Chicken Teriyaki

Описание: Chicken Teriyaki has become a staple for Japanese restaurants around the world. When it's done right, the savoury and sweet glaze balances the smokiness of the char-grilled chicken to perfection. In this video, we'll show you our home kitchen variation.

The roots of teriyaki sauce trace back to the early 19th century during Japan's late Edo period, at least according to the oldest written records on the topic. Way before the word "teriyaki" was even coined, folks were already concocting a glaze made from soy sauce, mirin, and sake, especially for recipes involving charcoal-baked eel.

In a classic book about Japanese cuisine, fittingly named "Japanese Cooking," the renowned chef Shizuo Tsuji laid out a simple teriyaki sauce recipe. It's a blend of seven tablespoons of dark soy sauce, seven tablespoons of mirin, seven tablespoons of sake, and a tablespoon of sugar, all simmered together in a saucepan until that sugar completely dissolves.

For me, the two ingredients that really make the teriyaki sauce are the soy sauce and the mirin. The soy sauce gives it savouriness and umami, and the mirin gives it sweetness and texture. Of course, sugar will also do the job, but I think by reducing the mirin sufficiently and using a bit of aromatic vegetables like onion, you can achieve the same result without the need to use refined sugar.

Unless I am making fish teriyaki (which I highly recommend) or plan to eat a few teriyaki meals in a row, I always prefer making the whole dish in the same pan and finishing cooking the meat in the sauce. It not only makes the whole thing easier but also allows the meat and the sauce more time to emulsify their flavours.

Ingredients
Chicken thigh - 6, boneless, skinless
Soy sauce - 100ml
Mirin - 125ml
Sake (optional) - a dash
Onion - half, thinly sliced
Ginger - 2 slices
Vegetable oil
Salt
Black pepper

Directions
1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper, err on the side of caution with salt as we will be seasoning with soy sauce later.

2. Add vegetable oil to a hot pan (induction 8). Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken thighs, forming one even layer. Sear them in batches if necessary. Do not crowd the pan.

3. Once the chicken thighs are well browned on both sides (they do not have to be fully cooked), remove them from the pan and set aside to rest.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-high (induction 7), skim off any excess fat, and add the sliced onion and ginger to the pan. Stirring frequently to prevent burning and cook until the onions are slightly browned.

5. Add the mirin and cook until the liquid has reached a syrupy texture. Add a dash of sake and cook until the alcohol has mostly evaporated. Then add the soy sauce and cook for an additional minute.

6. Add the chicken thighs back to the pan and cook, basting the chicken with the sauce frequently, until the chicken thighs are fully cooked (74°C (165.2°F) or above) and the sauce has reduced down to your desired thickness.

7. Carve the chicken thighs and pass the sauce through a sieve. You can reduce it further to a glaze if desired. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

____

Follow us on Instagram:   / w2kitchn  


#W2Kitchen #teriyaki #teriyakichicken