Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade
A delicious sauce which can double as a marinade. It’s a great recipe!
Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade
Chances are good you already have the ingredients you need to make homemade teriyaki sauce in your pantry or refrigerator. If you’ve got five minutes, you can make a sauce that’s better than any bottled version, which can be used to dress up chicken, pork, steak and salmon.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/4 cups 1x
- Category: Sauces & Salsas
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- Basic Sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin or aji-mirin
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Slurry (optional)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
If you want a thick sauce, by all means mix in the slurry. For marinating, you probably should not use the slurry.
Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine, similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar  content. If you don’t have mirin, you can use sherry with a pinch of sugar added to it. If using as a marinade, omit the Slurry and let the sauce cool completely before using.
And here’s how to use Teriyaki Marinade!
Chicken: Slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into thin strips. Add them to the sauce, then refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Coat the rack with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken strips in an even layer on the rack, then set under the broiler on the oven’s middle shelf for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Flip the chicken pieces, then cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan over medium-high and boil for 3 minutes. When the chicken comes out of the oven, drizzle the boiled marinade over the pieces.
Pork: Substitute pork tenderloin, similarly sliced, for the chicken breasts above and follow the same method.
Steak: Cut a 1 1/2-pound flank steak against the grain into thin strips. Add to the teriyaki sauce and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add a couple tablespoons of canola, vegetable or sesame oil. When the oil is hot, use tongs or a fork to remove the steak from the marinade and add to the skillet. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes. You want it barely cooked. Add the marinade to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the steak and sauce over rice or noodles.
Salmon: Arrange 4 salmon fillets on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush each liberally with teriyaki sauce. Broil on the oven’s middle shelf for 1 to 2 minutes, then brush with additional teriyaki. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times, or until the salmon is just cooked and well glazed, a total of about 6 to 8 minutes under the broiler. Garnish with chopped scallions, sesame seeds or both.
Photo credit: (c) Can Stock Photo / zoryanchik
