Ingredients

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. sake

1/2 c. mirin

1/4 c. sugar

3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 ¾ pounds)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Steamed rice, for serving

Sesame seed, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1Combine soy sauce, sake, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan and place over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low so the sauce is simmering. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by about a third and it has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer the garlic and ginger and half of the sauce to a blender; Blend until smooth. Reserve remaining sauce.Step 2Pat chicken thighs dry and place in a plastic bag or bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.Step 3About 10 minutes before you’re ready to cook, bring remaining sauce back to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a small bowl whisk cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water. Slowly whisk cornstarch mixture into the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Preheat a grill or broiler to high. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Pat chicken dry, then brush all over with the sauce. Grill chicken until lightly charred in spots and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.Step 4Transfer chicken to a board to rest, about 5 minutes. Slice and serve over rice, drizzled with remaining sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Specifically we looked to Toshi Kasahara, who opened Toshi’s Teriyaki in 1976 and is considered by many to the be the godfather of American-made teriyaki. Toshi blends his teriyaki sauce (a secret recipe) blended with garlic and ginger to create a marinade for the chicken. We have borrowed this method and we think it adds an additional depth of that iconic teriyaki flavor to the chicken thighs. You can use your favorite store-bought sauce for this recipe (about 3/4 cup for marinating and an additional 1/2 cup for brushing on the chicken) but we also provided a really simple teriyaki sauce recipe made with sake, mirin, soy and sugar. It’s not as sweet as some of the sauces you might get off the shelf but it’s definitely just as delicious. Tried making this recipe? Let us know how it came out in the comments