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Plated teriyaki chicken breast over steamed rice with baby bok choy and sliced green onions, styled with chopsticks and pink linen.

Best Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This Best Teriyaki Chicken Recipe is your go-to for sweet, savory, and satisfying weeknight meals. The chicken can be marinated for a deeper flavor or cooked straight in the pan. It’s seared until golden and crisp, then glazed in a rich, glossy sauce made with authentic Japanese ingredients. Serve it with rice, vegetables, or noodles for a restaurant-worthy meal in about 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Chicken, Chicken and Poultry, Chicken Dishes, Dinner, Dinner Mains, Main Course, Meat Mains
Cuisine American, Japanese
Servings 6 people
Calories 286 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or thighs (skin-on or skinless, any combination)
  • 2 tbs neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado, canola, or vegetable)
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1-inch piece piece ginger, peeled and finely minced
  • 6 green onions, cut into 2-inch strips (reserve some for garnish)
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 1/4 cup sake
  • 2 tbs cane sugar

Instructions
 

  • Optional (Marinate): For added depth, marinate the chicken overnight in the garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Save the marinade to use as the sauce base.
    Blue cutting board displaying sliced green onions, smashed garlic cloves, and peeled ginger with a Microplane, silver spoon, and pink linen in the shot.
  • For both methods, pat the chicken dry and then season with salt. Dry chicken sears best.
    Hand seasoning chicken breasts and thighs with salt, arranged on a blue plate, styled with green onions and pink linen in the background.
  • Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add oil and let it get hot (about 2 minutes). Place chicken in the pan—skin-side down (or smooth-side down for skinless). Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until a golden crust forms.
    Seared chicken breasts and thighs in a sauté pan, with sliced green onions on a blue cutting board and pink linen in the background.
  • Reduce heat to low. Flip the chicken and add the smashed garlic cloves along with the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Using whole garlic cloves prevents burning and gently infuses the sauce as it simmers. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through—about 7 minutes for thighs, 10–12 minutes for breasts. Baste the chicken 2–3 times during cooking.
    Adding green onions to a sauté pan of seared chicken, along with smashed garlic and minced ginger, soy sauce, and other sauce ingredients, and basting chicken.
  • Transfer the chicken to a plate and increase heat to high. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 5 minutes, until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
    Thickened teriyaki sauce in a sauté pan, with a silver spoon run through it and coating the back of the spoon to show the consistency of it being "nappant".
  • Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the glaze evenly over the top, coating both sides with the sauce. You can leave the garlic cloves in the glaze for extra flavor or remove them before serving for a smoother finish. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately.
    Tongs glazing chicken in a sauté pan with thickened teriyaki sauce, ensuring a glossy and flavorful coating.

Notes

  • Sake Substitute: Use dry sherry, Chinese rice wine, or unsalted chicken broth.  
  • Mirin Substitute: Mix dry sherry or white wine with ½–1 tsp sugar per tablespoon.  
  • Internal Temperature: Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temp of 165°F.  
  • Serving Tip: Slice the chicken and fan it out on a platter for a beautiful presentation. Spoon extra glaze over the top before serving.  
  • Make-Ahead Tip: The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Reheat gently before glazing.

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 34gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 793mgPotassium: 629mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 165IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg