Seattle’s food scene is known for three things – Starbucks coffee, Seattle Hot Dogs, and Chicken Teriyaki!!
Now, before we get into the recipe, there’s some debate on where Teriyaki was invented, and while it draws influences from Japan, I can wholeheartedly say that it was popularized right here in Seattle. Back in the 70s, Toshihrio Kasahara created Seattle-style Teriyaki at his restaurant, Toshi’s, which spurred a cultural phenomenon. By the 90’s there were hundreds of teriyaki shops across Washington, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Seattle was truly built off of Teriyaki.
My recipe is an homage to my favorite teriyaki shop in Seattle, Toshio’s Teriyaki in the Central District. I frequented this spot 2-3 times a week in high school and college. Their cut of chicken makes Toshio’s different from standard teriyaki spots. They use boneless chicken thighs WITH the skin on, marinated in their teriyaki sauce, then grilled to perfection. The skin really helps the chicken retain even more moisture and juiciness while absorbing the delicious flavors of the sauce.
How does Seattle Chicken Teriyaki differ from other teriyaki?
First is the sauce. Seattle teriyaki uses freshly grated ginger to elevate the flavors of the sauce and reduce the chickeny odor of the chicken, resulting in a really clean flavor profile.
The second is that the chicken is marinated in the sauce, allowing the flavors to penetrate deep into the chicken. Rather than just being brushed and glazed on the chicken after it’s grilled.
The secret sauce:
The sauce itself is inherently very simple—the perfect union of sweet and savory.
The combination of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake is rounded out with fresh minced garlic and grated ginger.
I prefer a lighter sauce, so I heat it in a saucepan and reduce it slightly. If you prefer a thicker, more viscous sauce, adding a little bit of cornstarch slurry will do the trick.
Does this sauce work with any other proteins?
Of course! Whether you decide to use this with chicken breast, beef, pork, or salmon. The sauce pairs perfectly and can be used interchangeably.
Air-Fryer Cooking Method:
For the recipe, if a grill is inaccessible, you can achieve similar results in the air-fryer. You won’t get that little bit of smokey char flavor, but it’s still delicious!
Preheat your air-fryer to 375F for 1-2 minutes. Then cook you marinated chicken at 375F for 14 minutes, flipping halfway in between. If the sugars in the marinade start to carmelize too quickly after the first 7 minutes, reduce the heat to 350F and cook for a bit longer.
Every air-fryer is slightly different, so ensure your chicken reaches 165F internal temp to be safe.
Seattle Teriyaki Chicken
4
servings1
hour25
minutesIngredients
2 lbs 2 Boneless Skin-on Chicken Thighs
- Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade:
1 cup 1 Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 cup 1/2 Sugar
1 tbsp 1 Mirin
1 tbsp 1 Sake
1 tbsp 1 Minced Garlic
1 tbsp 1 Grated Ginger
- Garnish:
Sesame seeds
Directions
- Prepare chicken thighs by deboning and flattening them out while leaving the skin on. Alternatively, ask your local butcher!
- In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sake, minced garlic, and grated ginger
- Pour half of the sauce over the chicken to useas a marinade, and let the chicken marinate for at least thirty minutes up to overnight
- Pour the remaining sauce into a saucepan and heat over medium. Let the sauce reduce slightly. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add your cornstarch slurry
- Grill marinated chicken on high heat until the internal temp hits 165 degrees
- Let rest for five minutes, then slice
- Serve with white rice, iceberg salad, chicken teriyaki, and teriyaki sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds
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Easy to make, simple, and delicious
So excited to find a Seattle teriyaki chicken recipe. Since moving to another state I had no idea how spoiled I was with food especially teriyaki. Now do you know what dressing or a recipe for the dressing that they put on the side salads???
Thanks Rebekah! I hope this reminds you of all your favorite teriyaki joints in Seattle! I’ll have the salad dressing recipe up on my blog soon!
Is there any option for air fry instead of griling?
Hi Vivian, I would recommend preheating the air-fryer for a minute at 375 – then air-frying the chicken for 14 minutes flipping halfway in between. If the sugars in the marinade starts to caramelize and brown too quickly, I’d drop the temp to 350 and cook for a bit longer instead. Hope this helps, and excited to hear what you think!
Seattle Terriyaki is the best! This recipe is amazing!
Made this yesterday! It was a hit with the family! I can’t wait to try your other recipes. The only thing I did differently was I used skinless chicken thighs as i don’t like chicken skin, in case other people are curious if the meat still comes out moist, it does. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Hi Phuong, I’m so glad the teriyaki turned out well for you and the fam!
So. Friggin. Good.
I’m so glad you love it Jill! Excited for you to try some of my other recipes too!
Wow! I made this for dinner tonight and it was an instant hit. My husband requested that this be added to our regular rotation. And you were right about the dressing for the salad, it doesn’t just go on the salad, it goes in the chicken too! lol
Thank you for the recipe!! Can’t wait to make more.
Hi Nancy!
I’m so glad it turned out well, and yes that teriyaki salad dressing is sooo good on everything!
Thank you for this recipe. I’m sharing it with my out-of-state relatives that miss Seattle teriyaki. Have you ever found a good recipe for Seattle’s spicy chicken teriyaki? I can’t come up with anything close.
Hi Laurie, thanks for sharing!
I’m still tweaking my spicy chicken teriyaki recipe to get it to taste exactly like my favorite spot – will have a recipe up as soon as it’s done!
Damn! I absolutely love teriyaki. This was an easy and straightforward recipe. I would add some sriracha and thai chilis in the marinate for an extra kick. The real question is do you put your leftover sauce on the rice or are you a plain jane?
Moved to indiana from tukwila 13 yrs ago. Sure miss my terriyaki. Ive been making my own but doesnt compare. Gonna use ur recipe and see if it feels like home. I might try sizzling hot cast iron skillet. Thatll give it a char!! Thx for the recipe.
Excited for you to try it – let me know how it turns out!
Having lived in the Seattle area for 25 but moved away a few years ago, I really missed good teriyaki. We made this this weekend and it came out just like I remembered. So good. Thank you!!!!!
Hey Craig, thanks for the comment and I’m glad my recipe can remind you of a little slice of home!
I really enjoyed reading your post on Seattle Chicken Teriyaki. Your writing captures the essence of how something so simple as chicken teriyaki could develop a rich cultural significance in Seattle. Reading about the history behind Toshio’s Teriyaki brought back fond memories of visiting the Central District.
One quick question though, I’ve always wanted to try marinating with mirin and sake but never got around to it. Does the flavor change significantly depending on the protein used, say if I tried it with salmon or pork?
Thanks for sharing this method and the option to use an air-fryer. Living in a small apartment, it’s sometimes tricky to grill, so this is a great alternative. Looking forward to trying it soon!
Hi Toshiko – thank you for the kind words! Yes the marinade should work with any protein you want – for salmon specifically though, I don’t actually marinade it, but instead I pan fry first and then reduce the teriyaki sauce over it to glaze, since it’s a little more delicate.
You can find that recipe here:
https://feedthepudge.com/teriyaki-salmon/
Excited to hear what you think!
Can you suggest your top 3 sake choices for this recipe or link a fav from Amazon? We moved Seattle to upstate NY and miss our favs!
I’ve personally been using a Vietnamese American Rice Wine from Blue Phoenix that I adore for both cooking and drinking. But honestly, any filtered sake with some fruity notes work great!
Made this recipe tonight- except i split the 1/2 c sugar into 1/4 grabulated and 1/4 brown sugar, and i added a bit of pineapple juice concentrate.
We found the sauce to be very, VERY salty, so will definitely be using less sodium soy next time, and may end up reducing the total amount of soy, as well. Overall though it was very tasty and easy to.make.
Hi Ken,
Thank you for the recipe! What brand of soy sauce would you recommend to use to make the marinade with? Have made the recipe a few times now with different brands, and am trying to balance the sweet / salty going on.
Regards,
John
Thanks
Hi John, I’m pretty basic, but typically I use lower sodium kikkoman so I can control how much salt goes into it.
https://amzn.to/4lEoEUD
Hi! I’m excited to try this! Can I ask what exact soy sauce you used? Would Aloha shoyu also work for this recipe?
Aloha works great – I personally use use Kikkoman for this recipe. https://amzn.to/3V27G6F
Hi, would you also recommend using white granulated sugar or brown sugar? I just had my first Toshi’s experience so I’m looking forward to making this!
I typically use white sugar. I’m so excited for you to make this! I will say, Toshi’s teriyaki sauce is a bit thicker than mine, so add a cornstarch slurry to it if you want to replicate their sauce!
Hey there! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog articcle or vice-versa?
My blog goes over a lot of the same subjects as yours and I think we could greatly benefit rom
each other. If you are interested feel free to send me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Fangastic blog by the way!
Tried this recipe out for the first time today. The teriyaki sauce was too salty for my taste. Especially when I reduced it a bit, it was even saltier. I will try to reduce the amount the soy sauce next time, I can see the potential in this recipe.
I moved out of the Seattle area a few years back and CRAVE teriyaki. This recipe is the closest to what my mind’s tongue remembers – like 90+% reminiscent, far and away the closest. As a marinade, it’s spot on, but as a sauce, it’s too “much”. Maybe next time I’ll try corn starch to thicken instead of further reduction.
I don’t think I’ve encountered a place in Seattle that does skin on, though. Is that an intentional departure to ensure juicier chicken at home, or is my memory failing me?
Hey Dave,
I’m so glad that my recipe reminds you of home, that’s what it’s all about! Completely understand on the sauce, I like mine more on the thin side, but most folks do like it thicker, so a cornstarch slurry definitely helps there. Skin-on chicken thighs is a nod to my favorite teriyaki shop Toshio’s on Rainier, and it definitely does make the chicken juicier as well. Hope you give my other recipes a try!
Hi! I’m confused. Your facebook video shows +water to the marinade, but nothing here. What should it be then? And I only have kikoman sweet soy sauce. How much sugar should I reduce? Thanks