Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Tender, moist, delicious teriyaki chicken with boneless chicken thighs and an easy homemade teriyaki that takes just minutes. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables, for an easy weeknight dinner. For wheat-free, gluten-free, use low-sodium tamari to replace soy sauce.
Servings: 6 (or 4 really big appetites)
Calories: 266kcal
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce Recipe (Yield 12 ounces)
- ¾ cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce tamari is gluten-free
- ½ cup Mirin See notes below
- 2-3 tablespoons dry sake optional, buy a small bottle
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar or monk fruit
- 1 ½ tablespoon cold water to make a slurry
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1-2 garlic cloves finely chopped or zested
- 1-2 teaspoons finely grated ginger or jar puree
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of extra fat
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions for garnsh optional
Instructions
Make the Teriyaki Sauce
- Combine tamari (or soy sauce), mirin, brown sugar, sake, ginger, garlic in a small (2 quart) sauce pan and place on the stovetop. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. While its heating, make a slurry by adding the cornstarch to the water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. When the teriyaki is at a simmer, whisk in the slurry, turn the heat down if needed, and cook for 1-2 minutes to allow it to thicken and get rid of any raw starch taste.
- Pour the cooked teriyaki sauce through a fine strainer into a large glass jar or measuring cup. Discard the bits of garlic and ginger. Place the jar in an ice bath to cool the hot sauce for immediate use or refrigeration if making ahead of time.
Marinate the Chicken Thighs
- Add the chicken thighs to either a flat casserole dish or a ziploc bag and pour in ½ cup to ¾ cup of the cooled teriyaki sauce, turning the chicken over to coat it. Marinate for 1 hour on the counter at room temperature or for longer, up to overnight, marinate in the refrigerator.
Bake the Chicken Thighs
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F and position an oven rack on the second level down from the top. Line a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet size) with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and lay flat, in a single layer, on the foil (top side up). Discard teriyaki from marinating raw chicken.
- Lay the chicken thighs top side up on the baking tray and bake 12 minutes, then turn on the broiler to finish and brown the teriyaki chicken thighs. Brush or drizzle with a little extra sauce if desired. Watch the chicken as the sugar in the sauce can burn if left too long. They are relatively thin so they cook quickly. Thighs should reach internal temperature of 165°.
- To serve, slice the chicken on the longer side into about ½" pieces. Place on a platter, drizzle with more sauce and serve.
Notes
**Nutrition calculation: Because you don't consume the entire batch of teriyaki, it is hard to get accurate numbers per serving. The chicken provides 29 grams of protein and 6 grams fat per serving (6).
The teriyaki sauce is as follows per ounce (2 tablespoons): 687mg sodium, 5mg sugar, 9 grams carbs, 1 gram protein, 64 mg potassium, 43 kcals.
Tamari is gluten-free, wheat-free soy sauce. I buy San-J 25% or 50% Low Sodium Tamari, and it's non-GMO. For no soy, use their No-Soy Tamari, it's delicious.
Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine fermented from rice. Be sure to read labels when you buy it and skip the fake stuff with corn syrup. For mirin, I buy only Eden Foods brand.
Variations:
For honey teriyaki: add 1 tablespoon mild honey, to taste, or sub for the brown sugar.
For sesame teriyaki: add a tablespoons or 2 of toasted sesame oil with the teriyaki mixture before cooking.
For grain-free: use arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.
Nutrition
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 1509mg | Potassium: 500mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg