Chicken Teriyaki · Skillet
Skillet Chicken Teriyaki
Screen stays on while you cook
Before you start
Gather your ingredients
Swaps for soy sauce
Instead of soy sauce
- Tamari: The same amount. Richer and a little less salty.
- Coconut aminos: The same amount, plus a pinch of salt. Sweeter and much less salty.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Swaps for sugar
Instead of sugar
- Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
- Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
- Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.
Swaps for fresh ginger
Instead of ginger
- Ground ginger: ¼ tsp ground for each 1 tbsp grated fresh. Warmer and less bright, with no zing.
- Ginger paste (jar or tube): The same amount. Close; slightly salty or sour from preservatives.
Swaps for boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instead of chicken breasts or thighs
- Chicken breasts: The same weight. Leaner and milder; cooks faster and dries out sooner.
- Extra-firm tofu or chickpeas: About the same weight of pressed tofu, or 1½ cups chickpeas per ½ lb chicken. A different dish, but it takes the same seasoning well.
More for chicken breasts or thighs
Cook all chicken to 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, checked with a thermometer.
Swaps for vegetable oil
Instead of vegetable oil
- Another neutral oil: The same amount. No difference.
- Melted butter: The same amount. Richer, buttery flavor; cakes are a little less moist and firmer once cool.
- Light olive oil: The same amount. "Light" olive oil tastes mild.
Swaps for green onions
Instead of green onions
- Chives: The same amount, for the green tops. Milder and more delicate, without crunch.
- Shallot or red onion: Half as much, chopped fine, for the white parts. Stronger; best cooked or soaked in cold water first.
- Leeks: The same amount, sliced thin. Milder and better cooked than raw.
Step 1 of 10
Stir the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and ginger together in a measuring cup until the sugar dissolves.
Step 2 of 10
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Open each thigh flat so it cooks evenly.
Step 3 of 10
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
Step 4 of 10
Lay the chicken in smooth side down and cook without moving until well browned.
Step 5 of 10
Flip and cook until the second side is browned.
Step 6 of 10
Turn off the heat. Fold a paper towel, hold it with tongs and blot up most of the fat in the pan.
Step 7 of 10
Turn the heat to medium and pour in the sauce. It will bubble right away.
Step 8 of 10
Simmer (how to simmer)
Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoidreduces to a sticky glaze (how to glaze)
Glaze Coat food with a thin, shiny layer: a reduced sauce on meat or vegetables, or a sugar icing on baked goods. 1. For meat, brush the glaze on in the last 10 to 20 minutes so the sugar doesn't burn.2. Add a second coat a few minutes later for more shine.3. For a stovetop glaze, simmer the sauce until it is syrupy and toss the food in it.4. For cakes, pour a thick-but-pourable sugar glaze over a cooled cake and let it set. Done when: The surface is glossy and sticky and the glaze clings instead of running off. Safety: Keep a brush that touched raw meat out of the glaze you serve; set some aside first.How to glaze meat and baked goods: mistakes to avoid165°F
Step 9 of 10
Move the chicken to a cutting board, 2 minutes, then it into strips.
rest (how to rest)
Rest Leave cooked meat, baked goods or dough alone for a while before you cut, slice or shape it. 1. Move meat to a board or plate as soon as it is done (a few degrees shy of target for big roasts; it keeps rising).2. Tent it loosely with foil if the kitchen is cool.3. Rest steaks and chops 5 minutes, roasts 15 to 20, a turkey 30.4. For dough, cover it so it doesn't dry out while it relaxes. Done when: Meat juices stay in when you slice; dough rolls out without springing back. Safety: Rest at room temperature for under an hour, then refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.How to rest meat and dough: mistakes to avoidslice (how to slice)
Slice Cut food into flat pieces of the same thickness. 1. Give round food a flat side to sit on.2. Hold it with your fingertips curled under.3. Cut with long strokes, pushing the knife forward and down rather than straight down.4. Move your guiding hand back the same distance each time so every slice matches. Done when: The slices are even. For meat, slicing across the grain (across the lines of muscle) gives the tenderest bite. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide. Slice hot roasts on a board with a groove for the juices.How to slice evenly: mistakes to avoidStep 10 of 10
Serve over rice, spooned with any glaze left in the pan and sprinkled with sesame seeds and green onions.
All done
Enjoy!
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