Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli

Faster than takeout, delicious Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli stir fry. The Teriyaki Sauce recipe needs easy to find pantry ingredients and just 10 mins of prep. It is a takeout dinner that you can prepare at home faster and better than favorite restaurant. Especially since my teriyaki sauce recipe uses pantry ingredients.. You don't need market trip to enjoy this bowl of Teriyaki and Rice tonight!

Let's cook some Chicken Teriyaki!

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken is derived from words "teri" means shine and "yaki" means broil. No wonder, all Teriyaki Chicken dishes shine and glisten with caramelized pan-seared or grilled chicken, slathered in sweet and savory Teriyaki Sauce. 

I did not grow up eating Teriyaki but since long we have loved everything Teriyaki :). By-far, these simple dishes are more common in our home than some other elaborate Indian foods. Specially because stir-fries come together quickly, make a delicious lunch or quick dinner option, and above all these feed my love of making all restaurant favorites at home. 

About the Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce is the heart of a good Teriyaki Chicken recipe.

The Teriyaki Chicken recipe I'm sharing today is what we've been eating in US restaurants from many years. It is a western version of Teriyaki Chicken with touch of garlic, low-sodium soy sauce and with healthy touch of vegetables such crunchy broccoli and/or bell peppers. 

Teriyaki Chicken and Sauce Ingredients

To make authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce from scratch, you need two special ingredients - Mirin and Sake. Mirin is Japanese Cooking Wine which is slightly sweet. Sake is alcoholic beverage made with ferment rice. Sake is not a wine, it is a beer.

Over the years cooking Teriyaki for family, I have learned to substitute Sake and Mirin with right portions of easy-to-find pantry ingredients. This saves me a Asian Market Trip whenever when I'm cooking teriyaki at moment's notice.

Mirin and Sake both can be substituted with dry sherry, white wine, or rice vinegar or combination of any two. My favorite are White Wine and Rice Vinegar. Since mirin is sweeter, when using rice vinegar or white wine, add extra 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to compensate for sweetness.

Quick and economical as well! Did you know, a 250ml bottle of good quality Mirin costs $9+.

TIP: Teriyaki Sauce recipe doubles easily. Make extra to server over rice!

Note: If you want to make Teriyaki Chicken in authentic Japanese style, I have listed ingredient substitutes, Sake and Mirin and few more changes, in Recipe Card notes. 

Prepare Chicken for Teriyaki Chicken

Since Teriyaki Chicken is a simple recipe.. it is very important to use right type and cut of chicken. I prefer to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cubed. Chicken Thighs stay moist and juicy when exposed to high cooking heat such as of an Asian wok or grill. You can use cubed Chicken Breast but it dries out very quickly.

However, you can use same sauce and pan-sear full chicken breasts. Make sure chicken breast are full cooked. Ensure fully cooked chicken by checking the internal temperature on thickest part of the breast to register 175 degrees Fahrenheit. If using halved (butterflied) chicken breast, pound it to even the thickness for even cooking (no dry edges).

How to Make Teriyaki Chicken?

Teriyaki Chicken is also my favorite because you don't need to marinate the chicken. Everything is quick. Chicken cooks in sauce and picks up so much flavor. It's the best! Juicy, moist and delicious without marinade. In my home, this makes it our favorite quick weeknight dinner.

I make Teriyaki Chicken in 4 simple steps:

1. Mix the Teriyaki Sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Dice chicken.
2. Heat wok, sauté chicken with garlic and seasonings.
3. Add Teriyaki Sauce mix and simmer until sauce thickens. Sauce will be thick and glistening, and chicken fully cooked.
4. Mix in broccoli. Either slightly steamed or cover with chicken for 1 minute for a steam bath.

That's it! Teriyaki Chicken is ready to hit the dinner table. Boil some rice on the side while cooking stir-fry for a complete meal in about 20 minutes.

What to serve with Teriyaki Chicken?

Broccoli and Rice are our all time favorite sides with Teriyaki Chicken. I often also serve following as side dishes with Teriyaki:

1. Noodles -  Lightly tossed with sesame oil. You can also serve Soba Noodles Mushroom Stir Fry Noodles on the side from my Teriyaki Salmon with Noodles recipe. Or Ramen Noodles with Peanut Dressing also works well.
2. Rice - Boiled or Steamed. Use Brown Rice for more fiber-rich rice.
3. Vegetable Salad - A lite salad complements the sweet and savory Teriyaki Chicken. I recommend Asian Cucumber Salad.
4. Vegetable Stir Fry - Try these Cauliflower  Kimchi Fried Rice for healthy meal at home!

I'm certain you have all ingredients you need in pantry. Delicious Teriyaki Chicken, better and faster than a takeout. Make some today and enjoy.

Stay Safe and Happy Cooking! -Savita