Juicy Teriyaki Chicken Thighs are an easy weeknight dinner you can make in 20 minutes on the stovetop. Only 5 ingredients are required, and they are all pantry staples. We love serving this with freshly steamed rice and a side of vegetables.
Can't get enough of teriyaki? Try my teriyaki chicken rice bowls next!
About This Recipe
My last chicken thigh recipe did tremendously well, so I thought I'd share another one. Let's make teriyaki chicken thighs!
It took me a really long time to figure out how to do teriyaki sauce right. I've probably made it at least 20 times now, and it wasn't until recently that I finally landed on a version that I was happy with. My previous attempts always tasted a bit off. Either it was too salty, too sweet, or sometimes...just too much going on. I used to have this bad habit when I was learning to cook, where I would just keep adding ingredients until it tasted good. But now I’ve learned that sometimes, less is better.
This teriyaki chicken is dead simple. It's only 5 ingredients. The sauce is essentially brown sugar and soy sauce with a tiny bit of garlic and ginger for savory depth. To really get a good flavor out of this, you want to sear the chicken thighs first. This will release their fat into the pan, which will enhance the flavor of the sauce.
Key Ingredients
Chicken thighs: I love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this because the skin has a lot of flavor when it gets seared.
Soy sauce: I use regular (light) soy sauce. If you use low-sodium soy sauce, finish the sauce with a tiny bit of salt.
Brown sugar: You can also use white sugar, but I love the flavor of brown sugar here.
Garlic & ginger: Try to mince these as small as possible to release more flavor, or even grate them.
Oil: Because we're using the oil for searing the chicken, you'll want to use a high smoke point oil like canola or avocado.
Instructions
STEP 1: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and set aside.
STEP 2: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed.
STEP 3: Flip, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
STEP 4: Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the liquid starts to bubble, and baste it over the top of the chicken.
Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4-5 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels (this will help them crisp up) and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed. Reduce the heat to medium, flip, and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. If there is a lot of fat in the pan, you can drain some of it.
- Pour the sauce around the chicken and cook until it starts to bubble. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken and enjoy with a bowl of warm rice.
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