PProvenance
Enter
P
Japanese · Japan

Teriyaki Chicken

Authentic Japanese teriyaki is a glaze technique — not a marinade, not a sauce drizzled over cooked chicken. The word combines teri (gloss) and yaki (grill or broil) — the glossy finish on the chicken surface is the dish. The glaze of soy, mirin, sake, and sugar is applied in multiple coatings during grilling, building a lacquered surface that shines.

Serves4
Total30 min
Sourced2of 12 in BC
Cook
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

800g
chicken thighs
skin-on, boneless, cut into 5cm pieces
Your own market
Teriyaki Glaze
100ml
soy sauce
Kikkoman or artisanal shoyu
Purely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
80ml
mirin
naturally brewed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
50ml
sake
premium grade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30g
caster sugar
Your own market
3
garlic cloves
minced
Your own market
15g
fresh ginger
grated
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
10ml
rice vinegar
Your own market
5g
cornstarch slurry
mixed with 15ml water
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Garnish
30g
sesame seeds
white, toasted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30g
scallions
sliced thin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
20ml
neutral oil
vegetable or peanut
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, caster sugar, minced garlic and grated ginger in saucepan; bring to gentle simmer over medium heat.
2
Simmer glaze for 5 minutes to allow alcohol to evaporate and flavors to meld; taste and adjust sweetness or saltiness as needed.
3
Heat neutral oil in large cast-iron or carbon steel skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering; season chicken thighs with salt and Tellicherry pepper.
4
Sear chicken skin-side down for 5 minutes until golden brown and skin is rendered; flip and cook flesh side for 3 minutes until lightly colored.
5
Thicken teriyaki glaze with cornstarch slurry by whisking in slowly and simmering for 1 minute until glossy and coat-like consistency forms.
6
Pour warm teriyaki glaze over seared chicken in skillet; toss gently to coat all pieces evenly. Continue cooking for 2 minutes over medium heat, basting chicken frequently with glaze.
7
Transfer glazed chicken to warmed serving platter; garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions, drizzle with any remaining glaze, serve immediately over steamed white rice.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where teriyaki lives or dies is the glaze caramelisation — when the first coating of teriyaki hits the hot, partially-rendered skin, it should sizzle and immediately begin to darken at the edges. If it does not sizzle, the pan is too cold or the skin is not rendered enough. The sound should be a sharp crack, not a low hiss.
V

Cross-Cuisine Parallels

Korean bulgogi (soy-based marinated grilled beef
the Korean parallel, but marinated rather than glazed)
Chinese char siu (Cantonese red-glazed BBQ pork
the same multi-coat glaze technique applied during roasting)
Hawaiian huli-huli chicken (soy and pineapple glaze
the Pacific Islands interpretation).
VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Nikka From The Barrel
Nikka Whisky — Miyagikyo Distillery · Miyagikyo — Nikka Distillery
Bridge — the dish's smoke meets a smoky register in the pour; smoke speaking to smoke.
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

The whole pairing
VII

Origin & Lineage

Japan. Teriyaki as a cooking method (not a specific sauce) applies to any protein cooked with the teri-glaze technique. The term is documented in Japanese cooking from at least the 17th century. The Western-world fixation on chicken teriyaki as a specific dish is partly an American adaptation — in Japan, yellowfin tuna (kihada maguro) and mackerel (saba) are as commonly grilled with teriyaki glaze.

Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · soy sauce, fresh ginger
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