Teriyaki Chicken (鶏の照り焼き) – Glazed Chicken from the Pan

For teriyaki chicken, you pan-fry skin-on chicken thighs until the skin is crisp. Then you reduce the sauce of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar right in the pan until it clings to the meat as a glossy glaze. With rice, sesame and scallions, you have dinner for two in 35 minutes.

By Laura Chen· October 27, 2026

35 Mintotal

2servings

790kcal

JapaneseCuisine ›

Jump to recipe

Thighs stay juicier than breast and can handle the strong heat in the pan. Buy them boneless or take out the bone yourself, so the pieces lie flat and cook in the same time.

If you cook teriyaki often, make the teriyaki sauce in advance. The same glaze goes with yakitori. Instead of rice in a bowl, you can shape onigiri, and as a second Japanese chicken dish, karaage is worth trying.

Teriyaki Chicken (鶏の照り焼き) – Glazed Chicken from the Pan

Name: Teriyaki Chicken (鶏の照り焼き) – Glazed Chicken from the Pan
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 500 g boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (4 pieces); 1 pinch salt; 1 tsp vegetable oil; 3 tbsp soy sauce (Japanese shoyu); 3 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine for cooking); 3 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine); 1 tbsp sugar (12 g); 150 g japonica rice or sushi rice; 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds; 1 scallion, in thin rings

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

10 minutes

Cook time

25 minutes

Calories

790

Cuisine

Japanese

Ingredients

For the chicken:

500 g boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (4 pieces)
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vegetable oil

For the teriyaki sauce:

3 tbsp soy sauce (Japanese shoyu)
3 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine for cooking)
3 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine)
1 tbsp sugar (12 g)

For serving:

150 g japonica rice or sushi rice
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 scallion, in thin rings

Instructions

Wash the rice until the water stays clear and cook it according to the package instructions. With resting time, it takes about 25 minutes.
Pat the thighs dry and prick the skin several times with a fork. Cut shallow slits into thick parts of the meat so all pieces are the same thickness, and salt the meat side.
Stir the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar together in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Lay the thighs in skin side down and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crisp.
Turn the thighs and fry the meat side for 4 to 5 minutes. Blot the rendered fat out of the pan with paper towels.
Pour in the sauce and reduce it over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the meat several times, until the sauce is syrupy and the meat is glossy.
Check at the thickest point that the meat has reached 74 °C (165 °F). Let it rest for 2 minutes and cut it into finger-wide strips.
Divide the rice between two bowls, lay the chicken on top and pour the remaining glaze over it. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.

Reviews

No reviews yet. Did you cook this recipe? Tell us how it turned out.

More recipes: Japanese recipes · All Asian recipes

Image: AI-generated.

Teriyaki Chicken (鶏の照り焼き) – Glazed Chicken from the Pan

Ingredients

For the chicken:

For the teriyaki sauce:

For serving:

Instructions

Reviews

Rate this recipe

New recipes by email