Teriyaki Chicken Breasts

You can also heat equal parts of soysauce and sugar(white for thinner sauce, brown for thicker, honey for super thick sauce) with a piece or two or garlic and ginger to taste. In a pinch powders or both. You can use the marinade on any type of meat or fish. Let it marinade at least a few hours and broil untilc cooked in the oven. You can heat the marinade that is left over when you broil the meat and use it as a sauce when you finish.

You can also use equal parts soy sauce and honey for the same teriyaki taste. When I make it like that I like to fry it with ginger and turmeric, I know it’s not as “authentic” but it tastes great and is easy to make!

Yay, I finally had time to make this yesterday, and it took no time at all! Now reading the comments above, I think I actually overcooked one of my chicken breasts with the extra boil/simmer time — but I also wasn’t paying full close attention to when the fluids came back to a full boil after the chicken was placed. I think I’ll try this with dark meat next time . . . because dark meat is sooooo much better than white meat.
I loved the sauce; didn’t have sake so I used non-specific “cooking wine” from a Chinese brand. Thanks, Elise! Love your site!

I tried this recipe last week and it was delicious! I did slice my chicken breasts in half however so they would cook better on my shallow cooking pan. Also the sauce at the end didn’t turn out quite as syrupy (maybe if I let it simmer longer but we were starving.) Overall a hit and will try it again. Thank you!

Sounds delicious! How do I adjust cooking time and quantity if I want to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead?

Hi Vicki, I don’t think you will need to adjust the time or quantity if using chicken thighs, but you’ll just have to try it. Dark meat usually does take longer to cook than white meat. Try it at 20 minutes, if it isn’t cooked through, just put it back in the poaching liquid. ~Elise

This recipe looks delicious. Would it work for salmon as well? How would I need to change it if I were using, say, frozen salmon fillets about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick?

Well, first I would let the salmon fillets defrost in the refrigerator. Then salmon doesn’t take as long to cook as chicken. In our standard poached salmon recipe typically it only takes 5 minutes. So I would start with 5 minutes and then add more time if the salmon doesn’t cook through. ~Elise

This was delicious. I substituted shao-xing rice wine for the sake which worked very well. Changed the recipe, I guess, but it worked!

Just a couple of questions – is there any substitute for the sake, just this once? I’ve already settled in for the upcoming snow storm, but I’d love to make this tonight. Vodka? Bourbon? Whiskey? I’ve got all the other ingredients. Second, I assume you r referring to bonelss chicken breast, right?

Sorry, I’ve had plenty of sake and plenty of other liqueurs and there is no substitute for the sake. Definitely not vodka, bourbon or whiskey. ~Elise

This sounds great. I am wondering, though, where I can buy the mirin or what you might recommend in lieu of it, if I can’t find it…

Do you think I could add more sugar and use a cup of sake instead?

Hmm, you should be able to get mirin at a grocery store that has an international foods section, especially if it carries sake. If not, yes, substitute with sake and add more sugar. ~Elise

This looks great! Any way I could substitute honey instead of the sugar? Or would that not be a good idea?

Sure, use a one to one substitution. Note that the resulting sauce will be darker. ~Elise

Who has Mirin and Sake in their pantry?

I do, actually. So I can make teriyaki sauce, and other Asian dishes that require them. The point is that if you have a well-stocked pantry, you have the flexibility to easily put together interesting dishes. ~Elise

From your mirin link, I learned that there are 3 different types. Are they interchangeable; do they taste the same? I’m excited by the thought of making my own teriyaki . . . I can’t stand the grocery store concoctions. Thank you.

At my local grocery store I’ve only been able to find one type of mirin. The label says “Mirin, rice cooking wine”. ~Elise

There’s a whole section of my pantry that resembles a shelf in an Asian grocery store. Having authentic Asian condiments on hand makes it easy to add a simple protein (chicken, beef, tofu) and some vegetables and create a quick and easy dish that tastes like something you’d order in a restaurant.