Seattle Chicken Teriyaki - feedthepudge (2024)

Seattle’s food scene is known for three things – Starbucks coffee, Seattle Hot Dogs, and Chicken Teriyaki!!
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, and that 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

4.6 from 8 votes

Servings

4

servings

See Also

Chicken Teriyaki RecipeSeattle Style Teriyaki — Recipes — Sonya Michelle SanfordSeattle-Style Chicken Teriyaki

Prep time

1

hour

Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs 2 boneless skin-on chicken thighs

• Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade:

• 1 cup 1 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 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 use a marinade, and let the chicken marinate for at least thirty minutes up to overnight
• Pour the remaining sauce into a sauce pot and heat on medium. Let the sauce reduce slightly. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add your cornstarch slurry
• Grill marinated chicken on high heat until 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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