To quote my friend Jenn, this post is truly all about the sauce. The chicken is delicious, but the star here is the teriyaki sauce.
What is Teriyaki Sauce?
Teriyaki sauce is a sweet and salty sauce used in Japanese dishes as a glaze, marinade, and cooking sauce for meat, fish, and veggies.
Teriyaki sauce leaves a beautiful sticky glaze on whatever you cook with it – making it ideal for tender morsels of chicken. The salty savory soy sauce coupled with rich brown sugar and spicy ground ginger give this sauce a taste and texture that’s hands down better than anything you can bring home in a bottle from the grocery store. Another key (not so secret) ingredient in this teriyaki sauce is Hoisin Sauce. Hoisin sauce contains soy, red chiles, sugar, vinegar, and garlic and is thick in texture. It brings a depth of flavor to this teriyaki sauce that’s so good I doubt I’ll ever make another teriyaki sauce again. If my friend Jenn ever writes a sauce cookbook, I will be first in line to buy it. Her teriyaki sauce is perfect. It is the best teriyaki sauce I’ve ever tasted.
How to Make Teriyaki Sauce
Sure, you can buy a jar at the grocery store. And in a pinch, it will work just fine. But once you’ve tried homemade? You might never want to buy it again. Making teriyaki sauce at home is as simple as whisking a few ingredients in a saucepan and heating it all until thickened and warmed through. In this recipe, I make the sauce first then add it to cooked chicken. Some recipes also call for the sauce to be used to deglaze a pan at the end of cooking the meat. This works well that way too. I’ve made this simple chicken dinner more times than I can count in the past ten years. It’s a wonderfully easy dinner that everyone in my family enjoys. Serve it with rice and veggies any night of the week or, if you’re in the mood for a full Japanese spread, alongside some Tempura Shishito Peppers or sushi.
Teriyaki Hoisin Sauce
In a small saucepan, whisk together soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, sesame oil, garlic powder, and water until well combined. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer just until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Are you as excited about this sauce as I am yet? If you can’t get enough teriyaki in your life then oh boy have I got some more recipes you need to try. Teriyaki Glazed Salmon with Pineapple Salsa is a light and satisfying meal that’s perfect for summer. When I’m after a quick weeknight dinner I know I can’t go wrong with Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple served over rice. While not technically teriyaki, Sweet and Sour Ham Balls Stir-Fry is a similarly flavored meal that I made upon hearing my friend Rebecca describe it in all its sweet, sour, savory glory. I tried it and couldn’t believe how wonderful it tasted. Cook’s Note: The recipe below makes a small amount of sauce. It’s plenty for this recipe, but I often double it if I want to have extra. Any leftover sauce will keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge, so it’s a great condiment to have in the fridge for a lightning fast dinner option. {originally published 11/28/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/3/21}
