Obaachan’s chicken teriyaki

It’s a meal that takes me back to my childhood: a wholesome, balanced dinner of chicken, rice, and vegetables.

This chicken teriyaki recipe is from my grandmother, Obaachan, and is incredibly simple to make.  There’s no need for pre-made teriyaki sauce; her homemade sauce includes just three ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.  


And after only a couple minutes of prep time, the chicken spends an hour in the oven, leaving plenty of time to prepare the rest of the meal.  If you make rice in a rice cooker and roast  some broccoli along with the chicken, it’s almost an entirely hands-off process.


One important note – try to get real mirin (sweet cooking sake) if you can, most likely from a Japanese market or a liquor store, rather than the Kikkoman-type “aji-mirin” that’s made with corn syrup.  If you can only find the latter, you might want to reduce the amount of sugar you add.


The chicken turns out glossy, tender, and flavorful – it’s hard to believe that something so quick and easy can be so good!




Obaachan’s chicken teriyaki
6 skinless (bone-in) chicken thighs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 tbsp sugar




Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Combine soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.


Place chicken in 9×9 pyrex dish and pour sauce over top.  Flip over to coat in sauce and arrange in a single layer.


Bake for one hour, flipping chicken over halfway through.