You can make this ever-popular Japanese dish with boneless chicken breasts, and it’s great that way, but the breasts have a tendency to overcook. Better to use boneless or even bone-in thighs. The technique remains the same no matter what cut you use (and even if you use salmon or beef; see pages 255 and 360); only the cooking time differs. Teriyaki does not really produce a sauce, but a glaze, so something like Basmati Rice with Shiso (page 510) is preferable to plain rice (though plain rice is perfectly fine). A good salad with soy vinaigrette (page 601) is another fine pairing.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts

　　1/3 cup sake or slightly sweet white wine, like a German Kabinett or Spätlese

　　1/3 cup mirin or 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons water

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　1/3 cup soy sauce

　　

Step 1

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, then add the chicken. Brown quickly on both sides, not more than 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons water, followed by the wine, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir to blend and, when the mixture is producing lively bubbles, return the chicken to the pan.

　　

Step 2

Cook, turning the chicken in the sauce, until it becomes thick and sticky, more of a glaze than a liquid, just a few minutes. By that time the chicken should be cooked through but not overcooked; if the chicken needs another couple of minutes, add a little more water to the pan and continue to cook. Serve hot or at room temperature.

　　

Chicken Teriyaki with Bone-In Thighs or Drumsticks

Step 3

Slower to cook, but still popular and traditional: In step 1, preheat the pan and add 8 pieces bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks, or a combination, skin side down. Brown the pieces well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary and adjusting the heat so that they brown without burning, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and proceed as directed.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.