Chicken Teriyaki, Morimoto-Style

Pan-seared chicken thighs glazed in a glossy homemade teriyaki sauce of soy, sake, mirin and sugar.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup sake
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Steamed white rice, for serving

Directions

1. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by about a third and slightly syrupy, 8 to 10 minutes; set the teriyaki sauce aside.
2. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with salt.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and lay the thighs skin-side down, pressing flat, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp, about 6 minutes.
4. Flip and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
5. Pour off excess fat, add the teriyaki sauce to the pan and turn the chicken to coat, simmering until the glaze clings and shines, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Slice the chicken, spoon over extra glaze, and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds; serve over rice.

Notes

A home-kitchen version of teriyaki as taught by Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who makes the sauce from scratch rather than from a bottle.