Rice & Fried Rice · Japanese home cooking
Teriyaki Chicken Rice
Chicken thighs sear in a dry-hot pan, then glaze with soy, mirin and sugar until the skin turns lacquered. Spoon the slices and their glossy sauce over short-grain rice.
About this dish
The pan gives a sharp hiss when chicken skin touches it, and within a minute the kitchen smells of browning fat and warm soy. Teriyaki is a glaze you build in that same pan, reducing until it clings, not a sauce poured on at the end. Short-grain rice underneath catches the runoff, so each bite turns salty, faintly sweet and sticky. Keep the heat moderate; a fierce flame scorches the sugar before the meat is ready. The finished plate should look dark amber and glossy.
Before you start
Equipment: Skillet, Rice cooker, Pot. Tap the ingredient checkboxes as you go.
Method
6 steps · tick each one off as you finish it.
Start the rice
Rinse 200 g rice under cold water for 2 minutes until the runoff turns clear, then tip it into a rice cooker with 240 ml water and hold on a gentle simmer for 18 minutes, covered, until the grains look plump and dry.
Season and sear the chicken
Pat 320 g chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Warm 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then lay the thighs skin-side down and leave them for 6 minutes until the skin turns deep gold and releases easily.
Flip and finish the meat
Turn the chicken and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the thickest part feels firm and the juices run clear, then transfer to a board and let it rest for 3 minutes while you build the glaze in the same pan.
Reduce the glaze
Pour 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp ginger into the skillet over low heat and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring, until the liquid thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and smells faintly caramelised.
Glaze the sliced chicken
Slice the rested chicken into 2 cm strips, return them to the skillet over medium heat and turn for 2 minutes until each piece is lacquered and the sauce bubbles thickly, then scatter in 1 tsp sesame seeds and toss once.
Assemble the bowls
Fluff the rice, divide it between 2 warm bowls and fan the chicken on top. Keep the glaze over low heat, spoon 2 tbsp across each portion, add 30 g scallions and serve within 3 minutes, when the lacquer still gleams.
Tips that matter
- Patting the skin completely dry is the difference between a lacquered crust and a steamed, flabby one; give it a full minute under a clean towel.
- If the glaze turns grainy, the sugar crystallised; add 1 tbsp water and warm it over low heat for 30 seconds, stirring, until it smooths out again.
Easy variations
- Swap the chicken for 300 g firm tofu slabs, seared the same way, and add 1 tsp sesame oil to the glaze.
- Stir 1 tsp chilli paste into the finished sauce and finish with toasted sesame instead of scallions for a hotter bowl.
Questions that come up
My teriyaki glaze scorched and tastes bitter. What went wrong?
The heat was too high once the sugar went in. Build the sauce over low heat and pull the pan off the burner the moment it coats a spoon; sugar moves from caramel to burnt in under 30 seconds.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes, but breast dries out faster. Sear it 4 minutes per side over medium heat and add 1 tbsp extra mirin to the glaze so the slices stay moist.
Nutrition, roughly
| Energy | 610 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 34 g |
| Carbohydrate | 72 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
Estimated per serving from standard ingredients, rounded. Treat it as a guide, not clinical data.
Rice, Water and Heat: A Ratio Field Guide
Why one cup of rice does not always want one cup of water, and how to tell a cooked pot from a steamed one before you lift the lid.
