This is how to make juicy teriyaki with a crispy surface and overflowing gravy the moment you cut it. The method introduced this time is a method that can be made delicious for anyone without being cooked or burned, so please give it a try.
Ingredient (for one person)
- Chicken thigh：One piece (approx. 250g)
- Salt, pepper: a little each (pre-treated)
Teriyaki sauce (A)
- Japan sake: 2 tablespoons
- Dark soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Mirin: 2 tablespoons
- Medium zara sugar: 1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce: 1 tsp
- Grated garlic: 1 tsp
- Sake lees: 1 tsp
- Douban soy sauce: 1 tsp
- Sweet noodle sauce: 1 tsp
For the teriyaki sauce I made this time, I added oyster sauce, garlic, sake lees, bean sauce, and sweet noodle sauce to give it a bit of an accent.
Remember that the golden ratio for teriyaki sauce is 2 parts sake, 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar.
How to cook
The “chicken thigh teriyaki” made this time is cooked at a low temperature and then the surface is baked, so there is no failure, and the surface is crispy and the gravy overflows the moment you cut it.
If you don’t have a low-temperature cooker, you can substitute it by soaking it in hot water for about 15 minutes. In addition, the low-temperature cooker is introduced in this article (Japanese article), so please refer to it.
[Preparation] Marinate chicken thighs in teriyaki sauce
You can cook it in one day from preparation to baking, but it is better to soak it in the sauce overnight so that the taste becomes familiar and it tastes delicious.
1. Chicken thighs preparation
- Remove the chicken thighs from the pack and wipe them dry with kitchen paper.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt all over and leave in the refrigerator for a while. (During this time, I will make the teriyaki sauce)
- Salt has the effect of solidifying proteins, so make sure to blend a small amount all over to tighten the surface of the meat.
- Chicken sold in packs has a lot of moisture, so even if you don’t cook it right away, be sure to wipe off the drip with kitchen paper before storing.
- The shelf life of chicken is 2 days when refrigerated.
2.Marinate chicken thighs in teriyaki sauce
- Put the teriyaki sauce (A) in a saucepan and heat over low heat.
- When the sugar (medium zara sugar) dissolves and the whole is mixed, turn off the heat and let it cool.
- When the temperature of the teriyaki sauce reaches room temperature, put the chicken thighs and sauce in a Ziploc bag and store it in the refrigerator overnight. (I also use the sauce when baking, so I try to leave a little)
Add sauce (A)
heat the sauce
Cool the sauce
Marinate chicken thighs in sauce
- Do not boil the sauce: Boiling will cause the seasoning to oxidize or burn, so adjust the temperature to just before boiling.
- Boil down the sauce: The more slowly you remove the moisture at a low temperature, the darker the sauce will be, so adjust it according to your preference. Also, at this point, it is recommended to taste and adjust the taste to your liking.
[Heat cooking] Low temperature cooking and grilling of chicken thighs
Chicken thighs that have been soaked in teriyaki sauce overnight can be grilled as they are to become “chicken thigh teriyaki”, but it takes a lot of skill to bake like a professional.
On the other hand, low-temperature cooking allows you to cook the meat slowly to the center at a constant temperature, resulting in a juicy finish. All that’s left to do is crisp the surface, so you can easily bake it in a ply pan or toaster oven.
1. Cook chicken thighs at a low temperature
- Set the temperature of the low-temperature cooker to 65°C and the cooking time to 30 minutes.
- When the temperature of the water reaches 65°C, soak the chicken thighs that have been soaked in the sauce overnight with the Ziploc in hot water.
- When low-temperature cooking is complete (after 30 minutes), remove from the ziploc and drain.
- Put the chicken thighs on a steak plate and sprinkle with the teriyaki sauce that you left.
- Bake in the oven microwave over high heat (about 1200W) for about 15 minutes.
bake in the oven
[Completed] Chicken thigh teriyaki
- Throw away the Ziploc that has been cooked at low temperatures, as a lot of excess meat fat will accumulate.
- When baking in the oven microwave, it will be even more fragrant if you bake it while applying teriyaki sauce to the surface of the chicken thighs.
If you don’t have a low-temperature cooker
The purpose of cooking in a low-temperature cooker before baking is to keep the meat cooked to the center of the meat, so an induction cooker with a heat preservation function can be used instead.
The heat retention function of the induction cooker is about 90°C, so if you soak the chicken thighs in a Ziploc for about 15 minutes, it will be cooked to the inside.
This method cooks the meat to the inside at a low temperature without burning the surface, so the gravy accumulates in the meat and makes it plump and juicy. It is a great way to prepare not only teriyaki, but also fried chicken.