Teriyaki chicken: That addictive flavor—without the sugar

For many Westerners, the word “teriyaki” brings to mind a sugary, syrupy sauce, said Nancy Singleton Hachisu in Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McMeel). It needn’t be either. After living for years on a Japanese farm, where my husband raised our family, I’ve adapted his country version of teriyaki marinade for use with many meat dishes. It’s created by combining fresh ginger with one part soy sauce to one part mirin—a sweet Japanese cooking wine. That simple formula is all you need to infuse chicken with “that hauntingly dark and completely addicting teriyaki flavor.”

For a teriyaki sauce you might keep on hand to add to ground meats, use the same ratios as in the recipe below, but first simmer the marinade over medium heat until it reduces by half. The sauce keeps indefinitely, but use it in moderation because its flavor intensifies in the fridge.

Teriyaki chicken can easily be cooked entirely on the stove. But it’s “something special” when finished on a grill.

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Recipe of the week

Teriyaki chicken (Tori no teriyaki)

• 4 boneless chicken thighs with skin (about 22/3 pounds)*
• ½ cup hon mirin (true mirin)
• ½ cup soy sauce
• One 2-by-1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

* Bone-in chicken thighs also work, but will need to cook an extra 10 minutes.

Put the chicken thighs in a strong resealable plastic bag. Mix the mirin, soy sauce, and grated ginger in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour marinade over the chicken thighs and massage in gently to distribute it. Squeeze out the excess air, seal the bag well, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight, or at least several hours.

Heat a heavy cast-iron pan over high heat. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and sear them, skin side down, two at a time. (Don’t crowd them or create a soupy mess in the pan from excess marinade; it will just steam the meat.) After a minute or two, some oil from the skin should have rendered and any excess marinade should have bubbled out. Turn the thighs and sear for a minute. When all four are seared, return first two to pan skin side up, lower the heat, cover, and cook 6 more minutes on low heat.

Uncover, flip the chicken back onto the skin side, wipe the accumulated condensation from inside of the lid, re-cover, and cook 6 more minutes.

At this point you can let the meat rest a short time before finishing cooking it, either over a low-ember barbecue or in an uncovered cast-iron pan over medium heat. Give the chicken about 3 more minutes per side in the pan or about 6 on the barbecue, depending on the heat. The skin has a tendency to burn, so be careful.

Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Serves 6.