Description
Grilled teriyaki chicken brings the sunny flavors of Hawaii right to your backyard grill. Marinated in a tangy sauce and charred to juicy perfection, this chicken will transport your taste buds to a tropical paradise.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 3 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs
Sauces and Seasonings:
- 1 ½ cups soy sauce or tamari sauce
- ¾ cups mirin
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sweeteners and Aromatics:
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- ¾ cups brown sugar
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
Garnish:
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 ½ cups soy sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Incorporate white sugar, brown sugar, mirin, minced garlic, grated ginger, and black pepper into the mixture. Set the sauce aside.
- Pat your chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat from each piece. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound until each thigh reaches ½ inch thickness.
- Pierce the chicken thoroughly with a fork to help marinade penetrate. Transfer chicken to a large container. Pour marinade over the meat, ensuring complete coverage. Refrigerate overnight, flipping chicken midway through marination.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator 1 hour before grilling. Preheat grill to smoking hot temperature. Discard used marinade and place chicken on grill at medium-high heat, cooking approximately 5 minutes per side.
- During grilling, simmer remaining sauce in a saucepan for 1 minute, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly. Adjust sweetness with additional sugar if desired.
- Slice grilled chicken into strips. Arrange over rice or preferred base. Drizzle with warm teriyaki sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce and prevents lumpy texture, so whisk it carefully into the soy sauce first.
- Pounding chicken evenly ensures quick, consistent cooking and helps the marinade penetrate deeper into the meat.
- Marinating overnight allows maximum flavor absorption, but never reuse marinade that has touched raw chicken to prevent bacterial contamination.
- For gluten-free adaptation, replace regular soy sauce with tamari and double-check all other sauce ingredients for gluten content.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 490 kcal
- Sugar: 60 g
- Sodium: 1800 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 65 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg