Japanese🥩 Meat

Seattle-Style Chicken Teriyaki

Name: Seattle-Style Chicken Teriyaki
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 cup sake; 1 cup mirin; 1 cup soy sauce; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 chunk carrot; 2 garlic cloves; 2 slices ginger slices; ~1 tbsp minced garlic; ~1 tbsp minced ginger; 1 splash vinegar; 2 tbsp cornstarch; ~2-3 tbsp water; ~1.5-2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs; ~2 cups rice; ~½ iceberg lettuce; a pinch shredded carrot; a pinch red cabbage; 2 parts Japanese mayonnaise; 1 part rice vinegar; to taste black pepper; 1 part white sugar

⏱ 90 min

This Seattle-style chicken teriyaki blends the essence of traditional Japanese teriyaki sauce with distinctive Seattle characteristics. The sauce is made from sake, mirin, soy sauce, and brown sugar, enhanced with ginger and garlic, then thickened with cornstarch. The chicken marinates before being grilled until charred, then served with rice, an iceberg lettuce salad, and a sweet mayonnaise-based dressing.

Adapted from a video by J. Kenji López-Alt

Making Seattle-Style Chicken Teriyaki

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

sake1 cup
mirin1 cup
soy sauce1 cup
brown sugar½ cup
carrotrough piece, removed before finishing1 chunk
garlic cloveswhole, removed before finishing2
ginger sliceswhole, removed before finishing2 slices
minced garlicto taste~1 tbspest.
minced ginger

Steps

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1
Combine 1 cup each of sake, mirin, and soy sauce in a pot, then add 1/2 cup brown sugar.
2
Place the pot on heat and add a chunk of carrot, 2 whole garlic cloves, and 2 ginger slices.
3
Add minced garlic and minced ginger, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced.
4
Add a tiny splash of vinegar to balance the flavors.
5
Dissolve cornstarch in cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the simmering sauce until thickened and glossy.
6
Reserve a few spoonfuls of the teriyaki sauce and marinate the chicken thighs in it for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
7
Prepare the salad dressing by mixing 2 parts Japanese mayonnaise, 1 part rice vinegar, plenty of black pepper, and 1 part white sugar until the sugar dissolves.
8
Prepare the salad by chopping iceberg lettuce into roughly 1.5 inch squares and toss with shredded carrot and red cabbage.
9
Preheat the grill to high heat and wipe it with oil twice to season the grates.
10
Place the marinated chicken on the grill skin-side down and cook until nicely charred on the first side.
11
Flip the chicken and brush with teriyaki sauce multiple times as it finishes cooking until the internal temperature reaches 175°F and the surface is glossy and caramelized.
12
Plate in traditional Seattle style: start with rice, add salad on the side, and arrange the sliced chicken on top. Cut the chicken at an angle across the grain to maximize tenderness.
13
Drizzle the salad dressing on the salad and brush additional teriyaki sauce over the chicken.

Seattle-Style Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients

Steps

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