00:00Forget the bottle of sauce, today we're making Japanese teriyaki chicken completely from scratch in
00:0420 minutes and not just one style too. A classic version and an ultra crispy twist.
00:10Let's heat the pan and see which you might like. For a printable version of this recipe visit my
00:16website just google teriyaki chicken statue to find me. Place your boneless skin on chicken
00:21thighs skin side down on a cutting board. We're starting with about 450 grams roughly two whole
00:27thighs but you can go up to 600 grams if your pan is big enough. In fact my two thighs
00:34today weigh
00:35around 600 grams in total. Now take a look at this thickest part. See that thick lobe of meat?
00:43Make a shallow cut through it to create a flap then open it up like a book. This gives us
00:50an even
00:50thickness across the entire piece which is crucial. Or you can even use kitchen scissors to do this.
00:57Also if there are any tendons just trim them out. Don't have whole thighs available? No problem.
01:05You can use large bite-sized pieces instead, about 3 to 4 centimeters. Flip the thigh skin side up and
01:13grab a fork. Lightly prick the skin all over. Those little fork holes let the fat render out more easily
01:20during cooking, preventing the skin from puffing up like a balloon. Then pat the surface dry with paper towels,
01:27moisture is the enemy of crispy skin. Plus our dry surface helps our glaze stick better later.
01:34Season both sides with a good pinch of salt. That's about one pinch per side.
01:43Since I've got two chicken thighs today, I'm going to show you my two methods side by side. The
01:50traditional Japanese method and an ultra crispy version. For the classic one where we glaze the
01:56whole thing, we dust just the flesh side with potato starch.
02:03The extra crispy method, where we preserve the skin texture, flips the script and does the skin side
02:10instead. Same starch, different placement, different texture. We're talking about half a tablespoon total.
02:17Potato starch creates more transparency and a signature glossy shine that makes it
02:23so visually stunning. Corn starch works too, if that's what you have.
02:27Alright, let's get cooking. I'm using a large stainless steel pan today, big enough to comfortably
02:33fit both of these generous thighs. Heat your empty pan well over medium heat. Add about half a tablespoon
02:40of cooking oil and swirl to coat the entire surface. Reduce the heat slightly, then place the chicken
02:47skin side down and cook for seven minutes without moving it. Now, here's where the technique split again.
02:55For the extra crispy version, I place a sheet of foil over the chicken and sit a moderately heavy
03:02flat bottom object on top, like another pan with a bit of water.
03:12This pressure is brilliant because it eliminates air pockets, ensuring the whole skin makes contact
03:18with the pan for incredibly even crispy. The weight also prevents the skin from curling up at the edges.
03:26While this skin renders, let's mix up our terrific sauce. In a small bowl, combine one and a half
03:33tablespoon of soy sauce, one and a half tablespoon of mirin, one and a half tablespoon of sake,
03:39one teaspoon of light brown sugar, one and a half tablespoon of dashi stock, and half a teaspoon
03:46of honey. Stir until sugar and honey dissolve. This is a slightly modified version of the traditional
03:54Japanese Tereka ratio 2 to 2 1 for soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. It's a golden ratio that's been
04:00affected over generations. I like swapping in honey for some of that sugar, but using all sugar works
04:06perfectly too. Need to make substitutions? If you don't have mirin, cola makes a great 1-1 swap,
04:13surprisingly. I've done it and it worked. For the sake, white wine or dry sherry substitute fine. If you
04:20need to skip both mirin and sake entirely, check out my alcohol-free version on my website.
04:26For the dashi stock, don't stress about making it from scratch. Just whisk a pinch of dashi granules
04:32into warm water. We're only using a small amount here. You can even omit if you don't have it. This
04:39is a bonus ingredient. Seven minutes have passed, time to check. Your chicken should be ready to flip,
04:46turn them over and cook the other side for two minutes. Transfer the chicken briefly to a container
05:00or a plate. Now, look at all the rendered fat in the pan. Remove all but about one tablespoon into
05:13a
05:13heatproof cup. We're keeping the blood bright, not greasy. Don't throw the golden chicken fat away though.
05:19Save it for fried rice or shoyu ramen later. It's liquid gold. Turn off the heat and pour in your
05:25teric sauce mixture and grab a spatula. Scrape up all those brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
05:32Those concentrated drippings are going to supercharge the flavour of our sauce.
05:38Turn the heat back on, this time to medium high to high. Bring the sauce to a brisk simmer
05:43and let it bubble for 60 seconds. The sauce should be really moving now.
05:51Nestle the chicken back in, skin side up.
05:56Make sure you add the chicken juice back in as well.
06:00With the traditional batch, this is the moment to baste non-stop.
06:04Spooning the glossy sauce over the chicken repeatedly.
06:08But for the extra crispy thigh, we leave the skin alone and glaze only the flesh side.
06:15Think of it as preserving its crunchy dignity.
06:19You're looking for the sauce to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
06:23It should cling and form a thin paint on the spoon's underside.
06:28This usually takes about 30 to 60 seconds more.
06:33Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, skin side up, and let it rest for 3 minutes.
06:42Now for slicing. Here's a little trade-off to consider.
06:46It's easier to slice skin side down, but slicing skin side up preserves the gorgeous crispiness
06:52we worked so hard to achieve.
06:54Let's try both approaches today. For the traditional one, I slice it skin side down.
07:05For the extra crispy version, I keep the skin facing up as I cut.
07:10It deserves to stay on display after all the effort.
07:20Slice the chicken into strips and arrange them on your serving plate.
07:28Spoon the glossy glaze over the surface.
07:31Look at the shine. That's the teri in Japanese teriyaki, meaning the beautiful, tempting, gloss.
07:38For the extra crispy version, save the glaze for the very last moment.
07:44Pour it on right before serving so that the beautiful crunch stays intact.
07:50Serve this with freshly cooked Japanese rice. The fluffy, slightly sticky texture of Japanese
07:56rice is the perfect partner for soaking up the sweet, savoury glaze.
08:01And there you have it. Japanese teriyaki chicken in two ways, made the authentic pan-glazed way.
08:07Ready for dinner, lunch, or a weeknight when you want something better than takeout,
08:11but don't want to spend the whole night cooking. Want even more delicious recipes?
08:17Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
08:21Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time. And if you're ready to cook,
08:25grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on
08:30your screen. You'll find the full recipe with all the tips I can fit into this video right on my
08:36website. The link's on the screen now. And if you're in the mood for more, my favourite
08:41recipes playlist is waiting for you next. Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you again soon.
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