This Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is an easy, flavorful chicken recipe made with a more classic Japanese-style teriyaki sauce using soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. The chicken thighs are marinated until flavorful, grilled until juicy, and brushed with a glossy sweet-savory glaze at the end.
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It's simple, delicious, and perfect with steamed rice, grilled vegetables, or sliced over a rice bowl. If you love easy grilling recipes and sweet-savory sauces, this one is a keeper!
What is teriyaki?
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking method where meat or fish is grilled, broiled, or pan-cooked with a glossy sweet-savory sauce.
The word comes from teri (照り), meaning shine or luster, and yaki (焼き), meaning grilled or cooked over direct heat. That shiny finish comes from the sugar in the sauce as it cooks down and turns into a glaze.
Traditional Japanese teriyaki is usually made with a simple combination of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. The flavor is savory, sweet, and balanced, and it's so good with chicken, beef, fish, or even tofu.
What is teriyaki sauce?
Teriyaki sauce is a sweet and savory sauce that can be used as a marinade, glaze, or cooking sauce. A more classic Japanese-style teriyaki sauce is usually made with:
- Soy sauce
- Mirin
- Sake
- Sugar
Soy sauce adds salty umami flavor, mirin adds sweetness and shine, sake adds depth, and sugar helps the sauce thicken into a glossy glaze.
For this grilled teriyaki chicken, I keep the sauce closer to that classic combination. I also include optional garlic and ginger because I love the extra flavor they add, especially for grilled chicken.
Garlic and ginger are not always used in traditional teriyaki, but they taste amazing here and make the marinade extra flavorful.
If you love this flavor, check out my other teriyaki recipes such as Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken, and Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin.
About the Ingredients
Chicken thighs
I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay juicy and tender on the grill. Chicken thighs are also very forgiving, which makes them perfect for high-heat cooking.
You can use chicken breast if you prefer, but make sure not to overcook it since it can dry out more easily.
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is the savory base of the teriyaki sauce. It adds saltiness, umami, and that classic teriyaki flavor. Light soy sauce works great for this - meaning regular soy sauce, not dark soy sauce.
Mirin
Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine that adds sweetness, shine, and depth to teriyaki sauce. It helps give the sauce that glossy finish.
If you use mirin, you do not need as much sugar as you would with an unsweetened rice wine.
Sake
Sake adds depth and helps balance the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce. It also helps reduce any raw meat flavor in the marinade.
If you don't have sake, you can use another rice wine such as michiu, but sake will give you the most classic teriyaki-style flavor.
Sugar
Sugar helps the sauce become glossy and slightly thicker. You can use white sugar or brown sugar. Brown sugar will make the sauce a little deeper and more caramel-like.
Garlic and ginger
Garlic and ginger are optional, but I love adding them. They make the chicken extra aromatic and flavorful, especially when grilled.
For a more traditional teriyaki flavor, you can skip them. For a bolder home-cooking version, definitely add them!
How to make grilled teriyaki chicken (Step by Step)
First gather your ingredients:
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup sake
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons sugar
- Optional: 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- Optional: 1 clove garlic, minced
- Neutral oil, for brushing the grill
Marinate the chicken
In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar until the sugar mostly dissolves. Add grated ginger and minced garlic if using.
Add chicken thighs to a bowl or zip-top bag. Pour the teriyaki marinade over the chicken and make sure each piece is well coated.
Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. The longer it marinates, the more flavorful the chicken will be.
Make the optional teriyaki glaze
For extra glossy teriyaki chicken, you can turn the leftover marinade into a glaze.
Pour the used marinade into a small saucepan, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until slightly thickened and glossy.
Important: Since the marinade touched raw chicken, make sure to boil it thoroughly before using it as a glaze.
The chicken is still delicious without the glaze, but brushing it on during the last 1-2 minutes of grilling gives it that classic teriyaki shine and extra flavor.
Grill the chicken
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Add the chicken thighs to the grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, or until cooked through. I use a meat thermometer to make sure it's cooked completely.
Chicken thighs actually taste better when cooked a bit higher:
- 175-185°F (79-85°C) → more tender, juicy, and easier to bite
- The extra fat + connective tissue needs more time/heat to break down
Glaze and serve
During the last 1-2 minutes of grilling, brush the chicken with the simmered teriyaki glaze (if using). Flip and brush again if desired.
Remove from the grill and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Serve with steamed rice, grilled vegetables, or make it into a teriyaki chicken rice bowl!
Also - if you have leftovers, you can make some chicken fried rice the next day!
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
Juicy grilled chicken thighs marinated in a classic teriyaki sauce made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar, then grilled and brushed with a glossy sweet-savory glaze. Easy, flavorful, and perfect with rice or grilled vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup sake
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger, optional
- 1 clove garlic, minced, optional
- Neutral oil, for brushing the grill
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar until the sugar mostly dissolves. Add grated ginger and minced garlic if using.
- Add chicken thighs to a bowl or zip-top bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and coat well.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- Remove chicken from the marinade. If making the glaze, pour the used marinade into a small saucepan.
- Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5–8 minutes, or until slightly thickened and glossy.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates.
- Grill chicken for about 4–5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Chicken thighs are especially juicy around 175–185°F.
- During the last 1–2 minutes of grilling, brush chicken with the simmered teriyaki glaze, if using.
- Remove from the grill and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Serve with rice, grilled vegetables, or your favorite sides.
Notes
- For a more classic teriyaki flavor, use soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Mirin adds sweetness and shine, while sake adds depth and balance.
- Garlic and ginger are optional. They are not always used in traditional teriyaki, but they taste delicious here and make the chicken extra flavorful.
- Always boil used marinade before brushing it onto cooked chicken. Simmering it turns it into a safe, glossy glaze.
- Chicken thighs are recommended because they stay juicy on the grill, but chicken breast can also be used. Adjust cooking time as needed and cook until fully done.
- Leftovers are great sliced over rice, noodles, salads, or turned into chicken fried rice.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 263Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 1045mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 29g
The nutrition information for this recipe is an approximate total per serving. Please double check the nutrition information for your exact ingredients and brands for more precise nutrition information. Keep in mind that if there is a marinade, often times not all the ingredients will be consumed.
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More Delicious Chicken Thigh Recipes!
If you love cooking with chicken thighs, here are a few more flavorful recipes to try next:
- Gochujang Chicken - A bold Korean-inspired chicken thigh recipe made with gochujang, soy sauce, and spices. You can pan fry, air fry, or grill it.
- Thai Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs - Juicy chicken thighs marinated with fish sauce, garlic, and lime, then cooked until golden and flavorful.
- Pan Fried Chicken Thighs - A simple, juicy, go-to chicken thigh recipe that's ready in about 20 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights.
- Sichuan Peppercorn Chicken Thighs - Bold, aromatic chicken thighs pan-fried until golden with the signature numbing flavor of Sichuan peppercorns.
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