook till it reduces. Till it becomes sticky. Till it coats the chicken.
Mistake six. Adding garlic and ginger to the authentic version. It was tasty. But it was not authentic. Now I make two versions. One with garlic and ginger. One without. Depends on my mood.
Mistake seven. Not garnishing. The dish looked plain. It looked boring. Now I always garnish. Sesame seeds. Green onions. It looks beautiful.

Serving Suggestions

Chicken teriyaki is a complete meal. But you can serve it with other things.

With Rice: Steamed white rice. Japanese short grain rice. Or jasmine rice. It is the classic. The sauce mixes with the rice. It is delicious.
With Noodles: Stir-fried noodles. Or plain noodles. The chicken goes well with noodles. My kids love this.
With Vegetables: Steamed broccoli. Stir-fried beans. Roasted carrots. They add colour. They add nutrition.
With Salad: A simple green salad. Lettuce. Cucumber. Tomato. Sesame dressing. It is fresh. It is light.
In a Bowl: Rice. Chicken. Vegetables. Sauce. It is a teriyaki bowl. Like the ones you get in restaurants. But homemade.
In a Wrap: Tortilla. Chicken. Lettuce. Cucumber. Roll it. It is a teriyaki wrap. Perfect for lunch.

I serve it with rice. And steamed broccoli. It is a complete meal. It is healthy. It is tasty.

For Different Tastes

Everyone likes different things. Here is how to change the recipe.

For Spicy: Add red chilli flakes. Add Sriracha. Add chopped jalapenos. It becomes hot. My husband likes this.
For Sweet: Add more sugar. Add honey. Add pineapple juice. It becomes sweeter. My kids like this.
For Tangy: Add lemon juice. Add rice vinegar. Add lime zest. It becomes tangy.
For Garlicky: Add more garlic. Add garlic powder. It becomes very garlicky. Garlic lovers will love this.
For Indian: Add garam masala. Add turmeric. Add coriander powder. Add ginger. It becomes Indian style. Serve with roti.
For Chinese: Add hoisin sauce. Add five-spice powder. Add green onions. It becomes Chinese style.
For Thai: Add fish sauce. Add lime juice. Add basil. Add peanuts. It becomes Thai style.

Quick Tips

Here are my tips. Learned over many years.

Tip one. Use chicken thighs. Not breast. They stay juicy.
Tip two. Dry the chicken. Before cooking. It browns nicely.
Tip three. Use fresh ginger and garlic. Not powder.
Tip four. Use good soy sauce. It makes a difference.
Tip five. Use mirin. It gives the authentic taste.
Tip six. Do not overcook the chicken. Cook just till done.
Tip seven. Reduce the sauce properly. It should be thick. It should be glossy.
Tip eight. Add cornflour slurry. It thickens the sauce. It makes it shiny.
Tip nine. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
Tip ten. Serve immediately. It is best hot.

A Little Story

I remember the first time I had chicken teriyaki. I was at a Japanese restaurant. I ordered it. It came on a plate. The chicken was golden. The sauce was glossy. It looked beautiful.
I took a bite. It was sweet. It was salty. It was sticky. It was delicious. I wanted to make it at home. But I thought it was difficult. I thought it needed special ingredients.
Then my friend from Tokyo taught me. She said it is simple. Soy sauce. Mirin. Sake. Sugar. That is it. She showed me how to make it. I was amazed. It was so easy.

Now I make it every week. My family loves it. My kids ask for it. It is a healthy dinner. It is easy and quick. So do not be scared of Japanese food. It is simple. It is tasty. You just have to try.

One Last Thing

Chicken teriyaki is not difficult. It is simple. It is quick. It is delicious.
Do not be scared of Japanese food. Do not think it is only for restaurants. It is for home. It is for every day. Make it for your family. They will love it. They will ask for more. They will say it is the best.
The best chicken teriyaki is made with good ingredients. With love. With patience. Do not worry if the first one is not perfect. Keep trying. You will get it.

Common Questions

1. Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes. But thighs are better. They are juicier. They stay moist. Breast becomes dry. It becomes rubbery. If you use breast, do not overcook it. Cook it just till done.

2. Can I make teriyaki sauce without mirin?

Yes. Use honey. Or use sugar. One spoon honey for one spoon mirin. It works. But mirin is better. It gives the authentic taste.

3. Can I make teriyaki sauce without sake?

Yes. Use water. Or use chicken stock. One spoon water for one spoon sake. It works. It is fine.

4. How do I thicken teriyaki sauce?

Use cornflour slurry. One spoon cornflour. Two spoons water. Mix. Add to the sauce. Cook for one minute. It thickens. It becomes glossy.

5. Can I make teriyaki chicken in advance?

Yes. Cook it. Keep it in the fridge. For two days. Reheat gently. In a pan. Or in the microwave. The sauce becomes thick. Add a little water. It becomes saucy again.