Quick And Easy Skillet Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Calling for delivery or picking up your favorite take-out order is an easy way to fill up fast, but nothing compares to a home-cooked meal. Of course, buying ingredients, prepping, and cooking them can turn into a lengthy affair, so it makes total sense that you'd want to delegate dinner to a professional kitchen. That being said, you might end up compromising on quality and freshness — two elements that you have total control over at home.

Food Republic recipe developer A.J. Forget found the perfect compromise that provides take-out flavors with minimal effort. If you're a fan of saucy rich dishes, this quick and easy skillet teriyaki chicken is sure to satisfy your appetite. "This dish is both quick and simple, but also packed with authentic teriyaki flavor," Forget says. Skip the generic take-out meal and grab an apron — thanks to the simple method and speedy cooking technique, you'll have dinner on the table in under half an hour. You won't even have to drive around looking for parking!

For this recipe, start by buying chicken thighs and cutting them into 1-inch cubes, and getting out the vegetable oil to saute the meat. For the sauce, get mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and ground ginger. Cornstarch thickens the sauce, and thinly sliced scallions act as garnish.

Although teriyaki is a classic sauce many people are familiar with, Forget remarks that its actual components may not be in your repertoire. "Mirin, for example, a sweet rice wine, is perhaps not a staple in most kitchens here, but [it] is available in many grocery stores in the Asian foods section. If you can't find it there, I encourage you to see if there's an Asian specialty grocery in your area. They will definitely have mirin (as well as lots of other exciting new ingredients)," he comments.

Set a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Pour in the vegetable oil and toss in the cubed chicken thighs. Sauté the chicken for 10 minutes until it is cooked through.

Meanwhile, add the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and ground ginger to a small bowl. Stir the contents together until the sugar fully dissolves. Our recipe developer describes, "The combination of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar creates a complex, sweet, and salty sauce, which is just about irresistible." If you want to get a headstart on dinner, he notes that "The base sauce can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator as a means of making this dish even quicker and easier to prepare."

Add the cornstarch to a small bowl and pour in ¼ cup of the sauce you just mixed. Stir the ingredients until the cornstarch dissolves and the mixture is smooth, then pour it back into the bowl with the sauce. If you're making the base sauce ahead of time, only add the cornstarch slurry when you're ready to cook.

The point of the slurry is to create a rich and luscious consistency with the sauce. Forget offers some tips for success: "It is important to make a nice slurry with the cornstarch and some of the sauce so that when you add mix it all together, the cornstarch stays in suspension. Again, before adding the sauce to the skillet, it is good to give it a quick stir to pick up any cornstarch that may have settled to the bottom. If the starch is evenly mixed and suspended, the sauce will come out perfectly thick and unctuous."

Once the chicken is cooked, stir the sauce in case anything settled to the bottom, then pour it into the skillet with the meat. Raise the heat to a simmer and cook the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes to thicken the sauce and burn off the alcohol from the sake and mirin.

Sprinkle thinly sliced scallions over top and serve this saucy teriyaki chicken with rice and steamed broccoli. You'll know from the first bite that you made the right choice to set aside the take-out menu.

"The teriyaki can be stored in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight container," Forget says. When you're ready for more, "simply toss it in a skillet for a couple minutes until nice and warm. The rice should be made fresh for each meal."