Name: Stovetop Chicken Teriyaki
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: JapaneseAsia
Ingredients: 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 5 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and skin; Ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons mirin; 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger; 1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon); 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Why This Recipe Works

For a straightforward chicken teriyaki recipe that would deliver a crisp, moist, sweet, and salty glazed chicken, we decided against using breast meat, since it couldn’t stand up to the salty profile of the teriyaki sauce. We gained back some of the time spent boning the chicken thighs by determining that we didn't need to marinate or simmer them—we could get equally good results by spooning sauce onto lightly salted-and-peppered browned thighs just before serving. We also tried to be efficient by using bottled teriyaki sauce in our chicken teriyaki recipe, but our tasters felt that none of the brands we sampled had the bright taste and balance of our homemade version. But since ours took only 5 minutes to make, this was an easy trade-off.

Before You Begin

Mirin, a sweet Japanese rice wine, is a key component of teriyaki; it can be found with other Japanese ingredients at most major supermarkets and in Japanese markets. If you cannot find it, use 2 tablespoons of white wine and an extra teaspoon of sugar. If desired, low-sodium soy sauce can be used in place of regular soy sauce. Serve with steamed rice, preferably short grain.

Instructions

Pat chicken dry chicken with paper towels, then season with pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Place chicken skin side down in skillet; set heavy pot filled with three or four 28-ounce cans on top of chicken. Cook until skin is deep brown and very crisp, 16 to 20 minutes, checking browning after 10 minutes and adjusting heat as needed. Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch together in small bowl.

Remove cans from skillet; using tongs, flip chicken thighs. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, without weight, until second sides are brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of thigh (not touching bone) registers about 175 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to serving platter.

Pour off fat from skillet. Whisk soy mixture to recombine, then add to skillet; bring to simmer over medium heat. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet; turn to coat chicken with sauce. Turn chicken skin side up and simmer until sauce is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to serving platter; transfer sauce to small bowl and serve, passing sauce separately.